


Dystopia

by Mearbear, SirDomme



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Damian Being Damian, Drama, End of the World, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Jason and Roy are parents, M/M, Multi, Pain, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Slade being amazing boyfriend, Smut, cute tim, post apocalyptic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2020-01-24 14:19:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 36
Words: 503,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18573235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mearbear/pseuds/Mearbear, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirDomme/pseuds/SirDomme
Summary: Beings from another world have come to Earth threatening to completely take it over. With most of the Justice League dead or missing Nightwing is forced to team up with Deathstroke the terminator. Their alliance is the only thing that may stop these out worlders from dominating and destroying everything.





	1. Black Smoke Rising

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank sirdomme. They help write all the chapters! Without them this wouldn't come to be. They've been a huge help in the writing of the story and is the one that came up with the general plot! Now together we brainstorm and come up with ideas. They write Slade, Jason and Tim's part which I am entirely grateful, I feel they are able to get into those character's heads better than I ever could! They help with a bunch more characters as well as the story progresses.

He could still see it, smoke and blood, the sound of peoples screams. He could still hear Batman's voice in the back of his head ordering him to stay in the cave, telling him to back off so he couldn’t get himself _killed_. Of course, it wasn’t long before The Bat himself disappeared. The visions plagued his mind night and day, what made it worse was that there was nothing he could do to change the past.

 

He hated this with every ounce of his being, it made the young hero sick to think about how easily the heroes lost, how quickly some of them _surrendered,_ giving up as if they forgot what it meant to be a hero. Dick refused to back down, refused to stop fighting. He nearly died several times just trying to protect citizens and despite all his injuries he didn't stop, it was honestly a miracle he _didn’t_ die. Even after the war, after most the Justice League was dead or forced into hiding,  he fought, targeted villains and members of the High Court. He managed to take down a few strong holds but in the end it didn't matter.

 

He was caught, beaten, humiliated. Dick didn’t think there were so many ways to torture someone, to break them down physically and emotionally. Even worse these _things_ didn’t seem to even understand the way human’s thought or felt… It’s like the point of the torture was just to observe people.  
  
Dick had no idea how long he was held in captivity, he couldn’t help but to feel relief when he was shackled and dragged down a long corridor. Quickly he was shuffled in with a handful of other young heroes, most of them were no older than sixteen, it honestly broke the older hero's heart. His arms were tightly bound behind his back, one guard on each side of him as the group was pulled into a large open space that nearly looked like an old turn of the century concert hall. Nightwing and the other heroes were lined up along the stage, four guards standing behind them, two flanking either side, and the auctioneer, who held a clipboard with a long list of names. Off stage the seats were filled with a handful of villains who wore smug looks like they’d just won some type of prize.  
  
"We present to you this evening's heroes."  The auctioneer spoke in a loud voice, gesturing at the row of behind him.  
  
There were a couple adults, but no many big names. Unfortunately,  most of them went missing or were killed.

  
The auctioneer began to go down the line, talking about each hero, explaining their name, skills and brief history. Finally, the guard got to Nightwing and grabbed his chin.  
  
"This is Nightwing, AKA Richard John Grayson, I'm sure many of you know him, an extension of the bat himself-"  
  
Dick interrupted with a heavy sigh, "Can we skip this part? It's not you, it’s me. I just can't stand your voice, you sound worse than a glitching beastie boys album."  
  
The guard looked at Dick and back handed him hard making the hero's nose split and small drops of blood fly into the air. Dick stood frozen a moment before he spit and looked back at the guard, a smirk spreading across his lips.  
  
"I'm sorry, did I say something offensive?"  
  
The High Court member looked as though he were ready to strike the hero once more when  
Slade’s voice cut through the small chatter of villains. He was dressed in a simple fitted black turtleneck and slacks, holding a glass of deep colored scotch.  
He moved from the back of the room where he had been chatting with a couple 'past' gang bosses, turned High Court enforcers.

"If you hit him every time he runs his mouth Richard won't have enough brain cells left to blink.” Slade sounded slightly amused, but there was something else gleaming in his eye. Maybe anger? “You’ll have to consider it part of his charm."  

  
This was the first time Slade Wilson had been spotted since before things started to go down, just shortly before most of the Justice League had disappeared. Previous to that he had hung around Gotham and Metropolis, doing his 'regular line of work', despite the fact that the world was, quite literally, ending.  
  
While stopping in Gotham, Slade made contact with Richard a couple times. The first message was to tell the hero this wasn't some little fluke, that this was all just the tip of the iceberg. The last time he'd seen him, just before he disappeared, he'd said a simple statement, 'Surrender, and do it soon'. What Slade knew and how he knew it was still unclear to the Batfamily at that time. Even Jason with his underground connections had little idea how Slade was involved with the High Court, or if he was at all. What they did know was that he was the only non-hero who was willing to give any kinds of heads up about upcoming events ... or at least let Nightwing know about them.

  
Nightwing didn't at all trust Slade when everything begun, he was full of skepticism and even anger upon their first meeting. He was convinced Slade was involved, though after the first warning his suspicions subsided slightly. He kept them in mind and was the only one opened to trusting the assassin, something in his gut told him Slade wasn't lying. The rest of the batfamily wasn't won over so easily. Each tip, each warning, each word Slade spoke seemed to hold honesty and the others learned Slade was on their side at least a little. When Dick got the message to surrender himself he was more... Cautious if anything. He decided not to tell the other members of the family since he knew they wouldn't agree with his decision, after all look where it got him,  His face bloody and bruised, a glare in his eyes, he looked like he was ready to fight the moment the cuffs were off him, and now Slade Wilson was back, staring at Dick from a few feet away, a pleasant smirk sitting on his face. Between both of their disappearances it was somewhat surprising that no one caught on but, then again, the two had made it seem as though they hated each other. The contemp in Dick’s eyes only confirmed that.  
  
"Boy wonder, you've gotten yourself into a mess." Slade, then looked to the guard and impromptu auctioneer giving a curt nod. "I'll take this one."  
  
There was a little bit of disappointed whispering going on among the crowd, but there wouldn't be any contesting. That wasn't how this system worked, at least not now. Besides, this was Deathstroke, the highest ranked and paid mercenary in the known world, who would be stupid enough to challenge him? Certainly none of these stuffed suits and washed up villains.

 

"I believe he should be taught to show some respect." The auctioneer said as he looked back at Dick, he wasn't surprised Slade wanted him.  
  
There were a few reasons why one might want to own the famous Nightwing, if it wasn't for his body it was for revenge or possibly his skill. The auctioneer moved to stand behind Dick, his hand resting on his shoulder as he watched Slade.  
  
"Are you sure he's the one you want? We don't do... 'refunds'" he stated as a warning.  
  
Dick couldn't help but to smirk, ignoring the auction man for now.  
  
"Who _wouldn’t_ want me? Rebellious, charming, feisty? I’m every bad guys wet dream."  
  
Despite all the pain surging through him he was cracking jokes,  he felt the hand on his shoulder tighten in a warning which was all he needed. The grip was just tight enough for Dick to roll forward and kick behind him making the man roll with him. The two hit the ground, shackles tightening around Dick who managed to get his hands in front of him, he took advantage of the tight chains wrapping it around the man’s neck, using the pull of the other heroes and his own weight to keep the grip tight. Of course this was all for show, he knew he'd be stopped, knew he'd end up in Slades possession. He needed to make sure that everyone believed he was captured involuntarily. Slade simply watched the display Dick put on for the entire room. The guests tensed and rabbled as the famous Nightwing began taking down guards like child's play, despite being bound and injured. Many of them probably feeling relief now knowing they wouldn't have to hold Grayson captive. Slade was the perfect man for the job, said man was smirking at the scene. It wasn't long before Dick was electrocuted via shock collar and taken down by other members of the high court, his body jolted as the electricity surged through it before he was grabbed by the hair. Another man grabbed his arms roughly, after unlocking the shackles, forcing them behind Grayson's back as the hero weakly looked up at Slade who simply put his glass of liquor to the side as they finished up getting the acrobat under control once again.  
  
"The high court won't win." Nightwing snarled, his eyes  still in a sharp glare, his voice hoarse.  
  
The guards hesitantly passed him over to Slade.  
  
"He's yours to punish." The auctioneer said as he slowly stood up rubbing his head, "Utilize your power Mr. Wilson, don't disappoint the court."

 

Slade held his hand out toward the auctioneer as Dick was brought before him. He was sporting a new ring on his middle finger, it was a silvery blue and let out a small neon light as the auctioneer scanned the ring, of course he had on paper Slades records but paper could be manipulated, changed, their system? That was full proof. Once he was sure the records matched he uploaded the data to Dick's collar so everyone could see he was owned and see who he was owned by. The ring was a remote control for Nightwing's collar as well as Slade's identification means.  The High Court seemed to have a hard time distinguishing one human from the next, even though they took on similar forms. They were nearly obsessive with record keeping and tagging. Everyone had a number, identification makeup, classifications, etc. assigned to them upon capture or surrender. One’s life inside the High Court depended on that record, there wasn't any amount of sweet talking or manipulation you could do with the High Court. The record was the first and last say in all matters. Needless to say, little Richard's record was unsatisfactory.  
  
"I don't plan on returning this one." Slade said finally, his eye set on Dick’s as he brought a hand up to grasp his chin firmly.  
  
After studying the hero for a moment, the assassin rested a hand in his pocket and the other on Dick's shoulder, Slade roughly forced the hero to his knees. As Slade pressed down on Dick’s shoulder the hero resisted, his body pushed upwards against Slade's hand until he felt an intense shock rush through his body. It started around his neck and shot throughout his entire body, he could feel it rushing down his spine and through his muscles, every ounce of strength being sucked out of him as he fell to his knees. He huffed and struggled to breathe, his throat feeling raw.  
  
"I assure you, the court won't be disappointed. I'll have him _firmly_ under my boot."  
  
Slade removed his hand from his pocket, revealing a syringe. He easily popped the top with one hand, going to slip it into the crook of Dick's neck.  
  
"Alright Robin, I'll see you in about six hours."  
Dick squirmed softly as the needle pierced his skin, his eyes fluttering as the sensation of the sedative washed through him. He's felt this before, he knew what it was. He looked at Slade with a glare as he tried to fight the effects though within a blink he was lying on the ground, darkness filling his vision as he muttered something incoherent.  
  
"Very efficient." The auctioneer said as he turned to Slade, "It was good doing business with you, Wilson."  
  
"Likewise." Slade replied simply to the auctioneer as he walked away to continue with his duties.  
  
Slade squat down next to the now unconscious Nightwing, placing a hand on his neck, it looked rather harsh, but really he was just feeling for a pulse. The Bat had each one of his birds somewhat resistant to most sedatives, tranquilizers, the lot. Which, unfortunately made the task of guessing how much he'd need to knock Nightwing out, but not stop his heart, a bit of a guessing game. Apparently, he'd been correct with his dosages.  


       

  
Slade had the perfect location set up. Somewhere more rural, actually, a lot more rural. Like, no neighbors for a few miles around type of rural. It was thick with pines and oak, their dwelling was technically a tree house, but was much bigger than some child's escape space. It boasted three bedrooms, two full baths, every amenity you'd expect in a Gotham penthouse, and, of course, the best security system money could buy. Now, one might ask. Why would Slade bother driving poor unconscious Nightwing all the way out here to the New England wilderness? Only because Slade knew when boy wonder woke up he was going to be a handful. Probably screaming, most definitely angry, and likely to hit him then _try_ and run away. Out here? There wasn't anywhere to go, and no one to listen to Richard yell bizarre pop culture related profanities at him. Sure it was possible that the hero would wake up and be fine, however, Slade wasn’t willing to risk anything on a temperamental brat.  
  
By the time they arrived it was morning. Slade had rested himself while his jet did the flying, he knew he was going to need it. He put Dick in the spare bedroom, the third one being a tightly locked arsenal and tech center, undoing his bonds and tending to the more worrisome injuries. Kid knew how to get himself into trouble, Slade discovered many bruises, cuts and more scars than he could count, which was not surprising in the least. In fact, the most surprising thing was the fact that Grayson didn’t appear to sport any broken bones despite it looking like they got to the point of beating him with blunt objects.

  
By the time all was said and done Dick was changed into flannel pj bottoms and a white t-shirt. Slade wasn't going to have him dirtying up his sheets with whatever garb they had him in at the containment center. Place was practically a cesspool. He figured he had somewhere between one and two hours before Dickie woke up. So, he set out to take a shower, get dressed in something more comfortable, black sweats and a gray shirt, and was currently chopping potatoes in the kitchen. He looked domestic at the moment for such a ruthless killer.

 

  
Despite his long restful sleep, Dick woke up abruptly. He jolted and quickly sat up, his head still foggy, throat sore and his body tired. He ran a hand through his raven hair and glanced around his surroundings before releasing a groan and looking down at his new attire. He was between grateful and unsettled someone removed his clothes in his sleep but at least these were clean....and soft.... _Really_ soft.  
Dick slid out of the bed quietly, his vision growing black for a moment before he finally settled himself enough to stand. He was on guard, tense but kept reminding himself that he chose to trust Slade. Of course the man had to make sure this didn't look voluntary.  Dick reached up to touch the collar, sighing at the fact it was still there. It made him feel doubtful but he pushed that sensation aside, he had to play along long enough to get answers, besides he was fairly certain that Slade was being his own version of cautious as well. He knew he himself could be a wild card and if Slade half expected him to lash out then it made sense he would keep a collar on him. Dick didn't step out of the room until he was done quietly snooping around for answers, and seeing that he found nothing it wasn’t long before he quietly slipped out of the room and down the hall for the most part keeping his stealth up until he wound up behind Slade choking out a small laugh at how...... Normal? He seemed.  
  
"What's next? Peanut butter sandwiches and romantic comedies?" He couldn't help but to tease... Well he could but... It's _so_ hard not to.  
  
"We can't all live off of take out and breakfast cereal, Dick." Slade replied smoothly, not even seeming to flinch at the other's approach. "It baffles me that you've made it this far without dying of malnutrition. I'm sure Alfred is the only reason you've survived this long."  
  
Anytime there was a Bat in the area you couldn't be jumpy, they always had a way of just showing up behind you or out of some dark corner like spiders, they were practically bred to be natural predators.  
Dick made his way across the kitchen and sat on one of the counters watching as Slade set the chopped vegetables to the side, to be rinsed a final time, washing his hands in the opposite basin before drying them with a towel that he then flipped over his shoulder.  
  
"You didn't have to knock me out, I can pretend to sleep."  
  
Dick decided that, for now, he'd keep things calm. He wouldn't jump down Slades throat demanding answers, after all he himself had to put in effort to gain the assassin's trust and that wasn't going to happen with violence... Not yet anyways. Besides, the hero was too tired and exhausted to fight.

 

Slade turned to face Dick finally, with a raised eyebrow. "I know you're quite a drama queen, but, you forget I've been a witness to some of your more horrible acting on the job."  
  
The assassin crossed his arms across his chest, leaning his back against the opposite counter across from Dick.  
  
"Besides, I didn't just drug you for show. I wasn't sure how long they'd kept you locked up. Even all that Bat training in the world cannot keep you sane in every situation. I couldn't assure you'd come willingly." Slade added though he paused and looked like he was considering what to say next, but let out a small 'tsk'ing sound as if he'd lost his own argument with himself. "... Or agree to the terms."  
  
"I happen to be a fantastic actor."  
  
Dick argued, he was, quite literally, born for the center ring, if it wasn't an audience he was playing like a violin it was socialites or super spies. Sure sometimes his true bleeding heart seeped through but for the most part he could wear a mask better than Bruce Wayne himself. People couldn't see it, they didn't know him well enough to notice the tension he carried in his shoulders at a gala. The strain in his eyes as he smiled. The ache in his voice. Dick was a natural at reading people, he always knew that much.  Slade's point about how long he was locked up did ring true, Dick can't say he ever experienced pain like that, short of dying. The humiliation he bared nearly made him forget who he was, why he was holding on. He held onto his family, his friends, his _heart_ . He honestly couldn't argue with Slade on that one because he didn't know if they would've eventually broken him, any longer and they probably would have. If he were being honest the worst of the punishment was his seclusion, being locked in a pitch dark room for days with no social contact, no touch. It was so unbearable, so painful that Dick couldn’t even count how many times he broke down or explain how insane he felt, his whole body literally _ached_ for some type of physical contact to the point that when he was taken out the beatings were nearly pleasurable merely for the fact he finally got to _touch_ someone.  
  
"I don't doubt your acting skill with a _normal_ audience. You could charm the pants off a horse even on your worst days, I'm sure. These High Court people ... Individuals ... Aren't 'normal'. They don't take social cues and only seem to understand emotions from an academic viewpoint. Sort of like that Demon Child you were running around playing Batman with."  
  
Though, it seemed like Dick could reign that monster in, maybe he should just put Dick on some panel to teach these invaders 'how to human'. To Slade the idea was certainly amusing in theory.

Dick listened to Slade carefully, ignoring his comment about the demonic spawn known as Damian Wayne, accessing the new information, so these weren't _normal_ people. Perhaps they were aliens or from another dimension? He had to find a way of getting the information though he wasn't sure whether or not he could outwardly ask Slade.  
  
"I'm sure I could charm other worldly beings, it's worked on Supermen and the Martian’s after all." He beamed proudly though he was soon shaking his head hopping off the counter as his attention turned to the food, "What can I help you with? Believe it or not pampered rich boys know how to cook." He smirked.  
  
He almost felt guilty feeling so comfortable with Slade but.... Then again it made sense for a couple reasons, First off, this was the first time in a _long_ time that the hero has gotten to interact with someone in a casual way and Second, Slade has known Dick's identity for some time now and surely has had many opportunities to kill him but he hasn't. That's reason enough for Dick to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Slade pushed himself off of the counter top to go back to prepping his meal, altogether ignoring Dick's offer to help cook by just waving him off with his hand. He began heating up an oiled cast iron on the stove. He slipped over to the fridge, taking out a bottle of water and tossing it to Dick.  
  
"You need to flush the sedative out of your system or you'll get a hangover."

 

Dick caught the bottle with ease and smiled as he sipped the water and returned to his seat on the counter though he were sure he'd likely be in the way at some point while Slade was cooking. It didn’t take long for him to start swinging his legs slightly like a child.  
  
"So.... I assume you didn't drug me and drag me here to play house, what's your plan?" Dick asked finally getting directly to the point.  
  
"You have a problem with that? Maybe you'd make a good housewife." Slade joked lightly, then shook his head. "Scratch that, you're too messy and mouthy for that."  
  
Slade sighed as he began to make American fried potatoes on  the cast iron then walking around gathering things for what looked like omelets.  
  
"My plan is in the making. It may, or _may not_ , involve you. I haven't decided yet." Slade announced truthfully. "I needed to blend in with the crowd and play the game. Every villain and High Court approved leader is picking out heroes like personal trophies. When you refuse the offer, you look ... Unloyal. You were means to that end." Slade admitted as he looked toward the fridge. The words were cold like he rehearsed them, his eyebrows furrowed together a bit as he did.  
  
"So then.... You chose me since you knew I'd be the least likely to cause trouble? Almost ironic." Dick chuckled, " So you had to prove your loyalty to them, fair enough... What are your intentions exactly? Take them down from the inside out? Cozy up to them so you have job security?"  
Dick started to pry, his emotions starting to get the better of him, "You can't keep me in the dark, Slade... You may not care but people are dying and while I'm sure you're glad to see some of them go, most of them _don't_ deserve it. Families are being torn apart and every damn person with the ability to stop it has either died trying or given up.... You can't _honestly_ tell me you like the current state of things....... I don't believe you're that heartless."

"Dick, that's the problem with you hero types ... _Especially_ you. You're too damn hopeful even at the worst of times."

 

Slade replied sounding nearly exhausted. He paused their conversation for a moment as he put things in to cook, before covering them to give Dick his full attention.  
  
"You, nor I, have enough information or firepower to do anything about the High Court. What would your plan be? Right now, _whatever_ it is, I guarantee it'll just get you killed." Slade looked down at the ring on his middle finger and then back at Dick. "Right now my plan is damage control and waiting for an opportunity. I'm not stupid or foolish enough to think I can take down an entire army of beings that took down the Justice League like child's play."

 

Dick was honestly offended by Slades words though.... He couldn't say it was the first time he was 'scolded' about his 'hopefulness'. He's been around that track so many times it wasn't even funny. He ran through the options on his head but none of them seemed like they'd succeed, hell even Tim hadn't come up with anything good enough and Tim was the smart one. Dick let out a silent sigh through his nose before he looked back at Slade.  
  
"Look.... I'm not dumb enough to say we should rush in without a plan, without information... That's why I need to know what you know. By the same token, Slade, I'm not going to sit by and let people die.... even if it means getting myself killed. You and I both know I'm not afraid to jump in front of a bullet as long as the person it's aimed at makes it out alive."  
  
"I know you aren't afraid of dying Kid. Do you know how many bullets I've almost put through you over the years?"  
  
At one point Slade was convinced Nightwing had a death wish. Maybe Batman pushed him too far over the edge and he was just looking for someone to put him out of his misery. However, it eventually became clear Richard Grayson just valued life, _all_ life, well above his own. It was a hero's attitude, one Slade didn't understand entirely. Death of one's self simply for the sake of one other wasn't valuable to him ... It was sheer stupidity. It wasn't to say he hadn't risked his life to save others before, but they were people he cared about or many innocent individuals whose combined value outweighed his own. Dick didn't play those games, he just wasn't wired that way. Everyone had value, everyone deserved to live. Slade wholly disagreed.  
  
"Where did these guys come from anyways? Is there a special dimension for royal assholes I don't know about?" Dick was frustrated, that much was clear but the sigh he let out suggested he resigned his demands and decided not to pry any further.

 

He closed his eyes and let his head rest against the cupboard behind him. Clearly Dick had expected the assassin to have more information.

 

"I wish I knew, I think we _all_ do. I haven't gotten a solid answer from anyone about where the High Court came from. Even Luthor sounds like a nut job when he talks about them, says the 'world is theirs and we should be lucky they are allowing us to stay'. It's nonsense. I don't know if they are brainwashed or just playing along, maybe _they_ aren't even sure. All I know is Luthor and Ra's were the main players in staging the invasion and rise to power of the High Court. Luthor is still out speaking for the cause and rounding up loose ends, Ra's has ... Taken into the mountains to enjoy his victory."  
  
Slade decided to tell Dick what he did know, it couldn't hurt anything. What exactly could he do with the information? Run away to go fight them? There wasn't anywhere to run to out here.

Dick listened to the other carefully though his expression hadn't changed much, sure it was new information but was he surprised? Luthor and Ra's were the two people who would be the happiest watching the world literally burn. They were both control freaks, both intelligent, both had 'visions for a better world', Dick could swear they too have talked about building walls to make America great again… Or the world for that matter  
  
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Slade, "So then the High Court trusts them the most.... And see some type of value in them..."

 

Dick sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he didn't know if the headache that came on was from being hungover or from thinking. He drank the water in his hand finally finishing it off.

 

"You need to get them to trust you.... I'll help you do whatever it takes to get you to that place as long as no one gets killed." He said before hopping off the counter to dispose of the bottle, ".... It's just you and me, the others think I was taken. They don't know it was consensual, I'm gonna need your help getting resources to keep an eye on them." He stated as he looked back at Slade, "I've played this game before it's just... Harder when I don't have a way to know if they're okay.”

 

Slade simply nodded his head and turned toward the stove to continue working on breakfast. He thought long and hard about how and what he needed to say next. Slade knew things about Dick's family, whereabouts, some general conditions, things Dick would and wouldn't want to hear. Once he'd plated breakfast up and set it at the dining table like a proper meal he had a motion of conversation in place. Dick didn't like the lack of an answer to his question, the worry was evident in his face and the tenseness of his body. The only time Dick grew stiff and tense was when he was stressed or worried, otherwise he could hardly sit still.

 

"Sit, eat." Slade nearly commanded, sitting at the head of the table and taking a long drink of his alcohol spiked coffee. He'd need it. "I have some other information to tell you. I have a condition though ... You don't leave here. Got it? I'm dead serious Richard."

 

Dick rolled his eyes and took a seat beside Slade, it was usually his spot at the manor, to the left of Bruce. It felt odd sitting at Slade's left hand but he wasn’t going to sit across the table and yell to be heard.

 

"Just stock up on cereal and don't make me rotate your tires." He negotiated though it was more of a joke.

 

Did he actually intend on staying in this decked out tree house? No, even if he wanted to he couldn't. He'd go crazy if he tried. He needed to go out, needed to move. Locking him in one place was only one of the biggest ways to punish him. But Slade didn't need to know that and Dick knew how to lie. He began eating though he seemed cautious about it.

 

"Please tell me your secrets are as good as your cooking." The male said after taking the first bite.

 

It was surprising to say the least to discover Slade was actually a really good cook, he supposed it should be unsurprising considering the fact Slade was a perfectionist and likely wanted to be good at everything he did but really Dick didn't think the assassin had the time to focus on cooking or making decent meals.

 

"Dick, I'm not convinced you'd even know what a tire iron was if you hadn't been assaulted with them over a dozen times in Gotham."

 

Slade tried to joke back, but his tone wasn't in it, he was just as tense as the acrobat was, and seeing Dick that way wasn't helping either.  
  
"I already have someone on the inside getting close to Ra's ... Or rather we do." Slade let that bit of information sink in first before setting his fork down. "Tim was caught with Kate not even a day after you were captured. I'm not sure what happened to Batwoman but Tim was almost immediately taken to Nanda Parbat after a medical evaluation. Special orders of Ra's al Ghul himself."

 

Dick couldn't help but to frown the moment he found out Tim and Kate were captured and soon looked off, thinking to himself. Kate was strong, independent, brave... He honestly didn't know if he should be worried about her.... Tim however... He was worried but for different reasons. He knew Tim would literally do anything to get more answers for a case, it wouldn't be beyond the little robot to throw himself to the wolves to get information and it wasn't even shocking that Ra's would take the little shit. Tim has impressed that man time and time again and if Ra's was one of the few that had the most information then it seemed even more likely that Tim would let himself get caught just to end up in the man's lap.

 

This only begged the question, "Superboy.....  is he with Lex?"

 

The question may have seemed random but Tim and Kon were best friends and with Kon's technical father having brought this on then it's not surprising to consider Tim sending Kon in undercover. Connor would have a damn good excuse to seek Lex out too.  

 

"Superboy? To be honest, I'm not sure. I haven't been keeping tabs on him."

 

Slade didn't have much of a reason to keep track of the kid and wasn't going to dig for any information that wasn't necessary, it just put him more at risk of being caught snooping around. No one needed to know that Slade wasn't one-hundred percent behind the High Court, even though he was sure they could guess it easily. Right now, he was running along with the program and that's all that mattered.

 

Slade soon continued, "He's likely to have gone back to Luthor though, the guy talks about him like property and-"

  
Dick didn't realize it but he had gone so far into his own head that he stopped listening to Slade the moment said he wasn't sure about Kon. The only indication that Dick wasn't listening was the small curl of his brow making him look like a confused little puppy. His blue eyes fixed on an empty space as they radiated the concern he felt, the slight frown on his lips from him trying to pull the puzzle together, the slight tilt of his head. He usually didn't space out like this, that was Tim's thing, but Slade struck a chord in Dick which made him worry about the baby bird. He just hoped Tim had enough of a plan in place not to get himself killed. It didn't help that his thoughts shifted to Babs and Jason, he couldn't help but to worry himself even more.

  
Slade paused when he saw Dick start spacing out, watching his features change from concern to  ... Thought? Deep thought? To be honest, it was rather adorable looking. Slade had a few animals over the years, and Dick looked like a German Shepard named Jack that he tried to teach basic commands to ... Dumbly confused.

 

"Dick?"

 

Slade tried once, then twice, before putting a hand on the vigilante's shoulder. "Richard."

 

He said a little deeper from his chest in an attempt to pull the kid out of his own thoughts.

 

"I don't know if you've finally cracked, worrying, or pulling a plan together but you're not in the state for any of it right now." Well, not that Dick could help it if he'd lost it completely. "The world isn't the same place anymore and you can't do anything until you figure out how it works."

 

Dick flinched when Slade touched his shoulder and his eyes quickly dart over to the other, he realized by the fact he was out of breath that he likely let out a loud gasp. He hoped so anyways, it'd be embarrassing if he let out a yelp.  He caught the last of Slades words though not enough to fully process them as he leaned back,

 

"I know..." He finally said before looking at Slade quickly regaining his composure, "I just...... I worry about Tim... He's smart but he's also more determined than anyone should be and knowing him he'll do _whatever_ it takes to figure out what the High Court wants."  
  
Dick poked at his food as he seemed to think more though this time he didn't internalize it, "I know better than to jump without looking, believe it or not.... Honestly it's no different from a circus act, the High Court is using their power the same way the circus uses lights. It's distracting, it razzle dazzles you into focusing on whatever the light is on and right now that light is on how easy it is for them to have the power they have. But behind the scenes there's a lot more going on and leaping into the light blindly won't tell us what that is.... Right now you have access behind the stage, at least a little bit. I'm not going to jeopardize that. Especially if Tim got himself caught." Dick said quite sternly before he began eating, "It's not going to be easy for either of us but we need to trust each other."

 

"You're smart Dick, no one ever suggested otherwise. More importantly, you can be reasoned with, which is more than your brothers could ever claim."

 

Seriously, even if he had a choice in choosing other members of the bat clan, which he may have, he would have picked Dick in a heartbeat. Living with Jason, Damian, Barbara, Cass ... the list went on but they all sounded terrible. It wasn't just about the working relationship Dick and he had, it was just as much about keeping himself sane through all this.  
  
"I don't have any reason not to trust you, Dick, or rather, I know I hold too many cards for you to be stupid enough to betray me."

Slade admitted freely, he had no problem boasting about having the upper hand here.

 

Dick knew Slade had the upper hand, he's always known that. Hell Slade got the upper hand when he found out who he was under the mask, it's part of why Dick trusted him. He couldn't count on one hand how many people would attack his loved ones if they knew who he was. Sure, there were few out there, but the reasons they didn't were purely for their own personal gain. Slade? He didn't have much to gain by withholding that information, but he had the advantage of knowing where all the bats slept at night. He could exterminate them without them even seeing it coming and get paid well for it too. Dick slightly wondered why he didn't but he finally stopped asking himself that and took advantage of the fact he didn't. Maybe he already trusted Slade more than he should've.

 

"I'd hope at this point you'd know me well enough that I'd rather die than live under someone else's thumb. Besides, it's like you said ... I'm not truly 'heartless' enough to let all these innocent people die." Slade admit hesitantly.

 

It was the first time that he outwardly admitted to himself that he wasn't okay with living the rest of his life like this. In his head, he'd thought about it, wrestled with it. He could be comfortable and safe in this environment without a care in the world ... but could he live with that? No, probably not. It was probably Dick's stupid hero attitude rubbing off on him. Maybe he should have just picked Jason and locked him up in a room somewhere with a muzzle on.

 

"Ha! I knew you weren't all just Rambo under that mask."

 

Dick smiled and taunted playfully, he was relieved Slade could admit it. He could tell the other meant it, he could hear the hesitation in admitting it which indicated it was more vulnerable information which Dick truly felt honored in receiving, that probably would explain the ridiculous smile on his face.

 

Slade simply rolled his eye and brushed off the comment, continuing the prior conversation, “ We need to get a message to Tim somehow. Ra's and I aren't exactly buddies, so I'd have to fish for an in. It isn't impossible, but that'll take some time to get a message in through Nanda Parbat."

 

Trying to murder someone several times tended to deteriorate those kinds of relationships.

 

"Our other option is getting to Ra's through Luthor. Unfortunately that means more acting and charming from you ... And probably myself too."  
  
Dick stiffened at the mention of Lex and he quickly shot a glare at Slade, "What, you want me to charm ‘Mister Clean’? You know he killed me once... Then he had the audacity to trap me in a little set up so I'd get my hands dirty for him."

 

It wasn't long after the words were spoken that Dick realized he was letting his personal feelings get in the way making him sigh.

 

Suddenly his face lit up and he snapped his fingers, "Oh! I know!” He exclaimed, drumming on the table, “The Cluemasters code. We can send a message to Tim that way..." He explained before realizing that Slade may not know what that was.  
"So the Cluemasters code is when you take the first letter of every sentence to spell out a secret message. For example, **Y** ou can start out with any sentence, the other people decoding the code just have to know where the beginning of the message starts. **O** therwise, they get confused and things get lost in the translation. **U** nless it's Tim, he's pretty good at figuring this out since I've played this game with him for _years_.  Though it's not that hard, just stay on topic and plan the first word carefully. **E** verything from there tends to fall into place on its own without much thought. **A** s long as you don't pause in the middle of what you're saying to find the right word cuz then it's kinda obvious? **L** ook at it like a game. **O** ne big simple game. **S** imple as long as you know the rules. **E** verything is simple when you know the rules. **R** ight?"

 

Dick’s words were fluid and steady as though he's practiced this many times before. "Did you figure out the code?"

 

Slade leveled Dick with a look that read something like a fed up elementary school teacher would give her students when they wouldn't stop saying the word 'butt'.

 

"Remember how I told that High Court auctioneer your mouth was part of your charm?" Slade paused for effect. "... I take it back. Little immature shit." Slade finished, though there wasn't any malice behind the words.

 

This was just how working with Dick Grayson went. When Slade wasn't pretending to be thoroughly unamused by Dick's games, though there were times he definitely wasn't pretending, he knew how to quip back just fine. Though, he found himself smirking and even chuckling at the younger's harassment towards others.

 

Dick smirked at Slades comment about his mouth and like The Batman who had an arsenal of tools, Dick has an arsenal of responses, "You haven't _experienced_ my mouth, Mister Deathstroke Sir, so really you have _no_ idea how charming it is."

 

"I'm sure any activity your mouth is doing other than talking is an enjoyable break for the other person involved ... Even if it just means you being quiet for a few minutes. I doubt _skill_ has anything to do with it." Slade retorted back just as seamlessly.

 

"Alright,” Slade redirected the conversation back on track, “So let's assume you can charm ... ‘Mr. Clean’-" Slade couldn't help but smirk at the ridiculous, but accurate reference. "-into giving Tim a code, we'd need it to be valuable and succinct. Tim has always been resourceful. Do you think he could pull together  enough tech to take a frequency message?" Slade asked, mind already running with ideas. "I have your Nightwing gear. Assuming they haven't blown every one of Bruce's caves to bits by now, we could run messages back and forth to Tim through one of those locations. As long as he knows _where_ to pick the signal up from. It would protect us on both ends an leave a communication line open."  
  
"I know without a doubt Tim can put something together especially if he's with Ra's. He'll even be able encode it if we need him to..... I know a cave that hasn't even been touched by Batman in years, but I want it to stay that way so we need to be careful going in and out.” Dick got up and began cleaning up the dishes as he continued, "We need to tell Tim to build a communicator and tell him which cave to send the message to.... If I ask Lex to deliver a letter for me it won't seem out of the ordinary, he knows I'm soft and the type to write a cheesy letter to my brothers. I can use the Cluemasters code to instruct Tim to make the communicator while making it sound like I'm giving him some kind of inspirational speech. After we talk to Lex we can go to the cave and get the systems ready to receive messages. I'll need my suit before we go in the cave but i can change after we talk to baldie-locks" It didn't take Dick long to wash up the dishes and set them aside before moving to the table and sitting on the edge of it. "We just need an excuse to go see Luthor without him getting suspicious. Maybe you can reach out and see if he's interested in renewing his AARP with you." Dick teased with a smirk.  
  
Slade leveled him with another flatly unamused look. "Funny." He replied shortly when Dick returned to the table. "Actually ..." Slade looked like he had an idea for a second, then immediately looked like he hated life. "Speaking of 'old people' events. Luthor is throwing some gala at the end of the week in Turkey. It sounds like an excuse to show off his power again and parade around heroes in chains." Slade admitted, looking at Dick closely to gauge his reaction. "I'm not generally the type to attend, but it would be an opportunity to get a note to Luthor while both you and I 'follow the rules'." God, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a room with the league of weirdos for hours, but there wasn't many more options. "We also might get lucky and see if we can find out what happened to the other bats."

  
Dick leaned back, his hands on the table behind him as he thought, he didn't exactly hate social events, hell he was the only social butterfly in the family, but this was a social event for all the weirdos and assholes who tried killing him and his friends all his life...... And he really didn't like suits.....

 

"Hm, that would work. It would be less conspicuous than showing up with a fruitcake asking him to be friends but..." Dick's lips curled into a smirk as he looked at Slade, "That means you'll have to play nice with Luthor and we'll have to pretend to hate each other." Dick then slipped off the table back into his seat, "I know how to feed Lex's ego enough to get him to talk, it sounds like he and Ra's are the only two who have all the answers... Ra's won't talk to me but.... if Damian's there..."

 

Dick trailed off. Damian vanished shortly after Bruce had and the whispers Dick heard were that he rejoined his mother. He didn't blame him but at the same time was hurt Damian didn't go to him, that he chose to go to the league… But, then again. that was an assumption. He might've been taken by force.

 

"I wouldn't expect anything from Ra's. Damian may be his grandson, but blood relation means little to Ra's if you aren't loyal." Slade warned, then realized how that might sound. He didn't need to get Dick in a panic about his own little Robin. "I haven't heard any information about Damian either. Ra's and Talia were at odds shortly before the last communication cut over something. Could have been Damian. Last I knew he'd put a bounty out on the brat and his mother specifically, but asked for them to be 'alive'." Slade wouldn't dare mention that 'intact or not' was a part of the same bounty. "As far as I know the bounty is still up, meaning he might be out on the run." Unless Luthor or someone else was holding him as a power play against Ra's. In this type of world it was hard to say.

 

"And if Ra's is in bed with the High Court then he has an upper hand on finding them but they're smart so I don't doubt their safety."

 

Dick stated though... He was still worried, Talia wasn't exactly trustworthy and Damian had a temper. He didn't doubt that Damian would charge into a fight but by the same token Damian was smarter than that.... still, the boy was the closest thing to a kid that Dick had.

  
"So then we just have to get ready for this Gala... Talk to Lex and get a message to Tim. I did some spy work so I can see what else I can find while we're there. I should have some bugs in my suit that I can plant on people unless you've stripped it of my supplies." He smiled, "Speaking of my suit.... did you happen to grab any of my clothes or were you hoping to see me in all your shirts?"

 

"Unfortunately I wasn't in charge of grabbing your things, I was handed what was on you when you were captured. Trust me, if I had been, I would have grabbed your own clothes, but your suit? Oh, it would have been that first Nightwing suit with the plunging neckline and popped collar. Anything to get a chuckle out of you running around in that thing again."  
  
“I bet you’d like that you perv.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


 


	2. Razzle Dazzle

 

Slade went to work after their talk putting things together for them to attend the gala. Luthor's secretary seemed surprised by his RSVP, but marked him down anyway. It wasn't but a few minutes later he got a call from Luthor himself asking Slade if he was bringing Nightwing nearly immediately. It put warning signs up for Slade, but rather than ask 'why' and make things obvious, he went for another strategy. He explained to Luthor that Grayson was proving 'difficult' to tame, as expected. He laid a line down saying that Dick was concerned about his family, and wouldn't do much of anything other than ask about them and where they were. By the end of the phone call Luthor had agreed that Dick could have a monitored conversation with Tim, who just so happened to be attending the event that night with his 'handler'. Perfect. Dick could get a lot more out in person than he could in a note, hopefully Tim would be quick enough to pick up the message without needing a second round to analyze it. Slade never had a problem relying on batbrains before. Though this was going to be a stressful, no doubt, emotional situation for both of them. Mistakes were easy under those circumstances.

 

The night of the gala came at a slow pace after that and Dick had to admit he enjoyed his time with Slade leading up to the event, he even got to plan the route for the cave the secret messages would be sent to and fro, seeing that he was the one who knew where it was. He knew it was a big risk in trusting Slade with the location but at this point his choices were limited and Slade was the only one he had. As they plot he had the privilege of taunting and teasing the male, he even cooked him some meals. He could almost get used to life like this but deep down he knew he was itching to get out, to be back on the floor, back in costume on _his_ stage.   
  
Slade had said to Dick that he needed to 'behave' but begrudgingly so. Deathstroke especially wanted the young hero to put on a special act of defiance in front of Luthor so Slade could remind Dick, and in turn Luthor, of what was at stake to correct his behavior. He had no doubt Dick would be the perfect little actor, but they needed to get through the night without breaking character or hitting any snags if they wanted this to go right. This was a room full of villains though, things weren't always as predictable as they seemed.   
  
They were in Slade's jet, about twenty minutes from the event. Slade had undone his tie before the jet was off the ground and looked like he'd rather die than be stuffed in this suit. Honestly, how did people do this every day? He was shrugging the coat off his shoulders and to the back seat with a groan.

 

"I wanted this night done three hours ago, I hope you know that." Slade complained, stretching his neck with the aid of his hand. "You better not _actually_ piss me off tonight or I might _actually_ hurt you."   


Dick was pacing around the jet as Slade spoke, going over the night in his head. He hated to admit it but he knew there were going to be some smart people in there and they had to play things off perfectly. He was suited up with the expected attire for pets, a suit that was certainly not as elegant as the villains but still decent attire for a social event, it honestly looked like what a server might wear save for the collar.

 

Dick stopped in front of Slade, a hand in his hip as he shook his head, "No.... Slade, they'll know if you're holding back. You have a reputation. Both of us do." He stated as he looked into Slades eye, " I'm going to give you _a lot_ of push back... I won't be too rash, not at first but I'm going to get on your nerves and if you want Lex to believe you're getting fed up then you _need_ to get fed up."

 

Lex was a genius, surely he'd suspect foul play, hell he probably already did. Dick was silent for a while as he looked off before his own reflection in one of the glasses caught his attention.

 

"You need to hurt me... Before we go in... They won't believe I've been fighting against you when I don't have the marks to show it." The hero’s blue eyes shifted, landing on the assassin. "I'll be fine." He reassured before offering a smirk, "I've already survived your clothing choices."   


Slade just gave Dick that 'look' he'd been wearing all too often lately when Dick made some stupid comment. "It would be better than any of the choices you would have made. Sequins doesn't really go with Gala.”

 

Slade had to agree with what Dick was saying, even with the collar on Slade didn't come off as the kind of 'handler' that would sit back in his easy chair shocking his pet, that would be too easy and would require _little_ actual discipline. He would be hands on for sure and with a pet like Dick Grayson, people were probably expecting a different kind of 'hands on treatment'. The thought made his stomach roll and turn into acid. Slade had heard first and second hand women _and_ men talk about what they would do with 'Robin', then Nightwing, if they got their hands on him. It boiled down to sexual assault or rape, plain and simple. It was sick to even think about, but if Slade wanted to make this look realistic, he was going to have to do a little more than slap Dick around. His skin was already crawling. Now, it wasn't to say that Slade didn't think that certain activities with Dick wouldn't be pleasant, in fact the assassin found the young hero attractive, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about what it might be like ... But forcing Dick into those activities? He wouldn't have dared.

 

Sanding up in front of Dick, Slade's face fell to something more solom in general. "Listen Kid ... I don't need to tell you what people comment about you in the underground. I'm sure your grossly aware…. So this is going to have to look a little more than just physically violent if people want to believe I took you for ... Personal purposes." The look on Slade's face read that even he didn't like the way that sounded coming out and frankly he'd almost rather just crash the jet. "Sure you want to do this?”  


Dick broke the gaze and looked off feeling his skin crawl, it could’ve been his natural reaction or the emotions he was feeding off Slade not that it mattered, he knew what people wanted to do to him, he's heard it since he was Robin and it seemed like the older he got and the more people he pissed off the worse it got, it disgusted him. Dick could take the threats, the beatings. But the thought of being sexually assaulted made his stomach turn especially when he couldn't even say that it _hasn't_ already been a problem. Not only has he had his close calls but it _has_ happened, not that he's really told  anyone, that sort of thing wasn’t easy to talk about, even for the kind of person who wore his emotions on his sleeve.   
  
Dick let out a sigh as he looked back up at Slade, "Want is a strong word.... Slade.... It needs to happen… Look, we don't have much time, make it look believable..... And you're totally gonna cook dinner tonight after this." Dick said flashing a smirk, maybe his joking was to hide his own distress.

 

"I think you are kind of asking for things out of order here." Slade quipped back, trying to keep that light mood, but there really wasn't anyway that was going to happen.

 

This was going to be unpleasant for both parties. Sure, Slade wanted to slap the shit out of Dick sometimes when he got on his nerves, but that was physical violence, something he was familiar with. Sexual violence, _rape_ ... That was something truly evil that disturbed individuals like the _Joker_ did. Slade was not a part of that group. Deathstroke had tortured countless, and killed even more, but he never, _ever_ used that kind of coercion to get what he needed or wanted. Even now, pretending to do so was just repulsive and as though that wasn’t enough Slade had heard rumors through the mill though that others had tried, and maybe even one or more had been successful. It wasn't surprising to him, but that meant doing this could be tricky. He could trigger Dick, and even though he didn't understand being sexually assaulted, he definitely could understand the effects of post traumatic stress. Bringing Dick back enough from an episode like that to perform well at the gala would be difficult ... Then again this was a kid of the Bat himself. Richard could probably rebound and do better than ever before.

  
"Let's get to it then, brace yourself."

 

The young man watched as Slade stood up and he felt incredibly tiny beneath him. It reminded him of how often he had to look up at Slade when he fought him in his younger years.

Slade didn't have to warn Dick he was going to strike him because Dick saw it coming in the way Slade's face moved. He tensed accordingly and it didn't take long for the slap to echo in the cabin space. Dick couldn't tell if his cheek stung or went numb but it didn't take long for the blood to rush to the spot making his skin turn red. The assassin continued the process by gripping Dick's wrists firmly, leaving highly visible bruises on them, before moving to grip both sides of Dick's chin. Dick grimaced at the force on his wrists but really it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. Bruce made sure of that, they trained hard and Bruce hurt him more times than he could count. Sure it wasn't comfortable but it wasn't enough to be overbearing.

 

The marks looked  good, but not perfect, Luthor, or others, could believe that Slade and Dick would stage bruises to make it look convincing. What they wouldn't think is that more intimate marks were made for the sake of presentation and deception. He needed to make it look like he was ...  Slade's strong stance dropped after he finished a bruising grip on Dick's chin, his hand falling down onto the hero's shoulder. It wasn't harsh, but supportive.

 

"Alright ..."

 

Slade started leaning into Dick's personal space his head next to the other's as he spoke. "... I need you to lean your head to the side a bit, and let me see your neck."   


Dick didn't notice that the other moved until he felt the hand on his shoulder, he flinched at it as he was torn from his memories of being touched and before he knew it Slade was in his space. His breathing remained calm as he took in Slades scent, it was.... _surprisingly_ nice, Dick had to question when Deathstroke started smelling so good. He knew what the other was going to do though his hesitence wasn't at his own trauma. His hesitence was the new thoughts he was having about Slade, sure he's thought of being with him a time or two but those thoughts were pushed away with shame and guilt. This wasn't like Bruce's thing with Catwoman, this was Slade.... A killer.

 

Dick was silent, his hands on the male's shoulders as he tilted his neck giving the male access. Slade didn't enjoy having to do this, not a bit. There were times in the past the assassin would have beat the life out of Nightwing and smiled about it. Those times were different though, there was a reason, a cause, and Dick? He could be an absolute brat. Right now though? He wasn't. He was sacrificing his own body and mental health to look the part of Slade's 'toy', so he could save the world ... Or whatever  grandiose nonsense was floating around in the hero's head.

 

"At least you _did_ make me dinner, some guys don't even do that much."

 

Dick joked, he could feel his heart racing. He didn't dislike being bitten, he wasn't sure if that'd be a problem though... He knew Slade was going to make it hurt.  


"I may be a killer, but I have enough manners to at least be a gentleman." Slade responded as part of the banter, though he didn't hold the same humor in his tone.

 

"Wait."

 

The hero spoke suddenly, before Slades mouth could actually touch his skin. The hero shifted pulling off his own shirt and tossing it aside.

 

"We don't want fresh blood to get on my clothes, that's a total give away.”

Dick trusted Slade more than he trusted others to be doing this but he was still getting a lot of conflicting feelings. He found the other attractive and he knew it, he always had. It was weird being so close to him in such a non violent way even though they were technically working on staging signs of rape. He couldn't help but to wonder how this would go under different circumstances though he knew himself well enough to know where things would end up.

 

Soon Dick laid back, head tilted, hands on Slades shoulders. "I know.... This is... Uncomfortable for both of us but... We need to go through with it so.. _Don't_ hold back... Even if I say ‘stop.’"

 

He hated how his voice lost its confidence, how his body shivered but.... Innocent lives were at stake... Tim... Damian... Jason... This was for them.

  
"No." Slade said firmly, looking at Dick seriously, even pulling back some as though Dick just said something offensive, "If you withdraw consent, say no, things _stop_ . I don't _care_ enough about making this look realistic to _actually_ assault you."

 

His words were absolute, dead set. Slade would have to be an absolute idiot not to see the way Dick as reacting, not to know that it was probably because of what he'd been through. Slade seemed to drop the anger and move on. He wasn't angry with Dick, he was angry _for_ him and Dick could read that loud and clear. He swore his heart skip a beat as he stared up at the assassin who seemed to be waiting for some confirmation that he was heard.

 

"I was going to make fun of you for calling yourself a gentleman earlier but I think you just proved me wrong.. Maybe _I_ should be the one buying you dinner." Dick smiled, he could almost fall in love with Slade because of that.

 

He couldn't identify the exact feeling he was experiencing. It was different than the attraction, guilt, shame, lust and hatred he usually felt for the other. It was warm, comforting, reassuring.  Dicks hands softly squeezed the others shoulders for reassurance. He knew physically he'd like this, he'd like it a lot. He was always sensitive to physical touch _especially_ when it was more romantic. At the same time he knew he didn't actually want to sleep with Slade, he had his own convictions and emotions to sort out before actually falling through with it… For now.

 

Slade found some relief in Dick's reaction, in the way he eased, and as Dick tilted his head so Slade could access it easier, Slade's mouth moved to the side of Dick's neck again. Pausing as if to give them both a moment to mentally prepare for this. Slade didn't move in for the bite immediately like he had with the bruising moments ago, he began with his lips over his tightened neck muscles, producing small hickies with ease as he moved down to the collarbone and back up again. At first the attention was soft, lips, tongue, then increased with the raking of teeth, the kissing of those little bruises. The attention drove Dick’s mind into a spiral, the sensations feeling like pure ecstacy making it hard for him not to release a sound. The male’s hands tightened slightly around the older man’s shoulders, his breath grower a bit heavier, Slade knew the fundamentals of the human body well, and liked to think he'd learned something after all these years in sexual experience.  He knew that if he could warm up the skin enough, desensitize it a little, the bite wouldn't hurt as much. It was like spanking in BDSM, it was always better to build up slowly, otherwise people would tap out quickly.

 

Dick twitched slightly and abruptly as Slade went in for another bite, "You know most people who have done this don't have facial hair... It....Tickles."

 

"You don't sound like you hate it."

 

Slade resisted the urge to purposefully rub his facial hair against his neck to get a reaction out of Dick. However, this wasn't them _actually_ being intimate, so prolonging it would be inappropriate. Slade needed to remind himself of that.

 

“I'm surprised you haven't made an old man joke yet."   


"You know I've been getting there, but I figured you can't really go into cardiac arrest biting someone... Though it'd be a crying shame if your dentures fell out, you have a nice smile." The young male couldn't help but to smirk.

  
Slade rolled his eye and cupped the other side of Dick's neck with his hand.

 

"Relax." He suggested, teeth sinking into the young hero's neck, toward the base where it transitioned into his shoulder.

 

There was a large, strong muscle there that would show the bite mark well, but not be exceedingly painful, actually, it was a place that could cause that sweet mix of pain and pleasure. Dick’s body shivered as a soft sound escaped his lips, he found his grip had tightened on the other, hand having moved to rest on the back of Slade’s head as pain and pleasure pulsed through his body, his eyes fluttering before the skin broke making him finally release a more pained whine. Slade pulled away when he felt the skin under his teeth give, his canines sinking in a tasting just a hint of metallic blood, eye scanning Dick for signs of discomfort.Both men seemed to freeze for a moment as their eyes locked onto one another's, finding that they actually liked how close they were and grew captivated by the feeling of body heat.  It was certainly interesting how the shift in context, the _reassurance_ that if the word ‘stop’ slipped from Dick’s lips, Slade would _stop_ , made Dick’s body and mind more open to receiving this attention. He wasn’t on edge, he wasn’t nervous… In fact he wanted more.

  
Dick felt the blood starting to pool, asking to run down his neck however, Slade had gotten a hold of some gauze and put pressure on it. The continuous pressure would kept it from pulsing painfully and stopped the bleeding.

 

"Alright kid, you okay?"  
  
"Mmm Croc bites harder." The hero smirked.

 

"So, not used to the beard because you prefer scales? I know you enjoy experimenting, but I'd take that reptile fantasy off your list”

 

“I'm just surprised you seem so.... Experienced...... Honestly you struck me as a total virgin." Dick teased.

 

Slade shook his head at Dick, of course he would choose now to say some of the most ridiculous things he'd heard in a while. It was protective though, Slade could sense that. Lots of hero's had barriers or methods they used to stop from, well, losing it. Bruce was broody, Jason liked to shoot things, Tim told terrible puns and dove into work, Damian liked to stab things and insult people. Dick? It was all about humor as a cover. Slade decided to play along though, there was no reason to rip away that comfort from Dick at the moment. Things were hard enough.

 

"Ah, yes, I have two children through immaculate conception." He replied dryly.

 

It was nice being around someone he could not only joke around but who joked back, someone who was playful. Dick liked to play and that went outside of just words. He liked flirting, joking, chasing, teasing. It was so in his nature he did it with just about everyone though the more he liked someone the more intense it could be and he could feel that impulse growing more and more intense.  The hero kept silent as he reached to wipe fresh blood off Slades lip and beard, finally loosening his grip on the man's shoulder while Slade was trying to ignore the way Dick's finger's felt on his lips. This was going into dangerous territory. They'd been flirtatious for a while, basically as soon as Nightwing had left the protective watch of being 'Robin' to Batman. It was that transition where Slade didn't see Dick as a child anymore, and as an adult ... A very attractive adult. It was playful, suggestive exchanges, brushing touches, a physical fight that brought up _other_ feelings. He'd never touched Dick like this before, never put his lips and hands on him in such a manner. Slade heard Dick respond, felt his body shiver, tense, react. It was ... intoxicating.

 

"I mean.... I know people who were made in test tubes so having kids doesn't exactly mean you're experienced.... And having experience doesn't mean you're good, but something tells me you don't fall under either category. Sigh, I guess we'll never know." Dick stated somewhat dramatically, continuing the conversation he somewhat paused.

 

He felt himself wanting more, craving it. Slades hands felt good on him and with the lack of touch he's had these past few months he couldn't deny he loved it.

 

"You done with me or was that the warm up?"  
  
Slade's face went more stoic this wasn't part of the plan, this couldn't happen, he couldn't lose control like this. He let his hands move off of Dick, taking a measured step back and handing Dick fresh gauze pads… He needed to distance himself before his feelings got the best of him.

 

"We're done." Slade mentioned shortly, turning to go back to the flight controls. "We'll be landing in fifteen ... Get yourself pulled back together."   
  
When Slade grew more serious and pulled away Dick let out a soft involuntary whine, he realized he'd have to let go of whatever shame he had about the other because these feelings weren't going away anytime soon and it wasn't fair to punish himself for it. While Dick couldn't personally understand being okay with killing people, he was starting to recognize that Deathstroke was more of a job than who Slade was. Granted Bruce would still strongly disapprove and Slade was a great deal older but Dick was an adult, he was smart enough to make these decisions on his own and capable of knowing what he was getting into.   
  
The young man sat up and pressed the gauze to his shoulder a time or two more to make sure the bleeding stopped before he pulled his shirt on and followed the other into the cockpit, he leaned against the back of Slades chair, quiet for a moment as he pulled himself together.

 

"You know it's been a while since I've put on a show like this..... Don't worry, I'll make you hate me long enough to pull it off."

 

Dick smirked and ruffled Slades hair before sitting down, his mind shifting to his brother..He was nervous, no... He was concerned about what state Tim would be in. He hated the idea of Tim being hurt, he didn't doubt that Ra's might hurt him but if Tim's playing along its possible Ra's didn't have to hurt him.

 

"When we get in there I'm going to resist you and demand to see Tim... I'll make it look like the only reason I'm behaving is so I can see him. Afterwards we're just going to have to play off each other." He was surprisingly serious now which really was because he was getting into the right mindset. He could be serious when necessary or when he was angry... It just wasn't in him to be like that all the time.

  
"You'll want to be careful how much you push Ra's and Luthor. I only control your collar with my ring, but..." Slade started bringing out said implement from his coat pocket and clipping it around Dick's neck, activating it by touching it with a ring he slipped on his finger. "I've seen Luthor shock other 'pets' before. He knows I don't enjoy being undermined, though." Slade paused, looking down at the collar with disdain. "We can't go without it the collar even though they know I’m more hands on... It'll look suspicious."

  
“You and I both know you just like the sight of something wrapped around my neck.” Dick smirked.   
  
“It’s not a bad look on you.”   


Slade had taken the collar off soon after the first day Dick was back at his wooded home. As soon as he was certain Dick wasn't going to run off and do something stupid he didn't see the need for it. Besides, Slade had enough confidence in his own abilities that he could bring the young hero back if need be. Slade, right now, was Nightwing's only chance of fighting back against The High Court. Even if it wasn't part of Slade's original plan, he was more than happy to assist Dick in his hero-ing.  
  
Slade smoothed back his hair and began unroll his cuffs, rebuttoning them and overall just getting dressed for the gala. "There are going to be a lot of your enemies here tonight. I don't have to see the guest list to know that." Dick was Batman's kid. He never had a choice but to be on multiple shit lists. "I'm your only back up. Tim may be there but you know he won’t be there to back you up." Slade turned to Dick, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, gripping it with purpose warmth pooling in Dick’s stomach and body.  "What I'm saying: don't do anything stupid. You have no sense of self preservation at the best of times now is not the time to continue that behavior." Slade explained seriously, wondering if that was enough to get Dick to behave. Probably not. He'd need to put the nail in the coffin. "Your family needs you alive and intact to get through this. Try and keep that in mind."

 

Slade finished as the plane landed itself on a strip bearing other similar planes and a large palace. This must have been it. Dick eyes shifted to Slade, focusing on the words he had spoken. He knew he couldn't resist too much without raising suspicion or getting hurt and by the same token he couldn't behave too much. Deep down he didn't know if Slade was saying these words because he really truly cared or because he needed Dick to help him bring down the court. Right now though it didn't matter because Slade was all he had. He slowly reached over and set a hand on Slades, giving it a soft squeeze.   
  
"Listen... I appreciate your concern, Slade... I'm going to be with you most the night so I'm not worried about anyone else laying a hand on me, if they're smart they'll know you'll tear them apart." He pulled his hand away, looking forward before actually sinking in his chair, "I'm your pet... You're... A control freak, everyone should know you're not okay with others touching your property... As for Ra's....." Dick propped himself up and looked at Slade, an anger behind his blue eyes, "He has Tim.. I'm _not_ going to be nice... If I'm nice he'll know I'm pretending.. It's a good thing I wear my emotions on my sleeves because he's going to _need_ to know I'm pissed off."  
  
Dick knew he was going to get hurt, it was completely unavoidable... He knew if it wasn't Ra's or Lex it would be Slade, he was never one for following orders unless another life was at stake and unless Tim was being held at gunpoint then Dick didn't have a reason to be 'good.'   
The hero didn't let out a breath until he felt the plane land, he wasn't looking forward to this.... To seeing Tim hurt, to seeing Ra's and Lex.... To being ridiculed and belittled... His skin crawled and his stomach turned knowing how many men here would love getting their hands on him and.... He shuttered quiet visibly before shaking his head and running his hands through his hair.   
  
"As much as I know you'll dislike hearing this... I'm gonna get hurt in there, Slade.. You'll have to do it if we want the to actually believe us.. But I'm thinking we should have a safe word... If it's too much or if I need space..." The proposal was mostly for Slade so he could have some reassurance that Dick wasn't going to over do it. He crossed his arms and leaned back waiting for the plane to stop as he thought, "What's something I could say that wouldn't raise suspicion?"

 

Dick was right, the hero was going to get hurt. There wasn't anything that Slade could do to stop that. It wasn't the physical pain that concerned the assassin, Nightwing could take a hit, he'd been backhanded by Batman after all, but as they had already discussed, there were more ways to hurt a person than the physical.   
  
"I don't know if we can risk that. You're right, we have to accept the risks of this situation." God that sounded down right awful. "You'll have to trust me enough to read the signals you're giving off, and I'll have to trust that you know what you're doing."   
  
The truth was there were a lot of variables here that Slade couldn't control, the main one being Dick. The younger man was driven by wanting to save his family, a need to save people, do what was right. These weren't things Slade considered often, and they were often based in emotions, not measurable or predictable means. All of those meshed together meant that Slade had little control over the hero in front of him, he never did. If he was honest? It attracted him to Dick immensely, but right now? It made him want to slam his head up against the wall.   
  
"If you absolutely need to talk to me, need that space ... Say my last name. Otherwise just use Slade or 'sir'. They won't think much of it." At least he hoped not.

  
"I trust you, Slade."   
  
Dick spoke without skipping a beat and even he himself seemed surprised at the words... How many times has he seen Slade as a manipulator? A liar? An _asshole_ ? How many times was he wary and watching the other to see when he'd strike? The reality was that Dick didn't doubt Slade was using him for his own personal gain..   
  
Dick eyes shifted to Slade, meeting his, " Just focus on _how_ I say your name... If it doesn't have contempt in it then I need you…..But.... I'm sure I won't have to get that far.. The truth is..." Dick paused as though he were contemplating whether or not he should share this, "I shouldn't tell you this honestly... Especially if we win this but... In case we don't... When I was younger there was really only one reason you scared me. You could _see_ me. And I don't know if it's some ‘one eye voodoo power’ but... You always knew how to get to me, knew what I was feeling, what I was thinking. I can't tell you how many times Beast Boy and I argued about whether or not you were a mind reader, Raven thought we were idiots."

  
He chuckled at the memory and shook his head, biting his lip as he felt the pain in his stomach of not knowing where they were or if they were okay. He had to shake it off, had to keep moving and so he did. Finally making his way off the plane, pausing only to wait for Slade.   
  
"Raven was right. You two are idiots." Slade responded with a small smile and a clasp at Nightwing's back before they exited the cockpit and to the gala grounds.   
  
The smell of warm air and burning spices hitting their senses instantly. If it wasn't such a shit night, the atmosphere probably would have been romantic, it was just so... Peaceful.

 

Dick let his eyes close though when he heard footsteps around him his eyes flicked open and a frown spread across his lips. He didn't expect so many villains and while Slade had access to the guest list  he hadn't expected the crowd size, the amount of Gotham and bludhaven villains. Of course. Was nothing easy? The hero grimaced and began walking, mumbling under his breath as they made their way towards the building.  
  
"Well won't you look at that."   
  
A voice said before someone approached, Oswald. He had a cigarette stick in his hand making him _almost_ look like an elegant billionaire. One of Slade’s least favorite customers, he tried not to scowl but the filthy smirk on the Penguins mouth coaxed the reaction out of the assassin.   
  
"Sheesh, what have they been feeding you?" Dick asked, his voice cold as he glared at the Penguin who returned the look before his gaze shifted to Slade.   
  
"I'm surprised you haven't cut out his tongue. It's the first thing I would've done... Maybe make him choke on it."   
  
"Hate to break it to you but I don't choke." Dick quipped back.   
  
"Maybe that's why Wilson chose you." Oswald smirked making Dick break eye contact and shutter, well that backfired.   
  
Dick wasn't helping things with his smart mouth, the comments left Slade wanting to laugh, all he could do was smirk and hope it didn't seem to friendly toward Dick. Anyone would find the acrobat amusing though. Right?   
  
"We all know Nightwing is prized for his attitude and mouth. Part of the charm." That was the second time Slade had to save Dick's ass with _that_ line. "He's still learning how to behave though." Slade grabbed the back of Dick's neck and pushed his head down harshly, forcing him into a bow. "Won't be a problem for long though, will it Richard?"   
  
"I'll _behave_ when I see my brothers.." He snapped making The Penguin chuckle as he walked alongside them.

  
"Do those brats ever learn?" Oswald bantered with an amused smirk. Dick squirmed slightly, his eyes off both men, "I could watch the two of you all night, I've always wanted to see the brat get a good beating." He taunted blowing smoke in Dick's face. Dick opened his mouth to speak though his gaze shifted to Slade and he shut it, again mumbling under his breath.   
  
Slade let up the pressure on Dick's neck after making his point. "Sorry, we have appointments to keep Oswald. I don't have time for chatter." He looked Dick in the eye, nodding his head toward inside. "Come." He commanded firmly.

  
Oswald rolled his eyes and glanced forward spotting Ra's, "Just don't start a fight without me, I wanna get some bets in!"   
  
And just like that The Penguin was walking off. Dick relaxed some, letting out the breath he had been holding, obviously this wasn’t going to be an easy night, Penguin wasn’t even the worst of the men here.

 

Once they made it inside of the elegant Turkish castle the raven haired male almost instantly began scanning the crowd searching for any familiar friendly face, and due to Ra's standing on the middle of the stairs, slightly above everyone else like he thought himself a god,  it didn't take him long to spot Tim. Dick instantly moved forward before remembering they had to do this right... He couldn't just run up to him, Slade couldn't let him get away with it either… No matter how badly he wanted to… It had been so long since he’s seen that face, his little brother. God he couldn’t help but to remember the day he first met Tim, how he went from an inspired and determined teenager to his younger and dear brother. Slade seemed to follow Dick’s hopeless blue eyes to the two, studying Ra’s before his eye shifted down to Tim, he looked angry.  
  
"Uh oh, I think you pissed Tim off."   
  
Dick muttered, noticing how Tim’s fists were balled, how he was glaring right at Slade. It wasn’t hard reading the teen before his gaze shifted back to Slade though he didn't move, he knew he couldn't keep up the friendly chat without making it more... Taunting.   
  
"Maybe he'll kick your ass after I 'behave, ‘Master." The word was spoken with pure contempt and had an underlying mocking tone. The male then pressed forward approaching the two not exactly waiting for an invitation.   
  
Dick was absolutely right when he told Slade he'd act up enough to piss him off. It was irritating enough having to fraternize with wannabe gods and washed up gangsters, tapping on Dick's _way_ too convincing acting skills and Slade was already itching to punch something. He had to remind himself they'd only been there for ten minutes or so. At this rate he'd never make it through the night. As Ra's approached within ear shot, Slade turned his attention toward Dick, grabbing his hair roughly and yanking his head up and over toward him, the wince the hero let out showed that the move hurt. Slade only half meant to hurt him though he couldn’t help but to feel a little bad about it all the same, after all Dick _was_ purposely trying to piss him off.   
  
"You know, I'm reconsidering my decision to let you keep your tongue." Slade dropped his grip on Dick's hair as their guests grew nearer. "Behave yourself or I'll _really_ make you regret it."

  
There was a cold glare in Dick’s eyes as they shifted to Slade as though he wanted to fight back, but that gaze shifted back to Tim then back to his so called 'Master', and he eased. It was an indication of the fact that he was only going to behave because Slade was keeping his agreement.   
  
Dick could tell he was really pissing Slade off... It meant that acting would be easier. Perhaps it was part of Dick's people skills, not only didn't he know how to get along with them  flirt and be charming but he _definitely_ knew how to piss them off.

  
Ra's watched, amused, "We'll see how long he keeps this up.... Tim, you are not to speak to him. You can hear him out and if I see it fit you may respond, am I understood?" He spoke to the teen before the two were too close to hear.   
  
Once the two were at the foot of the stairs Tim's eyes were bore into Slade like superman's heat vision. Even Batman's glare was no match for this small titan's gaze. Slade could almost feel his skin crawl ... Okay maybe it did just a little. From where they stood Slade was just a few inches shorter than Ra’s who was on the third step, Dick was significantly smaller though no taller than Tim who was perched a step lower than Ra’s.   
  
"Wilson." Tim all but ground out.   
  
Tim's hands were balled so tightly into fists hit knuckles were white, Slade saw the anger burning clear as day in Tim’s eyes and it wasn’t hard to guess as to why… Here they stood, Tim’s older brothers neck covered in hickies and bruises, marks on his wrists, their little ruse seemed to be making. Tim _believed_ Slade raped Dick.

  
"Touch him in front of me and you'll _definitely_ regret it." The teen finally snarled like a dog ready to bite.  
  
Dick could feel Tim’s contempt and instantly felt guilt rising in his gut, he didn't mean for Tim to feel concerned or worried because of the marks but... There was nothing he could do about it… It _had_ to be believable.. He knew it.. Slade knew it.. Hell even Bruce would know it...  
When Tim threatened Slade he felt a shiver go down his spine, his gaze shifting to Ra's who was watching silently, Dick saw amusement in his face though his gaze shifted off the assassin and back onto his little Timbot.  
  
"Tim."   
  
Dick said softly before he moved to pull Tim into a hug but Ra's shifted, his arm blocking the male from being able to advance.  
  
"That wasn't the agreement. I said you may speak to him, Grayson."  
  
"I wanna make sure you didn't hurt him." Dick snarled.  
  
"I don't _have_ to hurt him." God... Dick could feel the pride that Ra's gave off and it only intensified as his gaze shifted to Slade. "When I got Tim, I got him knowing that I'd be capable of controlling him. Unlike your keeper who clearly has no idea what he's doing." The assassin spoke calmly as he grabbed Dick's chin and tilted it to get a better view of the marks, the strain hurt but the only thing that showed was anger.  
  
Slade just about snarled at the assumption he couldn't control Dick. Okay, so he _couldn't_ , and in fact he had no desire to. However the insinuation that Slade was too weak, not skilled enough, lesser than Ra's because he couldn't control a batchild made him furious. It didn't show on his face though, the corner of his lip curling up in a smile as Ra's touched Dick.  It was a smile that read murder all over it.  
  
"He's practically building a bomb."  
  
Ra's somewhat tossed Dick back though he hardly stumbled as Ra's crossed his arms and continued to watch Slade, now he was just rubbing it in. "Notice how he hasn't even given one of his sarcastic quips? It's because he knows I have the power to do this..."   
  
He stopped and touched his ring activating Tim's collar. He usually made the teen wear it though it wasn't because he was concerned with having a problem with him, he had a couple reasons for keeping the collar. One was that it made it perfectly clear that Tim was still a slave and not an apprentice, two? He liked how it looked around the others neck, liked being able to say he owned someone, more than he expected to.  
  
Slades teeth nearly ground into dust when Ra's turned on Tim's collar. The teens body seized immediately, muscles tensing up painfully sending him straight to the ground on his knees. Ra's just kept doing it too, the session was long enough for Slade to see Tim's breath become erratic.. It was a completely unnecessary show of power. False power at that. Dick's entire body tensed and he moved to wrap himself around Tim however quickly stopped, feeling panic wash over him. Slade watched people drop men his size with just a second burst from these collars. Ra's was letting this go on too long to make a point. Slade knew that from experience. The poor baby bird was just trying to get some control over his body, but with electricity? There was no hope.   
  
"Please stop! I get it!" Dick begged desperately as Ra's stare only hardened.  
  
"I don't think you do, Grayson." The male spoke coldly.  
  
The mercenary was about to interject, unsure how that would play out until Dick did so himself. Shit, that wouldn't look good either. This was already turning into a mess.   
  
Dick looked at Slade for a moment before his eyes landed on Ra's moving in front of him. ".....Please, sir."   
  
God the words made Dick wanna throw up but the moment they spilled from Dick's lips Ra's shut the collar off. Dick shifted, clearly holding himself back before he glanced back up at Ra's begging, to hold Tim, with his eyes.   
  
"Go ahead." Ra's permitted.

 

Dick instantly rushed to Tim, falling so hard on his knees everyone could hear the sharp thud as he wrapped his arms around Tim, "Are you okay?" He asked, his hands finding their way to Tim's face.  
  
Dick could feel Tim's tears and it made his heart tear in two, he wished he could kick Ra's teeth in and break every single damn bone in his body for putting Tim through _that_ much torment. It was ridiculous and completely un-fucking-necessary though Dick knew he couldn't let his temper and his anger get the best of him for two reasons. One; he had to be here for Tim now, be here so that Tim  knew everything would be okay. Two; he couldn't afford to make things worse. Tim didn't cry, didn't make a damn sound until Dick was in front of him, wrapping him up in a hug that just felt so warm and comforting. That almost made Dick’s guilt worse.. As if Tim was _trying_ not to cry, _trying_ to seem calm.. Unaffected… Dick hated that his baby bird felt that way and was almost relieved at Tim finally  letting tears fall down his face as he buried his head into Dick's neck. Tim put a shaky hand on Dick's thigh and started pressing his middle and index finger into the muscle there with purpose. Morse code.   
  
'I missed you. I'm sorry.' Tim tapped out twice, just to make sure Dick got the message. Then it dawned on him he could tell Dick more than just mushy brother things. 'They have Damian. He's here. He needs help.'   
  
"Tim.."   
  
Dick spoke in a soft voice, his thumb wiping away the tears on the teens face. His eyes were apologetic and all he could do was stay and hold Tim to try and let him know it's alright. He didn't notice the Morse Code straight away either, he was too focused on making sure his baby bird was okay until he felt the taps again. His brows furrowed and he focused on Tim's eyes, he didn't know why Tim wasn't talking to him though he didn't question it when Tim said Damian was there. Dick let out a shaky breath and tapped back.   
  
'Where is he? Is he okay?' He asked before pulling Tim into another hug and running his fingers through his hair to keep the suspicion down.   
  
  
"It's a shame your skills are wasted, Wilson... You can't even control one bat and you wondered why I'd never let you lead the League Of Shadows.... You're weak." Ra's started his own conversation with Slade though his eyes stayed on the brothers.

  
Slade was watching the scene, he almost felt the pang in his own heart as he watched the two.. Couldn’t help but to think about how Rose would hold Jericho and tell him things were going to be okay… How most the time she comforted her baby brother because Slade was the one who had hurt them. She held the same apologetic look that Dick had while Jericho looked like he was on the verge of falling apart like Tim. Looking back up at Ra's after a moment with that same murderous smile from before.   
  
"Don't fool yourself Ra's. Tim's loyal to you because he isn't _stupid_ , he has some sense of self preservation, _unlike_ his brothers." Slade slipped a glare Dick's way. "Besides, I don't know if I would boast too much about your bat wrangling skills too loudly. If I remember correctly you're 'techniques' were _entirely_ in-effective against the first Bat you took in." Slade decided to push back, and bringing up Ra's absolute failure to tame Bruce was always a hell of a way to do that. So, why not dig further? "Then the second you could barely control..." Jason. "...and even when they were your own kin they still had little respect for you, let alone were they obedient." Damian. "See, the difference between my techniques and yours Ra's is that I don't just demand obedience, I direct it. I had control over Richard before, it'll just take a little time to get _true_ submission back."

  
"The detective is broken, too caught up in his own pathetic morals to realize his true potential... His poor children are corrupted, deceived.. Much like you, Wilson. You think that just because you run a high price, that because you have a kill count of over six hundred that you _actually_ have worth. You have no loyalty and most certainly don’t have _anyone_ who’s loyal to you.. Even your children left you… I hardly blame them, you traded them out like they were pocket lint.”   
  
If Dick was giving them his full attention he'd feel the need to stand up for Slade. It was clear that Slade hit a nerve with Ra's, even when Dick glanced up he could see it clear as day, Ra’s was _pissed_ but Slade wasn’t the only one who seemed to have hit a nerve for the moment Ra’s mentioned the mercenaries kids, Slade’s fists balled, his eye narrowed. He had a look that screamed that he wanted to kill Ra’s and maybe he would’ve had the circumstances been different.

 

Ra's seemed to be done with his generosity, glancing at Dick, his eyes focused in a glare, "Remove yourself from my pet and say your piece, you have two minutes."  
  
Tim had felt the tapping back, but didn't have any time to communicate back where Damian was or if he was okay. The entire thing was being rushed leaving him a bit panicked. They needed more time.

 

"And here I thought you weren't so sensitive." Dick snapped, fuck... He didn't mean to say that, truly... It was supposed to just be a thought in his head but of course it came out of his mouth, just his luck.   
  
"Make that one minute."

 

Ra's eyes narrowed. Dick knew he was already counting so he didn't have the time to argue and there was _so_ much to say..He looked at Tim and moved his hands to hold the teens, managing to tap out 'Cluemasters code' in morse on his wrist, hoping the other would decipher the message.

 

" **C** an I tell you something, Tim?" He started though his voice seemed on the verge of panic which Ra's deduced as Dick struggling to squeeze his gooey mush into one minute, " **A** fter you came to live with us, I learned what being a big brother _really_ meant. **V** arious nights staying up and worrying about your safety, setting good examples, being your safety net.... **E** verything that I honestly should've done for Jason. **B** ut I didn't know that then because I let my anger and jealousy get the best of me. **R** ight now I have so many regrets... **A** nd I’m sure I always will. **V** icariously I’ll have to learn how I could’ve done things different. **O** ne day I might have a chance to actually find out.” After a brief moment of silence Dick exhaled heavily, “ **S** tay safe, Tim. **E** verything will be okay if you do. **C** alm yourself and stay sane.. **U** ntil I can break away from Slade. **R** ight now that’s not even a guarantee but I still need you to hold on. **E** veryone has limits and as smart as you are you must _know_ you can't fight. **B** ite the bullet and listen. **U** ntil I can..." Dick trailed off, " **I** love you, Tim. **L** isten to Ra's. **D** on't do anything Damian would do. **T** ell me you can do that.... **R** obin.." God... he hated how real this felt, tears were already building in his eyes, he felt like he was saying goodbye for real. " **A** ll you need to do is suppress your need to fight. **N** o, I don't like telling you to do that. **S** uppressing emotions is something I'm against. **M** aybe it'll keep you alive. **I** know I'm repeating myself here. **T** im... **T** rust me on this.. **E** verything will be okay... **R** eally.."   
  
"Touching." Ra's said with a roll of his eyes, Dick looking up up at him as the male began making his way up the stairs, "You went over your time, you owe me for that. Come along, Tim."   
  
Ra's ordered, not waiting to see if Tim actually followed. Dick didn't want to let go but he did, and slowly before he stood by Slade's side. His hands balled into fists.

  
Tim squeezed Dick hard, even though Ra's had told them to separate. "If Mr. Wilson wants his scotch brand, I believe it's in the old wine cellar on the base floor." It was an obvious clue to them.   


Dick felt his heart rate pick up at Tim's clue, the old wine cellar... Damian. Worry instantly filled Dick and he wanted to rush and find Damian but he  knew he couldn't, knew it would blow his cover. His eyes flicked to Ra's, studying his expression. It was cold, unrelenting, the slight tap of his finger showing impatience, he didn't know Damian was there. They had a chance.

  
Tim reluctantly followed Ra's up the steps a little later than what the assassin probably would have liked, looking back at Dick once more as he caught up with Ra's. Slade had silently let the scene play from a distance, not reacting until Dick was next to him again.   
  
"You'll never make it if you fall apart every time you see them." It could have been a comment for both acting and not acting Slade. He grabbed Dicks arm and moved his head forward. "Let's go." Something told Slade he needed to go somewhere they could speak in private.   
  
Dick ripped his arm away from Slade’s grasp, "I agreed to obey, that doesn't mean you get to touch me."   
  
Dick had fire in his eyes, God he just wanted to melt away in Slades hands. His body was practically aching to be held, it happened when he craved touch though his expression gave no indication of the fact he wanted nothing more than to melt away in a tight hug.   
  
Slade rolled his eyes at Dick when he ripped his arm away from his grasp. "Just because you agreed to obey doesn't mean I won't put you down in front of everyone if you don't behave."   
  
Slade responded promptly, but let the entire thing go past that. Before long Dick was on the move, his eyes darting around the other villains who were mingling, his stomach twisted each time one looked at them with a smug grin... this was going to be more emotionally taxing than Dick had anticipated. It was hard for Slade to seem like _he_ was in control when Dick seemed to be going on autopilot, looking for something. A place to talk? A person? He didn't have enough information and Dick seemed to be panicking. Letting out a heavy sigh Dick reminded himself he needed to tell Slade that Damian was here though as they walked he caught sight of a familiar face making him stumble... Helena? A group of people blocked his vision and by the time he saw around them she was gone, he had to have been seeing things.   
  
Dick's eyes glanced around, finding a place to talk was going to be difficult, especially if they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. The male looked at one of the passing caterers, an idea popping into his head. He just had to hope Slade wouldn't be too mad. Dick absentmindedly grabbed a glass from the tray and turned to face Slade, 'underestimating' how close they were causing him to bump right into Slade, next thing Slade knew? He was covered in cold, sticky alcohol, he assumed it was on purpose, but the rage? That felt a little too real.   
  
"Oh shit!" Dick exclaimed, some eyes shifting their way, "What a waste of a perfectly good drink, and now the floors going to be sticky." He pout.

 

It was almost mocking with his failure to acknowledge that he possibly ruined Slades suit.  
Slade reached out and took the glass from Dick almost gently before the other hand came up from his side and backhanded Dick for the second time that night. Dick was more surprised by how gently Slade took the glass than he was by the backhand, the sensation stung through his face causing his body to jolt.  That almost felt too real and Dick honestly didn't doubt that it was, he promised the other he would actively be pissing him off on purpose and it seems as though it worked. His body tensed as Slade grabbed the back of his neck pushing his head down, the two men exchanging a cold glare. People turned to stare, shit, they didn't need a crowd.   
  
"I've had about _enough_ of you tonight, Richard. Get it together or you _will_ regret it." Slade seethed, then pushed Dick back up with the force on his neck. "Bathroom now."   
  
Slade didn't wait for permission, grabbing Dick by the collar of his shirt and nearly dragging him, the crowd starting to whisper and talk to one another likely about the scene that just played out. Rasky little bats. Dick didn't really have a chance to say anything before Slade was already dragging him out of the room, then almost tossing the younger into the private bathroom, shutting the door behind them.   
  
"I hope you know you'll actually be getting this shit out of my shirt."   
  
Dick opened his mouth to speak though Slade beat him to it making him roll his eyes, "They have Damian."   
  
Dick completely blew off Slades comment about his shirt though it wasn't long before Dick was getting paper towels, dabbing the others shirt to work on getting it at least more dry. It was the least of the heroes concern yet all the same he didn’t imagine it felt comfortable for the other.   
  
"He's in the old wine cellar, I don't think Ra's knows so I'm guessing Lex put him there. I'm not leaving here until we find him and I don't care what we have to do to make that happen."   
  
Slade was expecting Dick to tell him that he'd had enough, that he couldn't do this. The way his body language was reading to him was all anxiety, anger, pain, things that would act as roadblocks for most people. Yet, when he opened his mouth and said Damian was here? It all made sense. Dick wasn't anxious for himself, it was for his brother, his robin ... Basically his child for all intents and purposes. No wonder the young man was so worked up, Slade would feel beyond worried and angry if he had just discovered one of his children were in the hands of a bald psychopathic asshole.   
  
"The Demon Brat is here?" Slade replied with a probably inappropriate nickname for the situation. Turns out Dick wasn't the only one who turned to comedy in times of stress.

  
Dick didn't seem to react to Slade's nickname for Damian, really he was so used to hearing it that it honestly went completely over his head. Ra's was always called the ‘Demon's Head’ and as his heir it wasn't unusual for Damian to be called the ‘Son of the Demon’. Now some called him the ‘Spawn of Satan’, others straight just called him a ‘Demon Child’ while Tim always stuck with ‘Gremlin’. Damian was a brat sometimes so while his bloodline used the nickname as a place of power it fit the child's personality   


"Look, kid, I know you want to save your baby bat, but we can't just go running around the service areas of this place. Even if I'm with you that's just not going to work. We'll get caught, they'll know something is up."   


“We’re not leaving… Without Damian.”

  
Dick looked back up at Slade with a fierce determination, he meant all five words. He didn't care if Slade would have to beat the ever loving shit out of him in order to get his baby bird. Dick stared up at Slade with his big blue eyes, he didn't like the response that he was getting, the silence he was met with... The feeling that this wouldn't work. No.. They couldn't run around the service areas, duh, but if Dick did he could get by without arousing suspicion, he'd just have to get punished for it.. Right now that was the only solution his brain came up with and before long he opened his mouth to speak...No... To plead but clearly Slade read him, Slade knew he would push and push until he got what he wanted and Slade knew he'd probably get himself killed.   
  
"Alright, fine we need a plan." Slade caved, grabbing Dick's wrist's gently and pulling them away from his shirt. "I have to get water on this, sit down." He said as a side note, slipping off his jacket, handing it to Dick while he unbutton his shirt to deal with the spill.   
  
Dick exhaled and took the males jacket, sitting on the toilet seat, he watched Slade until he started unbuttoning his shirt. A warm sensation boiled in Dick's gut as his eyes scanned the other before shifting off him, fiddling with the jacket. This wasn't an appropriate time to sit there and admire the older male and Dick felt like he shouldn't watch the other since his watching him would be less than innocent.   


Meanwhile, Slade focused on the cloth in his hands by the sink as he spoke. "If Luthor stuck him in the wine cellar he just got a hold of him. If he had Damian longer and for some reason wanted to bring him here, he would have chosen more secure settings. Actually, the fact that Luthor doesn't have him on a plane out of here to a secure facility tells me that he has something planned for him. With you, Ra's and Tim being here ... I suspect it's some kind of power grab. I'm not sure what exactly." Luthor could be a bit flashy at times. He wore a giant light up ‘L’ on his suit, the guy's sense of 'modest' was about as bad as Dick's.

 

"Regardless, they'll have to move him at some point when they leave. That'll be the time to get to him. Luthor will be too busy sending guests off to be personally watching the transfer, it'll be guards, maybe a meta-human or two. I can take them out while you get Damian, as long as no one is left that witnessed it, they might think Damian escaped on his own."   
  
Slade instantly saw the problem with his plan, it was going to involve killing. _Lots_ of killing. It was the only way to insure that no one found out _who_ took Damian. Otherwise? They would be entirely fucked. Nonetheless the mercenary knew the plan wouldn’t sit well with the hero and as Dick listened to the plan, his brows furrowed. Everything Slade said made sense, it would work but... Dick couldn't cross that line, not even for Damian and even if he wasn't the one doing the killing he mine as well be if he's going to let Slade do it.   
  
"No..." He said softly before looking back up at Slade, "That won't work... The only way to make sure no one sees us is to kill them and you _know_ how I feel about that… You can’t ask me to let that slide... Not to mention we don't know what kind of guards they'll have around Damian, he's a skilled kid but if he's hurt there's no way he'll be able to take down guards twice as strong as him and Lex isn't dumb enough to buy that...." Dick fell silent and closed his eyes, his head resting against the wall behind him.   
  
"You said it's a power grab...." Dick thought aloud, "Damian is Ra's kid... Even if Ra's doesn't care about him he's been looking for him and Talia.... Whether it's to punish them or retrain them, Ra's _will_ want Damian for something. When Damian died Ra's stole his Sarcophagus so he could bring him back and 'fix him'..... If Lex has Damian here as a power trip then he's not completely in bed with Ra's... He wants something from him, or at least he wants to feel more superior. If we can get Damian with Tim then he'll at least be safe."   


"You'd rather hand Damian over to Ra's al Ghul then have me kill a couple people?"   


“People don’t have to die Slade… There is _always_ another way..”

  
Slade stood in disbelief. Sure, he wasn't surprised by it, Bruce nailed his 'code' into all of his Robin's heads from their baby bat births and of all the bats Dick was the _most_ adamant about not killing, even more so than the Bat himself.. Dick wasn't likely to cave in any situation, but one involving the life or death of arguably his favorite kid in the world? That did surprise Slade a little.   
  
"You're putting too much faith into Tim. Even if you can get Damian with Ra's, there isn't any guarantee that Ra's won't kill him or do something worse. Tim is smart, but you _can't_ expect him to be able to protect Damian from Ra's wrath, it'll put them both in unnecessary danger."   
  
More so, he worried about the limits Tim might have to push himself to in order to save Robin, Tim still had a clear card he hadn't played yet. Tim still had something Ra's wanted deeply, sickly even. That wasn't something he needed to freak Dick out with right now though.. Even still... Tim would have to go through a lot to keep Damian safe and even then there was no guarantee that neither one of them would be hurt, in fact it more than likely guaranteed that both of them would be hurt badly. Knowing this made Dick feel absolutely defeated, Slade was right and undeniably so. Dick couldn't help but to lower his head, eyes on his feet. He felt sick and absolutely low. He couldn't justify killing people and the very thought of it made him absolutely disgusted… _Mortified._ Slade finished finally, pulling back from the sink, noticing Dick's nearly defeated looking position on the toilet, of all places. He slipped his shirt on his arms, but didn't button it up, standing in front of Dick.   
  
"There aren't going to be any easy choices here. I wish I had something else to say to you, but I don't. The only safe place Damian has is with us ... There is no where else for him to go and the only way he ends up with you is if there are casualties. There is no running around this, Dick. You have to be able to make these tough choices or we are _never_ getting out of this."   
  
When Slade moved in front of Dick he just barely looked up at the other, his eyes scanning up his stomach and chest to meet Slades eye. He couldn't help but to sigh and place his forehead against Slades surprisingly hard stomach, his own twisting into knots. If he was going to allow this, he didn’t know how he was going to live with it.   
  
"There's always another way, Slade..." He mumbled though... He doubt it were even true. "I hate you sometimes, ya know?"   
  
"You know, you aren't the first person to have said that to me." Slade responded with a light smirk, poor Dick was having a moment.   
  
While Slade admired Dick's commitment to his values, he also knew that the hardest choices made you pick between those values. Right now? Dick was choosing between righteousness and his family. Slade didn't doubt which one Dick would end up choosing. Finally standing up the hero paused, hesitant. He was close enough to feel Slades body heat and a hug wouldn't be unwelcome about now.   
  
"We'll have to see what kind of company he even has before you consider killing them." Dick pointed out as he looked up at Slade, he hated that he was even considering this...   
  
"I'm off the clock, which usually means I do things my way Dick. Which is about effectiveness. If you want things done your way ..." Okay, so Slade was having a hard time not flirting with Dick a little bit, just to get under his collar as revenge for fully scooping under earlier in the jet. "...you'll have to pay me somehow." Slade leaned into Dick a little bit, slowly taking his jacket from him. "However, I think I like you enough to at least take a _little_ direction."

 

Dick's eyes shifted up to Slade's face when he flirt, his heart racing when he leaned in a little, pupils dilating slightly, not that they already weren't, Damn it, this may have been more than a stupid childish crush. Being Dick Grayson and all Dick wasn't about let Slade get the last word and so he smirked and slid his hands up Slades chest and soon looped his arms around the older man's shoulders.  
  
"You might just have to _wait_ for me to repay you, body like that'll have me making too much noise in here." The younger male smirked.

 

Of course, leave it up to Dick to take what he started, put it into high gear, _and_ flip the script. Was the assassin complaining though? Not in the fucking least though Dick’s comment probably held a little too much truth to it but anyone would be lying if they said Slade _didn't_ have the body of a god.  Slade was two seconds from taking Dick there on the bathroom wall, he could feel a fire lit in the pit of his stomach begging him to just forget about the gala and just _do it_ . Who cared what anyone would think? Why did it even matter? Dick could almost agree to fuck Slade right then and there anyways, the tention between them was nearly unbareable and Dick just wanted to break it. To feel Slades hands all over his body. It honestly took everything the hero had not to lean up and kiss him, _especially_ when Slade’s face was right there. He could feel the older man breathing and he just wanted to consume every. Last. Bit. Of Slade.   
  
Dick's hands slid down from Slades shoulders, down his chest and down his stomach before he began buttoning the others shirt up. "Now... I'm comfy with you and all but I'd prefer to go pee in peace if you wouldn't mind getting dressed and stepping out." He needed to calm himself.   
  
While Slade provided the perfect distraction from his distress it didn't cause the perfect distraction from his attractions. Dick had five hundred problems to work out right now, even if Slade could get him to agree to doing it in a bathroom Slade doubted he could keep all of Nightwings attention. Believe him, he wanted every last drop of it if they were going to finally break this tension between them. It took Dick talking about going pee that finally brought him back to the present, lips too close to Dick's face, a hand resting on the hero's hip.   
  
Slade's hand slipped back from Dick's hip and lightly grabbed the hero's ass making  the hero let out a breath, the sensation of Slades hands on him much better than he expected, as his head bowed down to speak in Dick's ear.   
  
"Don't make any promises you aren't willing to keep golden boy."

  
"I _never_ break my promises." Dick smirked.   
  
Slade hushed out in a deep sultry voice. Just like that though, he was slipping himself off from around Dick and pulling on his suit jacket.

  
"Try not to take too long.”   
  
The older male closed the door firmly behind him and stood up against the wall on the other side of it, rubbing the back of his neck. That was _close_ , too close, he needed to pull himself back together. The second the young hero was alone in the bathroom he let out a heavy breath and ran his hands over his face.  Fuck.... He needed to calm down. He turned and splashed water on his face, begrudgingly thinking of Lex to keep himself from getting over excited. He then went pee and turned  to the sink to wash his hands.   
  
"Mr. Wilson." A familiar voice came through the crowd, Mercy soon enough stood in front of Slade with a glass of scotch and a smile, offering him both ... He took the scotch. "Luthor would like to see you for a little group meeting. You're available, aren't you?"   
  
Shit ... Well this couldn't be good.   


 


	3. Devil's be Damned

In Turkey, the two main players of the event had already arrived, Ra's and Luthor. Lex had planned the gala in a grand space that was a restored castle of the Turkish Royal family. It boasted high, beautifully crafted ceilings in large circular rooms. For tonight, there was a main ballroom for general discussion, conversation, and of course, drinking. Off to the left was a 'comfort' room, that would be much quieter, with a few sitting areas and low lighting. The right, a large balcony overlooking a beautifully untouched countryside. However, there were two other rooms that the 'normal' guests wouldn't be allowed. One was a special meeting room that Ra's and Luthor were to be conferencing in, the second was a private lounging area for the same pair and their special guests.   
  
Tim had all but begged to be in the room with Ra's. He needed to know what information they planned on discussing to gather intel. There wasn't a single thing Tim could've done to get Ra's to budge, the harder he tried the more walls The Demon put up and Tim was rather frustrated.   
  
As Nightwing had guessed, Tim had voluntarily surrendered himself to the High Court. Ra's offered Tim a position at his side, and while in the past the answer was a flat overwhelming 'no', with Dick gone, Bruce and Damian missing, and Jason ... Who the hell even knew ... Tim had felt as though he was running out of options. He had no hope of helping or saving anyone on his own from the outside, and gathering information had proven impossible from their vantage. He'd hung on a little longer for those who were left of the clan and the Titans. Well ... Until Superboy disappeared. Or rather, died. That was the consensus anyway. Reliable intel had said Luthor got his hands on the clone, and planned on 'breaking him down for spare parts' to try again. Tim had been distraught, angry, and so ready for revenge he couldn't see straight. So, when Ra's offered for Tim to take a place at his side, he said 'absolutely'.   
  
Tim planned to go quietly, without informing the others. However, they were bats, they were always lurking around in shadows. It wasn't until he was nearly at the rendezvous point that Kate had popped out and tried to convince him to reconsider. It just resulted in both of them being beaten violently and Kate being taken away somewhere else despite his pleading. He hadn't seen her since and if he were being honest he didn't even know if she was still alive.

 

Ra's was satisfied with Tim’s choice to surrender, especially when the boy had so much to offer. He was an excellent strategist, skilled fighter, and showed a new definition of determined. Ra's wished he was able to get his hands on the boy before Bruce did, with the proper guidance and training Tim would've made a _perfect_ successor and an even better leader. But all those years ago, Tim sought _Bruce_ out and blew that opportunity away, not that it mattered because Ra's wasn't _truly_ aware of the boys intelligence until he faced him as a Robin. Such intellect wasted. Now was Ra's opportunity to retrain the child, though.. He wasn't sure he trusted Tim enough to offer him a chance to become Head Demon, afterall Ra's knew how corruptive the Bat could be.

 

It's why he lost his grandson, who was bred to take Ra's place. Since birth Damian was trained and raised to be no less than The Demon, to be better, but his father snuffed that flame out with his ungodly and pathetic morals... His emotions... Tim wasn't subjected to his feelings, he ran off of logic which is exactly what made him so appealing. Still, Ra's didn't trust him enough to let him have access to the meeting, not to mention it wouldn't look good to the court. Tim was a pet, not an equal, any chance he had to become an equal, to become greater, was erased by his unwavering allegiance to the Bat. Yes, Batman was dead, but would that truly be enough to make the teen switch sides?

 

"Do you remember what I told you, Timothy? You have eyes on you, do anything to bring The League shame and you will suffer for it." Ra's threatened.

  
Now, Tim was sitting in a plush 'cigar club' type of room. Arms and legs crossed as he sat in a ridiculously padded chair, bouncing his leg as the only sign of his frustration. There was a single League of Assassins guard behind him, staring blankly ahead. It was unnecessary at this point, he wasn't going anywhere, and Ra's knew that. Tim had showed him loyalty in any way he wanted. Ra's said jump, Tim didn't even ask how high, he would just go with everything he had. It didn't matter the task, the deed, the type, Tim was listening and acting like a perfect pet.   
Which is why the refusal to allow him into the meeting miffed him even more. All that work, no results.   


“I won't disappoint you, Master.” Tim responded, his baby blue eyes shifting to the Demon.

 

“Good, with how well you've been doing it'd be quiet disappointing to have to put you down.”

 

Tim wished Ra's threat was empty but he knew The Demon meant it, after all once you swear allegiance to the League of Assassins betrayal is punishable by death. This law only made Tim's mission that much more dangerous, if he got caught he'd be murdered for treason at the hands of Ra's Al Ghul, who wouldn't hesitate in making him suffer.

 

"Black coffee, of all things. As if he couldn't get that here some other way."

 

The robin turned his head toward the door when he heard feet behind it and a very familiar voice. Luthor…. Tim raised an eyebrow, coffee? Did Ra's even drink that stuff? ... Was it for him? Oh dear mother of god he _hoped_ it was for him.

 

"This should be short. Make sure the arrangements are set up with the bartenders and caterers."   


Luthor could he heard giving orders as he opened the doors, a figure standing behind him to his left and a woman to his right.

  
"Yes sir." The woman replied, turning and walking back down the hall rather than entering the room.   


Luthor looked forward to Tim, that fake, sadistic smile on his face as he approached, stopping just in front of the teen with his other associate looming in the doorway.

 

"Timothy, I wasn't expecting you until the gala."  
  
"Pleasure."

 

Tim said flatly, having absolutely no patience for Luthor. He wasn't part of his plan, so in Tim's mind, he wasn't worth faking pleasantries with.   
  
"Ah, charming as always." Luthor said in passing as he headed to the meeting room. "You two will enjoy catching up I'm sure." All Tim could do was raise an eyebrow.   


  
"Tim."

 

A soft voice muttered, just above a whisper before the sound of the coffee mug hitting the ground filled the room, only moments later the figure in the doorway literally flew into Tim, hugging him tightly though it didn't last any more than a second before it pulled away and grabbed his shoulders.

 

"You're alive...And breathing and.....Alive! We...Have to go."

 

To say Tim was stunned was an understatement, he could barely keep his composure with the guard who stood just behind him. It was _Kon_ . He was there. Alive. Looking ... The same. His heart was pounding in his ears at the sight, even as his chest churned with the idea that this wasn't _his_ Superboy anymore.

 

Tim barely gave the orders in Arabic for the guard to leave and stood before Kon. He remained silent and tried to keep his face neutral as he removed Connor's hands from his shoulders in a very formal manner. The guard was watching and listening still, even if he couldn't see him. Tim was aware of that.

 

"Mind your intentions, Connor. People have been killed for saying less treasonous things..."

 

Connor felt like his heart stopped at how formal Tim got. The words that  spoken sounded nothing short of what Ra's might say making Tim occur as though he was nothing more than Ra's little pet. It was disheartening. Maybe he lost his way. Tim’s  eyes were trained intensely on a shadow darkening the floor just outside the door. It took three seconds for it to disappear entirely, and it was the final signal that they were alone. All alone.

 

Tim’s demeanor changed and

his eyes focused back on Connor's, this time much softer, but still there weren't any words. Connor couldn't help but to watch his close friend in curiosity, those sweet greyish blue eyes were soft and analytical as always. Robin kept quiet and while he didn't speak he did start touching Kon ... A lot. Careful fingers traced nearly every part of Connor's face, neck, chest, then lifted his arms out to look over and feel those as well. Tim's face was calculating the entire time, like he was checking over a Egyptian artifact. He placed Connor's left arm back down at his side and took a shaky breath. This _was_ his Superboy. Tim closed his eyes and hugged Connor as crushingly tight as he could, knowing full well he couldn't hurt him.

 

"It _is_ you." Tim whispered finally, his voice so full of relief. "Kon, they told me Luthor was deconstructing you and I didn't know what to do, but-" No. This wasn't the time for him to go into a ramble, they were so limited on time. "You're okay ... Right?"

 

It wasn't until Tim hugged him that everything made sense. Tim wanted to make sure they weren't being listened in on and wanted to make sure that Connor was still... Well... Connor. Kon smiled and let out a chuckle, his arms being pinned to his side's.

 

"Apparently my despair made Lex see the possibility in fixing my broken mind."

 

He said with a shrug, his eyes shifting down to Tim taking in every detail of him before he sighed.

 

"I....Guess I'm okay..... I mean things are better now that I know you're alive."

 

He broke out of Tim's hold and took Tim's chin into his hand and began inspecting his face in search of injury.

 

"Are you okay? You're stuck with Ra's, has he hurt you?"

 

Connor asked as he shifted back not wanting to pry further though everything in him wanted to make sure that sweet little kitten in front of him was okay.   
  
"I'm fine. Ra's isn't dealing out anything I can't handle."

 

Even if he was, there was no way Tim would admit that to Connor, at the moment. The last thing he needed was to give the Super a reason to break them through a concrete wall and force them out of there. He reached up to take the hand on his chin into his own, holding the larger hand between his both of his smaller ones. The contact was nice ... Actually, it was amazing. Tim never considered himself a 'touchy' kind of person, but Kon? It was a little different with him.

  
"Tim..." Kon finally said before sighing and rubbing his neck with his free hand, "Please tell me you have a plan... I don't know how much longer I can stand being Luthor's dog."

 

He hated the feeling of living under someone else's boot, of having no free will.. He wanted it back. He wanted the tower back. The titans. He wanted to be with Tim, fighting by his side. Bantering with him.

 

"I'm willing to admit you're the smart one if you can get us out of this."

  
Tim kept staring at Kon's hand as he pulled together the rest of what he wanted to say, pushing emotion and personal wants out of the way. Tim didn't _want_ Connor to stay with Luthor and endure that emotional torture. He didn't _want_ to stay with Ra's and pretend to be alright with that psychopaths way of life. This wasn't about them as individuals, or even them together ... This was _literally_ about saving the world.

 

Connor couldn't help but to stare at Tim's little hands while he waited for a response… God and he was with Ra's of all people. He didn't trust Ra's.... He was picking up total molesty gross type vibes from him. From the way he looked at Tim. He hated it, he just wanted to bundle Tim up with mission case files and coffee and listen to him drone about things he couldn't possibly begin to understand. He watched Tim's grayish blue eyes and admired the way they flickered bouts of light as he worked through details in his head. Kon leaned in a bit closer though didn't notice it until Tim spoke making him frown.  
  
"I have a plan, but you aren't going to like it." Tim assured him, finally looking up at those incredible ocean blue eyes. "I need to stay by Ra's. He and Luthor are the only people who seem to have direct contact with the High Court's inner workings. Ra's is starting to  give me small clues and let me be around High Court leaders, because I've been building his trust. I can't pull out of this now, I'm too close to the answers we need." The next part was what Connor was going to hate. "I ... I need you to stay with Luthor too. If you can convince him that your working with him fully you might be able to get additional information. The fact that he's even let you come to this gala tonight shows that he has some level of trust with you. We have to continue to foster that if we want answers."

  
The superboys body tensed at the mention of staying with Lex and he pulled back slightly, "What!? No way! He wants me to be part of a squad that exterminates the ‘weak’, whatever that even means. I'm.... I'm not a weapon anymore Tim... You.....You told me that."

 

Connors words faltered a bit as a pout spread across his lips, he knew Tim was right, knew that the only way to beat the High Court was to get to know them from the inside. That tucking puppy dog, Timbot 3000 look wasn't helping either, he couldn't say no to Tim's pathetically cute look.

 

"Okay....Okay fine. You win just stop.... Making that dumb face..." Kon half heartedly teased before poking Tim's head, "He said something about finding Waller, she's a bitch I wouldn't mind bringing him and I know it'll gain his trust. Maybe he'll let me in on some.. Meetings....." Connor grumbled. "Since Lex and Ra's are so close maybe we can see each other more... Make more plans... I can talk to Lex and... I guess... Make him think I want to be....His....Sssssooo... His... Chi.. I can't say it... Tim if I have to start calling him ‘dad’ I'm going to throw up."

 

Of course this wasn't going to be easy, not for either of them, but especially Kon. Just seeing Luthor in the past pissed the super off, having to serve under him must be doing all kinds of things to Tim's Superboy.

 

"You know I wouldn't be asking you to do this if we had any other options." He meant that sincerely, it was all over his face and, God, did he feel guilt swimming in his stomach.  "Besides I wouldn't ever make you call him ‘dad’. You'll want to dangle the carrot a little. If you go back suddenly ready to work with Luthor he's going to sniff us out immediately. Make him want your approval and affections. It's been working for me with Ra's well enough."  


Kon listened to Tim carefully and deliberately, He couldn't help but to stare into Tim's eyes and while he looked like he was zoning out he wasn't. He understood the plan but didn't like the thought of being friendly with Lex, even after he voluntarily joined him he was put off and distant. He hardly said two words to Lex and while he carried out his orders he didn't invest in actually having a relationship with him.

 

"Let's just hope I'm a better actor than you are."   
  
"Listen, all this-" Tim started gesturing around them. "This needing to cuddle up with these evil, horrible, men to get information has _no_ reflection on you." Tim ended by putting the palm of his hand over Kon's heart. "You are _no one's_ weapon. You are your _own_ person doing this to save people, because you _are_ a Super, not a Luthor. I need you to know that if we are going to do this, you have to be strong." Tim then chuckled a little. "And I don't mean in a bust through brick walls kind of way."

 

Connors eyes shifted down at the hand on his chest feeling a need to hold it and to put a hand on Tim's face though he wouldn't dare. He didn't understand social cues and has gotten into trouble before, sure he knew what he was feeling but he doubt Tim felt the same. It was hard reading him... It was hard reading _people_. How was he to know the act was one of comfort or attraction? Not that it mattered because the words Tim spoke held so much more meaning and the super appreciated hearing that his choice to join Luthor wasn't completely in vain, he felt so much guilt around it even before he saw Tim but at the same time he honestly believed he didn't have any other option short of death, but now he saw it was a necessary to stop the High Court.

  
"Pft, I'm strong in every way imaginable. How do you think I put up with you?"

 

He smirked and flicked Tim's forehead, suppressing the need to hold him. He wasn't a very touchy feely kind of guy but right now he wanted to squeeze the life out of his Tim bot, he was just scared he'd hurt him.

It didn't take long before the clone started walking, nodding to Tim to follow, "Let's get you some coffee since you made me drop yours, you look like you could use a cup.”

 

Connor felt free to wander around the beautiful building, he doubted Lex would care and figured it wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Usually when he followed Luthor to some meeting spot he ended up just walking or flying around aimlessly, lost in thought. The bald man never seemed to give much concern for it since Kon wasn't hurting anything but merely occupying himself.

 

"I'm going to let that rude comment slip because you are getting me coffee."

 

Tim quipped back, giving Connor a playful shove once he caught up with him. God, he missed this, he missed _him._ It made Tim want to beg Ra's to take Connor back with them to the mountains. Sure, it would still be terrible there, but exceedingly less ... Also it would mean getting Kon away from Lutho so really it seemed like a win win, but unfortunately they had to do this though. It was for the better of the world and in situations like this, these kinds of sacrifices were necessary. Tim didn't have time to be selfish, nor the choice.  

 

"It's been forever, Ra's insists on tea and a strict diet regime. I finally told him that I wasn't going to make it if he didn't let me have my coffee at least." Tim explained, looking much more relaxed then when he first saw Connor. "I think he should just be lucky I'm not smoking or eating six bowls of breakfast cereal a day, Bruce could hardly even afford that."

 

He took the opportunity to jab at his brother's, but his face fell a little bit. His hand slipping into Connor's slowly, squeezing it.

 

"I ... I'm sorry about Clark ... I heard what happened.”

 

Connor couldn't help but to pause at the mention of Clark. Damn, just when he was getting lost in Tim's company, "Yeah well... you know...... He wasn't as invincible as we all thought he was."

 

Kon lingered a bit, his hand softly squeezing Tim's though it wasn't clear whether or not it was to comfort the small teen or himself, and before it could have even been asked he was hovering and leading the way a bit more distant than before. The fact he took to the air as opposed to walking by Tim showed his emotional distance, his difficulty in discussing such matters. Once they made it to the end of one hall and the start of another the super _did_ finally land give or take several minutes after Tim's initial comment.   
  
"Look Tim.... We all lost people... You lost your family, I lost the closest thing to family I had..... But we still have each other.."

 

Kon didn't offer a reassuring smile, instead he kept moving heading down the hall and soon stepping into the kitchen where there was already freshly brewed coffee which he began pouring for Tim.

 

"You said Ra's has you on a diet? I thought you lost weight... You look like you need a cheeseburger." He teased, changing the subject as he handed Tim the cup though he got lost in staring at him again.

 

Tim, unfortunately, missed the staring Connor did because he was staring at one of his truest of loves ... Coffee. He held it like it was the definition of life. Hell for Tim it probably was. He lifted the cup of pure gold to his nose with both hands, taking a deep whiff as a mix of absolute happiness and relief fell over his features. It was black, strong, yet smooth with a nearly creamy finish like most of the coffee in this part of the world. It wasn't bitter like American coffee ... He kind of missed it though. Connor couldn't help but to smile at how lost his friend got over his coffee and started to pour his own cup, he wasn't a big coffee drinker. He only drank sometimes though he's poured himself more cups recently due to the amount he's missed Tim. Who could blame the super, after all Tim carried the scent of fresh coffee with him everywhere he went.

 

"Ra's doesn't think of it as a diet, it's a regimen. It's supposed to bring you closer to a perfect physical condition. It's ..."

 

He wanted to say insane, but he wouldn't say it out loud in case they were heard, but his eyebrows showed it all behind the coffee mug.

 

"Well, if anything I think you could expand your diet. Not restrict it... You could also use more sun. You're like a little vampire." Connor teased with a playful grin.   
  
"First I have to focus on gaining Ra’s respect.” His words were careful and deliberate, gaining one’s masters respect was hardly uncalled for. “And I’m not going to give up. Now that I have coffee? I’m unstoppable." He half smiled with timbot humor.

  
Kon couldn't help but to chuckle at Tim's remark as he filled his cup with cream and honey to sweeten up the dark fluid, he never understood drinking it black. " Yeah, Timbot 3000 has officially been fueled up and armed for battle." He teased, "I mean look at those noodle arms, I’m already shaking."

 

Tim would have punched the super in the arm for his noodle arm comment after all, he'd like to hear Connor say that without super strength, Tim would have him on the ground begging for mercy in two seconds flat. Besides, Tim was teaching Kon hand to hand combat before all of this, he should have more respect for his noodle armed, vampire master _especially_ because Tim has beaten him.

  
Kon went to say something else, but heard some men speaking Turkish outside. Unfortunately, he didn't know squat about the language so eavesdropping would have been absolutely useless. His gaze shifted down to Tim who had turned his head slightly, listening as well. The voices were quiet and much harder for the non super boy to listen in but he made it work, he didn’t know much of the language. It was an Altaic language, close to Mongolian, which he knew much more of. This meant he picked up only bits and piece of what they were saying, but his eyebrow narrowed as he moved toward the entrance of the kitchen, wishing for the millionth time he had Kon's super hearing.   
  
He tried to translate what he could: ‘Asshole kid’... ‘Very hurt’ … ‘Doesn't matter’ … ‘Ra's al Ghul will be happy, Luthor too’...   
  
Then, Tim's face went a little pale. "Damian." He whispered repeating the name he just heard come out of the two men's mouths.

 

Tim went back into Connor's space as the two men walked away. The superboy had just lifted the cup to his lips when Tim grabbed his upper arm and spoke in an extremely  low quiet voice knowing the super would be the only person in the world who could hear him right now,

 

"Kon, I think Damian is here ... I think they have Damian."

  
Connor went stiff at the words. He knew from Lex that Damian was on the run with Talia, he didn't know the whole story but had assumed neither one of them agreed with Ra's choice to join the High Court. If Damian was here now then that meant he was likely extremely hurt and that Lex wanted to use him for something, of course Luthor was Kon’s first suspect for he was the one who threw this entire Gala together. Despite his curiosity, Connor didn't question Tim to get more information in regards to what exactly happened with Damian since he could hear the guards rounding the corner. With the layout of the building it sounded like they were moving away but instead they had turned down a hall that would pass the kitchen. Kon shifted away from Tim, facing him with crossed arms and a discontent expression. Tim was listening closely to the conversation happening behind Connor, trying to make out more words. He heard a little bit of the conversation the guards had, they said something about 'the kid' and 'old wine cellar'. Tim looked over the blueprints of the space before coming. There was a partially underground structure off the kitchen area that was likely just the spot. It was only two corridors away, they could get their easily. Blood was pumping hard in his ears, nervous energy thrumming through him. Damian and him never really got along, despite Dick's best attempts, but the thought of him being _alive_ was ... reassuring. Tim loved Damian, after all the little gremlin was his little brother so the thought of him being hurt? It made him want to throw up with anxiety. It was only okay when _he_ kicked Damian's ass.. After all, Tim _knew_ he would never hurt Damian too severely.

 

Connor wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he knew if he were standing still and awkwardly staring at Tim the guards may get suspicious so he spoke as though they had been having a conversation, "I mean.... I get Lex's whole power trip and all that but I feel like he's a bigger puppet than he thinks he is... He's having me be one of the High Court's soldiers while he's doing other errands." Connor knew that despite how random the statement was Tim would know he was playing it off to keep the guards at ease. He was practically counting their footsteps as they grew nearer.

  
"There's not a greater purpose than serving the High Court Connor." Tim replied flatly as the two larger men joined them inside the room. The Robin mournfully set his coffee cup down, making a nodding motion toward the door to Kon. "Luthor and Ra's understand their place inside the system they've been placed. It's time you understood yours as well." Tim had Connor follow him out and then tugged on the super's shirt to the left.   
  
"I promised Ra's to keep you in line, it would seem you need retraining in loyalty. It obviously wasn't in Luthor's best interest to forgo a reconstruction of you. Must be some kind of sentimental attachment he has to you." Tim was playing the game too, but maybe a little too well, he just needed to get them out of ear shot.

 

Tim stopped as they rounded the corner giving Connor an extremely apologetic look. Kon frowned, still hung up on Tim's words, mainly because Tim seemed like he seriously believed them and while his heartbeat told Connor otherwise.... The super didn’t get much time to dwell on Tim’s acting and statements for he quickly brought the conversation back to his sweet little baby bird.

 

"I think I know where Damian is." The hero whispered low again, close to Connor. "Down the end of this hall is an old cellar. They'll have him guarded though ... I need to know for sure before I go breaking in anywhere. Can you hear anything? See anything from here?"  
  
Tim needed to stop looking at Kon with such pain filled eyes, the clone swore he was going to rip apart everyone that hurt him. Connor focused all his energy to listening down the hall, his xray vision not taking long to follow suit. The sound of rapid breath’s, creaking ropes and a racing heart filled his ears, it sounded like a haunting melody, like what you would expect to hear just short of dying and the sight that accompanied the chilling sound was absolutely devastating. There Damian was, bound and bleeding, his body looking completely and entirely broken. The super couldn’t help but to wonder how the hell the ten year old child was even alive, most men twice the boy’s size would’ve been dead long before this point. His body was bound to a wall behind him, bent like a pretzal that only seemed to make his rapid breath’s that much more laboured. His face was bruised and swollen, within his body Connor could see countless broken bones.  

 

"Tim.... He's there.. But.." Connors eyes then returned to Tim, apologetic, concerned and even hurt, "He's hurt.... _Really_ hurt. I'll have to create a distraction so you can get to him... " Kon didn't even think of the risks of breaking Damian out, it would blow both of their covers in an instant.

 

"No ... No."

 

Tim replied quickly, looking down the hallway toward the door that would lead him to Damian. It was obvious he was thinking up some kind of plan, his hand placed on Kon's chest as if to ask for a pause long enough to pull something together. Tim was comfortable enough around Connor to really let himself go under, escaping into the deepest parts of his mind where he could focus on every possible outcome like a damn computer...Though there wasn't any situation he could see that would allow for Damian's release without them being caught.   
  
"You can't do that. You can't." He repeated his sentiment.

 

Connor frowned when Tim said 'no’, he huffed and looked off at Damian, the expression on his face shifting into a pain and sorrow.

 

"But Tim.. I can't just-"

  
"I have to do this myself.” Tim inturrupted, “If I get caught, it'll make sense to them. Damian and I are family, they'd expect me to try and release him. Ra's would be angry, but it would all add up. If you help me? They'll ask more questions. They don't know how _close_ we are, they know we worked on a team together, but that's it. If you stick your neck out to help me they will immediately suspect something is up and you will _never_ gain Luthor’s trust." Tim looked up at Connor again finally. "You have to stay in good standings with Luthor, you _have_ to."

  
"What if he punishes you? Wh-what if Ra's locks you away or.... Or hits you.... Tim if he touches you I'm going to kill him."

 

The superboy actually growled, anger and fear in his eyes. He didn't want Tim to do this alone, he shouldn’t _have_ to rescue his own damn brother _alone._ But…. But if he helped..If Lex reassembled him.... He'd _die._ Not physically, no,  but he'd have no memories, no personality… Then Tim would _really_ be alone. Kon's eyes shifted to his feet, his brows furrowed in frustration and his hands balled in fists by his side. Tim's words only stung because he knew he was right.... Stupid Timbot.... Right about everything. For once kon would love for him to be wrong, just once..

 

"Maybe I can convince Ra's to let Damian live or something. I don't know. Regardless, you need to go back to Luthor and 'behave'. We-"

 

Tim stopped as he heard the modern elevator click open at the end of the hallway, Luthor stepping out. Kon didn’t even notice the damn thing was coming down because he was so lost in the possibility that Tim was risking his own saftey for his brother, that there was nothing he could do to help him. Both their eye’s had shifted towards Luthor who looked like he was going to walk toward the cellar, but as soon as he saw Connor and Tim standing at the other end talking he turned with a light smile.   
  
"What exactly are you two doing in this hallway? I don't believe there is anything of interest down here. At least not to you Connor..."

 

Luthor prodded for an answer, Tim wasn't going to fall for it. He kept his face straight not showing so much of a hint of emotion, it wasn’t as easy for Connor who simply chose to cross his arms and look away looking like nothing short of a pouty teenager.  
  
"Coffee. I was getting coffee, Kon knew where the facilities were located." He was going to have to wait to get Damian now   
  
"Connor." Luthor corrected with a low tone, he didn't appreciate the use of the super's kryptonian name. His face quickly returned to a softer expression. "Anyway, now that you've had your fill I'm sure Ra's is looking for you up at the gala. As for you Connor, go report to Mercy and see what she needs from you."   
  
Kon glanced at Tim wanting to finish their conversation, wanting to beg Tim to find a new idea but.... He didn't get the chance because he had to obey... Get on Luthor's good side... He already felt like throwing up but that feeling intensified when he opened his mouth and said, "Fine, I guess." Bleh, ew... That hurt... "If you go up the elevator and down the hall you'll make it to the main room."

 

Connor said to Tim, turning his attention to him before hovering and floating off,  he wanted to punch something and as soon as he was far enough away he landed and slammed his fist into one of the walls. He exhaled and rubbed his knuckle before pressing forward, focusing on Tim completely. His heart, his breath, his voice... Fucking everything.  


  
Tim left the company of Connor with an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, the plan he had come up with being less than satisfactory. His mind stirred and turned as he made his way towards the elevator slipping deep into thought to work out the details, the risks. Yes, if he were to be the one to save Damian alone it would make sense however, there were great risks. The first one being the fact that it could be seen as an act against Ra’s and the League of Shadows… An act punishable by death. The second risk was that Damian would be killed, that Ra’s would have no need for him. The third.. Kon wouldn’t be able to stop himself from getting involved thus exposing the both of them. Tim couldn’t help but to sigh as he stepped into the elevator, he wished he could slip back into that peaceful space he was in when Connor was there. There was so much more he needed to discuss with Connor, they had such a short amount of time together and it honestly wasn't nearly enough. He rode the elevator to the upper floor and walked along the hallway until he spotted Ra's at his perch up top the stairs. Tim wasn't surprised, the man fancied himself a God, so standing above the mortals in judgement only seemed fitting.   
  
"Ra's." Tim greeted curtly, going to stand at his side, leaning against the handrail on his forearms. "You're meeting with Luthor was shorter than expected. Must have gone well ... Or terribly."

 

Tim commented as his eyes scanned the masses below. Not many pet heroes tonight, that was probably a good thing. He didn't need any additional distractions if he was going to save Damian. Trained eyes saw familiar silver hair just outside the open palace doors, his hand was on the back of someone's neck with a collar. Tim was trying with all his might to deny what his gut was telling him. The height, muscle distribution, hair color and wave pattern, the stance ... no no no.

  
"Dick."

 

He barely breathed out feeling his heart and lungs stall. He was with Deathstroke? Was he bruised and hurt? What had that asshole done to him? Tim's anger was already boiling over, rising with his concern. His hands gripped the wooden banister under him, knuckles white and the wood creaking and whining under the pressure. Ra's, whom was silent despite the fact Tim spoke to him, spotted the two almost the same moment that Tim had, his eyes flicking to the teen studying him quietly. He didn't miss the way his body tensed, the anger he showed. Ra's wondered how he could use it to his advantage or if Tim was going to give him a reason to stop trusting him.

 

His eyes shifted back to the pair, watching as Slade released his hold on the back of Dick’s neck. "He's been difficult." Ra's stated simply, "Grayson claims that he'll behave if he gets to see you and for his sake I hope that's true." The male said as he shifted making his way down the stairs though he didn't plan on descending fully.

 

“You should be grateful I’m allowing you to meet with him, I had other intentions when I brought you here however, Luthor asked me for a favor. Perhaps he hopes Wilson will be in his debt.”  
  
Ra's watched Slade handling Dick ever so roughly, he was amused to say the least, after all Dick never occured to The Demon as someone who was easy to tame and watching his adversary struggle was nothing short of pleasing.

 

"We'll see how long he keeps this up.... Tim, you are not to speak to him. You can hear him out and if I see it fit you may respond, am I understood?" He spoke to the teen before the two were too close to hear.  
  
This was a way of testing his power over the other, he knew Tim would be tempted to speak to Dick between his injuries and whatever gooy mush of emotions the other would dump on him, but if Tim could keep his mouth shut then maybe there was still hope for the boy. Tim's eyes were boring into Slade like superman's heat vision. Even Batman's glare was no match for this small titan's gaze. Slade could almost feel his skin crawl ... Okay maybe it did just a little.   
  
"Wilson." Tim all but ground out as the two finally stopped in front of them being only a few steps lower.   
  
Getting a closer look at his brother was sending him straight into fury. There was a clear bite mark on Dick's neck, hickies littering the site around it. Further examination revealed bruises on his wrists, chin ... All signs of sexual assault. Tim's hands were balled so tightly into fists he was sure his skin and muscles would tear away across his bones at any moment. Ra's couldn't be more entertained the clear marks on Dick’s skin. He felt that of all the batchildren Dick was the easiest to get to, the easiest to break down. All that was needed was another person to harm and Dick would do anything to prevent it. Ra's learned a long time ago that harming him physically wouldn't break him down, not like it would Jason who might recall being beaten to death. Perhaps Ra's amusement was also laced with the contempt he felt for Slade, hell the only reason he agreed to help him out was so he could drive the other into the ground.

  
Ra’s had opened his mouth to speak however Tim beat him to it making his icy green gaze shift down to the boy, "Touch him in front of me and you'll _definitely_ regret it." Too much? Probably. Would it get him in trouble? Maybe. Was it worth it? Definitely.

  
He thought he told Tim not to talk though after a moment of replaying his own words he himself found the loophole... Clever boy.

  
"Tim."   
  
Dick winced pathetically before he moved to pull Tim into a hug but Ra's shifted, his arm blocking the male from being able to advance.   
  
"That wasn't the agreement. I said you may speak to him, Grayson."   
  
"I wanna make sure you didn't hurt him." Dick snarled.   
  
"I don't _have_ to hurt him."Ra's words held so much pride and emphasis on his power is was almost sickening, it only intensified as his gaze shifted to Slade. "When I got Tim, I got him knowing that I'd be _capable_ of controlling him. Unlike your keeper who clearly has _no idea_ what he's doing." The assassin spoke calmly as he grabbed Dick's chin and tilted it to get a better view of the marks.   
  
The corner of Slade’s lip curled up in a smile as Ra's touched Dick. It was a smile that read murder all over it, which wasn’t surprising, everyone knew how controlling and possessive Slade was, though he was still surprisingly calm given the fact Ra’s was looking over his pet with a smug smirk. Honestly? Ra’s almost found it cute that Slade _forced_ himself onto the brat, as if it’d break Dick down first off and as if Dick was even worth it. If one were to as The Demon, he believed Dick would cry too much and the sound of his sobbing would grow to be nothing more than annoying. Tim had stayed still and quiet, following the rules perfectly after his outburst. The last thing he needed was to push Ra's over the edge tonight, especially when he might need another favor before the night was over. Though, Timbot was having serious concentration issues surrounding Damian's rescue, what with Dick being right in front of him looking ... Like home. There was nothing Tim wanted more than to shove Ra's face down into Slade's boots and hug his brother and _never let go_ . His eyes were trained on Dick's face, watching his expressions, watching Slade too. Something was off. Tim couldn't exactly pinpoint it, Dick's reactions seemed genuine, but Slade? He was too calm around Ra's, too okay with the assassin putting his hands all over Dick. Someone would have to be a down right idiot not to know how possessive and obsessive Slade could be at times, and just before all of this had gone down Slade kept visiting Dick in Bludhaven and Gotham. Slade was up to something, whether or not Dick was in on it Tim wasn't sure. Even after years of being Dick's brother the older could be hard to read, only because he was usually so genuine and honest ... Tim barely knew what lying looked like on his features.   
  
"He's practically building a bomb." Ra’s finally said after looking over all over Dick’s bruises.   
  
He somewhat tossed Dick back though Dick hardly stumbled as Ra's crossed his arms and continued to watch Slade, now he was just rubbing it in. "Notice how he hasn't even given one of his sarcastic quips? It's because he knows I have the power to do this."   
  
He stopped and touched his ring activating Tim's collar. He usually made the teen wear it though it wasn't because he was concerned with having a problem with him, he had a couple reasons for keeping the collar. One was that it made it perfectly clear that Tim was still a slave and not an apprentice, two? He liked how it looked around the others neck, liked being able to say he owned someone more than he expected to.

 

The teens body seized immediately, muscles tensing up painfully sending him straight to the ground on his knees, he couldn’t say he’s _ever_ felt pain that intensely before in his life. Ra's just kept doing it too, the session was long enough for Slade to see Tim's breath become erratic, he’s watched people drop men his size with just a second burst from these collars. There was absolutely no doubt that Tim’s entire body was burning from the pain, if he were able to speak clearly he’d say that it felt as though someone had set his body ablaze from the inside out and the longer it went on the hotter the flame grew. Death would be a mercy by this point however, Ra’s wasn’t planning on killing the little bird, no he was merely proving a point. Proving to Slade that he had power over his pet simply because he could hurt the pets brother.   
Dick's entire body tensed and he moved to wrap himself around Tim however, quickly stopped, feeling panic wash over him. Ra's was letting this go on too long to make a point. Slade knew that from experience. The poor baby bird was just trying to get some control over his body, but with electricity? There was no hope.   
  
"Please stop! I get it!" Dick begged desperately as Ra's stare only hardened.  
  
"I don't think you do, Grayson." The male spoke coldly.  
  
Dick looked at Slade for a moment before his eyes landed on Ra's moving in front of him. ".....Please, sir."   
  
God the words made Dick wanna throw up but the moment they spilled from Dick's lips Ra's shut the collar off and as soon as the collar turned off Tim slumped onto his palms, gasping for air like he'd been under water too long, his muscles shaking from the exertion he'd just been put under. If Ra's had pushed it any further he could have seriously hurt him, Tim was certain that Ra's knew that all too well. Dick shifted, clearly holding himself back before he glanced back up at Ra's.   
  
"Go ahead."   
  
Ra's permitted, Dick instantly rushed to Tim, falling so hard on his knees everyone could hear it as he wrapped his arms around Tim, "Are you okay?" He asked, his hands finding their way to Tim's face.  
  
Tim didn't cry, didn't make a damn sound until Dick was in front of him, wrapping him up in a hug that just felt so warm and comforting. Tim couldn't help it then, letting tears fall down his face as he buried his head into Dick's neck. He couldn't let them see him like this, god not tonight. Tim was stronger than this, he was the last one to break down out of the whole damn family, yet here he was falling apart just from being held by Dick. At the same time who could blame him? His entire body felt tingly and yet still barred the burning sensations deep within his flesh, his mind was overwhelmed with thoughts on how to gain Ra’s trust while also trying to take down the court, he felt alone and felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.. Now that it was evident he _wasn’t_ alone he couldn’t help but to let go a little. When the older's hands found his face Tim just stared up at him and nodded slightly, Ra's had been explicit. He couldn't talk to him, couldn't respond unless given permission. So, Tim put a shaky hand on Dick's thigh and started pressing his middle and index finger into the muscle there with purpose. Morse code.   
  
'I missed you. I'm sorry.'   
  
Tim tapped out twice, just to make sure Dick got the message. Then it dawned on him he could tell Dick more than just mushy brother things. ‘They have Damian. He's here. He needs help.'  
  
"Tim.."   
  
Dick didn't notice the Morse Code straight away, he was too focused on making sure his baby bird was okay, after the amount of electricity the younger male just took in it was honestly a miracle he didn’t kill over. It wasn’t until Dick felt the taps again that he noticed Tim was speaking in Morse Code which temporarily confused him,  he didn't know why Tim wasn't talking to him though he didn't question it when Tim said Damian was there. Dick let out a shaky breath and tapped back.  
  
'Where is he? Is he okay?' He asked before pulling Tim into another hug and running his fingers through his hair to keep the suspicion down.  


  
"It's a shame your skills are wasted, Wilson... You can't even control one bat, and you wondered why I'd never let you lead the League Of Shadows.... You're weak." Ra's started his own conversation with Slade though his eyes stayed on the brothers.

  
Slade was watching the scene, looking back up at Ra's after a moment with that same murderous smile from before.   
  
"Don't fool yourself Ra's. Tim's loyal to you because he _isn't_ stupid, he has some sense of self preservation, unlike his brothers." Slade slipped a glare Dick's way. "Besides, I don't know if I would boast too much about your bat wrangling skills too loudly. If I remember correctly you're 'techniques' were _entirely_ in-effective against the first Bat you took in." Slade decided to push back, and bringing up Ra's absolute failure to tame Bruce was always a hell of a way to do that. So, why not dig further? "Then the second you could barely control..." Jason. "...and even when they were your own kin they still had little respect for you, let alone were they obedient." Damian. "See, the difference between my techniques and yours Ra's is that I don't just demand obedience, I direct it. I had control over Richard before, it'll just take a little time to get _true_ submission back."

  
Ra's felt anger boil up inside him, how dare Slade disrespect him like that? He was the Head Demon, the ruthless leader of the League of Assassins, Bruce’s noncompliance was hardly a reflection of his own person and nor were Jason and Damian. They were quite simply _broken_ , fooled by the false idea of a better world. What they didn’t grasp was the fact that the only way to make a better world was to snuff out the weak and pathetic.   
  
"The detective is broken, too caught up in his own pathetic morals to realize his true potential... Not far off from you, the only real difference is your skill is determined by how full your bank account is. You’ve let your own greed and thirst for money deter you from your true potential, not to mention it’s made you soft. It’s no wonder you’ve failed to kill the Titan’s as often as you have."   
  
Ra’s glanced at Dick, eyes focusing in a glare, "Remove yourself from my pet and say your piece, you have two minutes." It was clear as day that he was done with his generosity.   
  
Tim had felt the tapping back, but didn't have any time to communicate back where Damian was or if he was okay. The entire thing was being rushed leaving him a bit panicked. They needed more time. No, no, he needed more time with Dick. Why was his presence making him unsure of his plan? It was like the signal of hope he wanted, but it made things shift…. Perhaps it was because Tim knew that risking his own life to save Damian’s could possibily destroy the lives of who he cared for most.   
  
"And here I thought you weren't so sensitive." Dick snapped.   
  
"Make that one minute." Ra's eyes narrowed.   
  
Dick knew he was already counting so he didn't have the time to argue and there was _so_ much to say. He looked at Tim and moved his hands to hold the teens despite feeling Ra’s glare in the back of his skull, yeah Ra’s said to let go but Dick needed to tap out 'Cluemasters code' in morse on Tim’s wrist, he just hoped the other would be able to decipher the message.

 

" **C** an I tell you something, Tim?" He started though his voice seemed on the verge of panic which Ra's deduced as Dick struggling to squeeze his gooey mush into one minute, " **A** fter you came to live with us, I learned what being a big brother _really_ meant. **V** arious nights staying up and worrying about your safety, setting good examples, being your safety net.... **E** verything that I honestly should've done for Jason. **B** ut I didn't know that then because I let my anger and jealousy get the best of me. **R** ight now I have so many regrets... **A** nd I’m sure I always will. **V** icariously I’ll have to learn how I could’ve done things different. **O** ne day I might have a chance to actually find out.” After a brief moment of silence Dick exhaled heavily, “ **S** tay safe, Tim. **E** verything will be okay if you do. **C** alm yourself and stay sane.. **U** ntil I can break away from Slade. **R** ight now that’s not even a guarantee but I still need you to hold on. **E** veryone has limits and as smart as you are you must _know_ you can't fight. **B** ite the bullet and listen. **U** ntil I can..." Dick trailed off, " **I** love you, Tim. **L** isten to Ra's. **D** on't do anything Damian would do. **T** ell me you can do that.... **R** obin.." Tim could see tears starting to build in Dick’s eyes, his own heart starting to tear in two feeling like this was truly a goodbye,  " **A** ll you need to do is suppress your need to fight. **N** o, I don't like telling you to do that. **S** uppressing emotions is something I'm against. **M** aybe it'll keep you alive. **I** know I'm repeating myself here. **T** im... **T** rust me on this.. **E** verything will be okay... **R** eally.."

  
"Touching." Ra's said with a roll of his eyes, Dick looking up up at him as the male began making his way up the stairs, "You went over your time, you _owe_ me for that. Come along, Tim." He ordered, not waiting to see if Tim actually followed.

 

Tim's eyes barely brightened in understanding as his mind slowly got to work on deciphering the message. Dick had some way to communicate through the cave? Or was someone there? Jason had mentioned going there months and months earlier, but that was before all this started happening in earnest.  
  
Tim wanted to communicate so much back, but there wasn't time. He squeezed Dick’s hand hard, even though Ra's had told them to separate. "If Mr. Wilson wants his scotch brand, I believe it's in the old wine cellar on the base floor."   


Tim gave Dick the little clue as to where Damian was hoping he was smart enough to figure it out, technically he broke Ra’s rule on not speaking to Dick but he hoped the statement was emotionless enough for Ra’s to let it pass. He reluctantly followed Ra's up the steps a little later than what the assassin probably would have liked, looking back at Dick once more as he caught up with The Demon. His entire body was sore, and his heart was aching. Tim was wondering if he could slip away from Ra's and see Connor again… He felt like he needed that small bit of emotional reassurance his friend gave him.. Why was he so uncertain of everything now? God he didn't like this feeling at all.. Dick was being held by Deathstroke, a man known for his cruelness, who could do whatever he wanted to his brother. From what it looked like, he already had.. Tim was crushed, conflicted… Heartbroken.

  
Once Tim and Ra's made it to the top of the stairs the male placed his hand on the back of the teens neck, pushing him forward. "You've wasted time, don't let it happen again. It'd be highly disappointing if your brothers presence deterred you from your alliance.. Especially when I was considering increasing your access."

 

Ra's knew that even if Tim wasn't on boared, the best way to keep him behaved was to promise more Intel. The only problem now was that he was skeptical on the amount of trust he could give Tim, that show of emotion was sheer weakness. Ra's didn't doubt that Tim was already trying to find a way to get back into the same room as Grayson, their time was short and the assassin knew that the young boy wanted more of it. He knew their emotions for each other were disgustingly strong, that they _almost_  needed one another. It was the very reason Ra's cut himself off from his emotions, they made one grow weak and dependant. Emotions stopped one's ability to rationalize with their brain, to make logical decisions. It was absolutely destructive and while Ra's tried to teach Talia to use her head she had feelings for Bruce, for Damian. Slades words echoed in Ra's mind, his free hand clenching only briefly. He should've killed his daughter and tried again, he'd have a stronger heir if he did that instead of granting them mercy.  He supposed he'd have to make it count with Tim, he just had to break him down enough to make him stop feeling so intensely. Tim already had the ability to separate logic from feelings but the emotions were still there waiting to take him down to failure and failure was not an option here. He could control Tim, and he would.   
  
"You're right to be disappointed." Tim nearly ground out, keeping his head bowed down as he collected himself. He had to stay the course, Tim couldn't let these interactions derail him from his plan. "I let my emotions get the best of me. It won't happen again."

 

The apology sounded awfully sincere for how deflected he was feeling inside. In that moment Tim was suddenly hit with a realization of why he felt so anxious all of the sudden. This was different than any other time he'd gone in for a mission like this: he had no back up. He'd never really thought about it before, but it was true. Someone would be watching him from the sidelines, making sure he didn't dive too deep, go too far. Tim knew he would sacrifice anything for the sake of the mission, he'd let himself be destroyed. Bruce knew that and always- ... Bruce. God he missed Bruce and it hit him like a ton of bricks. The rest of the Robins, and most other Batfamily had there issues with Bruce, and that wasn't to say he didn't, but Bruce understood him. Their minds seemed to work at the same wavelengths at times, he could just look at Tim's blank expression and read him like a goddamn book. Bruce understood Tim better than his parents ever had. Tim knew what he was missing at that moment was Bruce's input, reassurance he was doing the right thing, or Batman crashing in to save him because he'd simply gone too far. The thing was? Bruce wasn't going to be there. No one was. Even if he could get a transmitter set up it wouldn't change that fact. Not now anyway because Bruce Wayne was dead. So, Tim had a choice to make in that moment. He could fall into his insecurities and coast on autopilot until he died or someone else came to his rescue. Or, he could do what he would have done before all this; throw all caution to the wind and do whatever it took to reach his end goal ...Regardless of the consequences. In a flash, he knew the second was his only option. It was the only one that lead to a future where he could have his family back, where he could get Connor free of Luthor ... And god was that last one important to him. He had to do this for them.  
  
Tim let himself go down to his knees in front of Ra's, the hand on his neck losing pressure instantly. Tim gently grabbed the hand in front of him, bringing it to his lips. "I'll make up the wasted time to you, I promise."

 

Tim laid a very soft kiss on Ra's knuckles and felt his stomach turn. If everyone thought Tim was stupid enough not to see the way Ra's looked at him, they didn't know him at all. Tim did not want to exploit this part, he'd done everything to avoid it, but it could give him the edge he needed and judging by the shift in Ra’s demeanor it seemed as though he were right. The assassin paused, his sharp green eyes studying Tim, judging him and taking in every detail of what he was doing on his knees and my did he like what he saw. He couldn't deny that Tim looked good from this view, down on his knees like a proper pet. Ra's loved the idea of controlling him, putting him in his place, _owning_ him in _every_ way possible. Seeing Tim being so submissive only made that pride and control stir in the assassin.

 

Ra's let a small smirk spread across his lips, his fingers moving to lift Tim's chin, "I don't doubt that... Now I have work to do, you may busy yourself elsewhere. Perhaps find Connor and see if he needs assistance.  You can make your mistakes up to me later." Ra's thumb brushed against Tim's lips before he removed his hand and walked away.

  
Tim nodded wordlessly at Ra's response. He could feel every inch of skin where Ra's had touched burning like fire, but not in a good way, not in the way it felt when ... His mind shifted back to Connor and him, standing in the small staff kitchen earlier. The way Connor had touched his face then, the sensation was warm, left tingles running down his spine to his core. Tim wanted nothing more than to lean into that touch, to have more of Connor's hands on him. Connor felt safe, genuine, _good_ . Ra's was different, in _many_ ways, but the touch made him want to reel back, in some weird way it also made him feel incredibly guilty afterword. He'd resolved himself to this though, this was just what had to be done.  Ra's announcement that he could go elsewhere felt like a trap, a test maybe. Tim could not go running off to find Dick, it would be highly suspicious and probably what Ra's was waiting to see. It was too predictable and would unravel every last bit of groveling he'd just done. Tim would have to trust that Dick knew what he was doing here, that if he could get to Damian he would. If not? Tim had to think of another plan.   
  
The Robin only moved off of the floor once Ra's was completely out of sight, taking his position back at the railing like he had before. As much as he wanted to go running after Connor he needed to find a way to help Damian right now, a back up plan. If Tim asked for Damian to come with them, without explanation as to why he might refuse, or worse, kill him.  However, Tim knew Ra's was deeply disappointed in how Damian turned out, that he wasn't the successor he wanted him to be. Unlike Tim, Damian wasn't even willing to _act_ subservient or loyal unless he truly was. Maybe if Tim could convince Ra's that Damian was re-trainable, that he wasn't entirely a lost cause then he could convince the Demon head to let him come with. No doubt Ra's would be putting Damian under an insane amount of uncomfortable 'reconditioning', but it was better than the alternative of him dying under Luthor's care. Besides, if Tim was there maybe he could convince the gremlin to play along at least until they could figure out a plan. Though, he highly doubted his abilities to reign in Damian ... The only one any good at that was Dick.   
  
Wait. _Wait_ .   
  
What if Tim could convince Slade to take Damian? It was an idealistic situation above all the shitty alternative options. Luthor would be able to piss off Ra's by not only challenging his position in power but by also proving to him that even he wasn't confident in Ra's abilities to retrain the batclan. It would dig the knife deeper into the wound that Slade had opened up earlier, further pushing a wedge between Luthor and Ra's. Luthor would see the power play and grab for it instantly, Ra's and him were a little too alike in that aspect.  Tim just had to convince Luthor that this was in his best interest too, that keeping Damian alive and letting Slade 'retrain' him with Dick was the right call, not a recipe for disaster. That was going to be the hard part, he'd have to think while he walked. He needed to find Luthor fast.   


  


Down another hallway was Mercy, having pulled Connor along with her. "The check list has been settled. Stand by for orders." She said, not even looking up from her tablet as her fingers clicked away on the screen.

 

Suddenly, a finger moved up in a 'one moment' gesture, then pressing the communicator in her ear. "Yes sir?"  
  
`They've set up the viewing room. I need you and Connor to go collect Damian` Luthor spoke through her earpiece.   
  
"Of course. Any updates I need to be made aware of?"   
  
`He tried to escape again, of course. My men put him down, he may have a collapsed lung. Something we can take care of after everything, I'm sure.`   
  
"I'm sure he's sustained worse before and pulled through."   
  
`My thoughts exactly. This needs to go down without a hitch, Mercy. Ra's and I may be playing nice, but this is the perfect way to gain leverage. Damian may not be in his favor anymore, but he's still his grandson. Showing I could capture the little shit and send a message that I can control him at the same time? The message will be clear.`   
  
"Don't worry sir. I'll make sure everything runs smoothly."   
  
`One more thing. Connor …` Of course Lex knew the super would be listening. `...This is a test for you. Mess up and I'm going to have to rethink my decision to keep you. That's all Mercy.`   
  
With that the communicator clicked off, Mercy seemed unperturbed by any of it. "Alright, come with me then."   
  
So that asshole was trying to use Damian to get some kind of upper hand on Ra's... Great... Kon wished he could tell Tim but.... He heard Luthor's threat and with knowing he was already on the verge of being reconstructed he knew it wasn't an empty threat.   
  
"Let's get this over with, I hear the brat bites."

 

Connor commented with a sigh, he was playing it off as more of an inconvenience than something that bothered him morally which... It did... He may not have particularly liked Damian but Damian was still a _child_ and he was hurt badly... A collapsed lung and they were acting like it was nothing? Kon shook his head and focused on listening and sure enough he could hear Damian's strained breaths. He felt a pang of guilt rise up in his stomach, he was a super. He should've been stopping this not… Playing along, but it's what Tim told him to do and he trusted Tim.

 

"Wine cellar?"

 

He asked as he looked at Mercy? He figured he could get away with that without raising alarms. Surely they'd expect him to listen for the little shit and since they were the ones who found this place of course Kon would also know the layout of the building.

 

"Exactly." Mercy said, almost looking pleased. "Luthor will be impressed by the strides you've made with your abilities. I think these conditions are helping to improve you."

 

Mercy tapped that in somewhere before clicking off the screen and walking down the hall, knowing that Connor was following her.

Connor was somewhat caught off guard by Mercy's comment, he didn't pride himself on being a good actor but apparently him directing his anger to things outside of Lex seemed to be a good first step. Gaining Mercy’s trust was a good second step, she was the only other person who had access to Connor's control collar, and while she hadn't had a reason to use it yet, she kept the ring on at all times. Her heels clicked at a fast pace down the hall, past the service area and to the colder part of the palace. There were fives steps down to the wine cellar door, two guards placed there moved out of the way immediately as they saw Mercy arrive.   
  
"What does Lex want with the brat anyways? He's more trouble than he's worth." Kon commented as they stood outside of Damian's holding place.   
  
"Fucking cowards!"

 

Damian could be heard on the other side of the door trying to yell out, but the words were strained, and afterward he struggled to get back in enough oxygen to replace what he'd expended. It sounded like he intended to say more, but his body just didn't have it in him. Kon couldn't help but to frown, he could hear Damian's lungs struggling to hold in air.  
  
Mercy opened the door and looked down at the floor. Damian was in his Robin uniform, minus the cape, utility belt, and boots. "Shoes?" Mercy said immediately, talking to the guards behind her.   
  
"He, uh, used them to knock out the last two guards so we took them away."   
  
"Of course he did."   
  
Damian's arms were secure behind his back with steel cuffs that belted to his waist, preventing him from slipping them, his ankles forced under him in a kneeling position connected back to the same belt at his waist. It was a restraint used to make sure he couldn't get out again, but the curve of his chest backward was obviously making his already labored breathing even that much more difficult. His lip was split, had an obvious black eye, and a large gash running from his clavicle down across his chest. What other bruises or injuries he had would lay under his suit out of sight.Connor, though he wasn't expressive, had to fight the urge to gasp and frown at Damian's sight. The poor boy looked like he had been through so much, it was even worse up close. The superboy used his X ray vision to get a better look at Damian's internal state which only crushed him more. He didn't deserve this.   
  
"No gag though?"   
  
"Kid can barely breathe, we didn't want to kill him."   
  
"Get your hands anywhere near my mouth and I'll bite your fingers off." Damian rasped out, still apparently full of piss and vigor.   
  
"Ah, Connor did say that about you." Damian forced his head to look up at Mercy's comment, seeing the super and giving him a deep glare.   
  
"Traitor." Damian announced without a second thought.   
  
"Enough of that. Connor, go ahead and grab him. We are on a timeline."

 

She pressed a button on her tablet and the point on the waist belt that held Damian's wrists and ankles to it clicked open, the poor boy didn't even have enough strength to hold himself up as he slunk forward. Kon didn't hesitate, he moved down and knelt beside the boy, reaching to wrap an arm around him to lift him up and while he was close enough to whisper he did.

 

"Tim is thinking of a plan, hang in there." Damian was about ready to bite Connor when the super opened his mouth though the promise that Tim was working on something was enough to make him stop.

 

Within seconds Connor was standing with Damian in his arms as he looked at Mercy, "Where are we taking him... He stinks."

 

Damian let out a large groan and fell a little bit limp, "Kill me now."

 

Whether he was acting to brush off what Connor said or truly being _that_ dramatic about Tim holding his future in his hands was unknown. Likely it was a bit of both.   
  
"We'll be heading back toward the main ballroom. There is a small stage room to the left of it, this event will be 'private'."

 

Mercy explained, taking them the long way around so they wouldn't run into any guests, the two guards from before following a little farther behind then they probably should. Damian had given them a run for their money, there was no doubt about that. Connor sighed and followed Mercy holding Damian in his arms, the little thing was surprisingly light making the super wonder if he had even eaten anything in weeks. As they walked into the room, which appeared to be a sitting area, Connor could see large, comfortable chairs set up facing a small stage that was flanked by two large bowls burning large flames inside of them. It was dimly lit for the moment being, the stage giving off the only true light, illuminating the restraints in the middle of it. There was hushed talking toward the back. Lex and Tim, were sat at one of the tables, talking quietly. Tim had a straight, serious posture, where Lex looked more pleased and relaxed. His eyes shifted over to their guests, offering a smile before going back to talk to Tim. Kon glanced at Lex, his attention drifting towards the two's conversation however, before he could put any energy into listening to them Mercy was giving him orders.

 

"Go ahead and place him over there on the floor and attach the restraints there to the ones he already has. Everything should click back into place." Mercy commanded, seeming to ignore Luthor's presence in the room to finish the job at hand.

 

The superboy took Damian and began restraining him as ordered, his eyes not meeting the boys as he chained him up. He wished he had words of encouragement but he really didn't, that wasn't his ball game. Instead he just stood and faced Lex waiting  for him to finish his conversation with Tim.   
  
"So, you'd sell out your own brother so you can stay on top of Ra's list? That's an awfully cruel way to cut out the competition Timothy."   
  
"He isn't my brother, he never was." Tim replied almost too quickly. "Besides, we live in a new world now. You've said so yourself, I'll keep my position regardless of the casualties."   
  
"Interesting." Luthor looked over at Damian and Connor before shifting back to Tim. "Then why help me Tim? If you knew about Damian and told Ra's that certainly would have put you in his favor. Why help me torment your Master?"   
  
"We all have our own interests at heart. It'll be good for you to know that mine aren't all at Ra's feet." Tim was suggesting he'd be open to helping Luthor, though he knew betraying Ra's wasn't an option. "However. I don't need distractions, or competition. In return, you'll get better results out of the mercenary than anything you can personally provide."   
  
"I like the way you think. I'll give it a thought ... But you'll owe me. You know that."   
  
"Of course." Tim replied easily before standing and exiting the room.

 

The Robin stopped in the empty hallway and just leaned up against the wall. What Luthor had planned? Terrible. What Tim had to give up to get Damian into Dick's hands? Less than fantastic. Was he probably fucked in the long run? Absolutely.   
  
Luthor stood after a moment too, re-buttoning the front of his suit jacket with a smile. "My, my, he looks awful. Perfect. I can't wait to see the look on Dick's face when the curtain pulls back." Luthor approached the stage looking it over. "We have about thirty minutes until showtime. Mercy and I have some work to do with the brat until then. After you've done your respective jobs, why don't you all enjoy the festivities?" Luthor's eyes glanced over to Connor. "As long as you behave yourself you can go as well."

  
Kon felt a great sense of relief rise up in him when Lex gave him permission to step out, "Thanks....And uh....... Dad.." There it was again, that stomach twisting knot. It literally took everything Connor had to look Luthor in the eyes, "Thank you for giving me a second chance." He commented before turning and walking out of the room, he didn't want to hear Lex's response. He just wanted to go find Tim.   
  
The second Connor stepped outside of the room his eyes  dart to the teen and he quite literally flew right into him, wrapping him in a crushing hug. Tim let out a 'oof' of air as the super hit him. Usually Tim tensed in situations like these, afraid of who or what was on him. Connor though? It's like his body just knew, letting him relax in the man's hold, crushing or not, it felt like heaven. Here he was, sitting and thinking about Connor and then, there he was.

 

"This is stupid... I'd much rather crush Lex's watermelon of a head."

 

"I always liked to think about it like a honeydew melon..." Tim responded dumbly as he was let go from the hug.

  
Connor chuckled at Tim's comment and eased his grip on the other while Tim had taken to holding Kon's hand. It was more instinctual than anything, Superboy just felt like comfort to him right now, he didn't want him running off anywhere. Which, if that was the case, it was a tad ridiculous for Tim to think he could hold him down anyway. Tim focused down on Connor's chest, staring at the lack of the ‘S’ symbol there. It was stupid that he hadn't noticed it before ... Of course he wouldn't have it on. Superman, superheroes ... They weren't around anymore.

 

“So.. What's Lex doing with Damian?"  
  
"He's trying to get a rise out of Ra's al Ghul. He thinks by capturing his grandson and torturing him that it'll piss Ra's off." Tim said low, so they wouldn't have any curious ears picking up their conversation. "I don't doubt that ... But then Luthor's plan was to just lock Damian up, save him for a time when Ra's 'needed correcting' and would ... Kill him." That part made Tim flinch a little. "I convinced him to give Damian over to Deathstroke ... He has Dick too, so Damian will be safe. Something is up with Slade and Dick ... I don't know what it is. It doesn't smell right, Slade is acting too forced." Tim was just going to pour it all out on Connor, the flood gates had opened at this point. "I watched him put Dick 'down' earlier. Everything on him read that he was angry, pissed actually. Anyone else looking would have thought that made sense but ... Slade doesn't get angry like that easily. If he was really trying to control Dick, he'd be taking a much calmer, more skilled based approach. Someone like Deathstroke doesn't just _try_ and control people with abuse and fear. It's child's play."

 

Tim shook his head a little bit to calm himself down. Kon’s blue eyes shifted to worry as he heard Tim's heart rate and breathing increase, he was so worked up and with every word Tim spoke it was understandable why. The super couldn't help but to frown and just patiently wait for Tim to finish telling him everything he needed to tell him.  
  
"Anyway ... Luthor is going to put on a show. Says only a few private guests. Says that he is going to do something 'Damian can never shake off'. I'm worried..." Tim closed his eyes, looking visibly frustrated for the first time that night. "...that Damian won't be able to take it, and then Dick is going to fly off the handle. I can't tell him to relax because it's too suspicious." Tim squeezed Connor's hand hard. "I'm afraid of what they might do to them if that happens."   
  
After Tim stopped talking Connor stayed silent, his eyes low locked onto the floor before they shifted back to Tim, placing a hand on the teens cheek.

 

"So then maybe Slade and Dick are working together... Which means Damian will be  safe... If Dick loses it Lex will hurt him, I don't doubt he's anticipating it. Honestly Dick's predictable that way, the second he sees Damian he'll want to help him... I'll talk to Lex, play off being interested in what he's doing. Maybe I can get away with making a request or..." Kon paused and looked away, retracting his hand and stepping back as his hands slipped into his pockets.  
  
The first idea that popped into his head was if _he_ offered to hurt Damian. On one hand Lex might say yes, eager to see what his 'son' will do and that'll give kon a chance to make sure Damian isn't hurt too bad..... On the other hand...... He'd be beating the kid.   
  
"I can........ I can offer to do it... To be the one hurting Damian.... I can make sure not to break anything and I can use my TK to hold Dick back at least a little I just..... Tim ." Kon sighed and took both Tim's hands, closing the space between them as his eyes locked right onto Tim's, "I won't do it without your say so.... I couldn't do that to you."

 

Tim's stomach did flips at the suggestion that Connor offered. Sure, it would work, it would be the kind of plan Batman would jump at. Connor could make sure that Damian didn't get injured any more than he had to, could keep a good eye on Dick, and then there wouldn't be any more interference from himself. It wouldn't be as suspicious.  Though, Tim wasn't worried about whether or not it would work, he was worried about Connor's mental state. The super was already struggling with the fact that he had to buddy up with Luthor, struggling with the things that he was making Connor have to do. Adding this on top of that seemed ... Unnecessarily cruel. Tim didn't want to break Connor, that was the _last_ thing he wanted to do.   
  
"That's..."

 

Tim was stuck on a decision, letting his emotions and sensibility duke it out behind his frantically calculating blue eyes. The Robin was taking in every minuscule inch of Connor's body language, rerunning what he said over in his head. He was going to have to ask his best friend to beat his little brother, in front of their insanely protective older sibling. Dick could misunderstand and hate Connor over this. Sure Connor and Dick weren't as close as they used to be, but they were still friends. His eyes finally broke out of their hardness and looked back at Connor's face, even if the super was looking away from him at this point.

 

"I trust you. With my life, with anyone's."

 

Tim spoke from the heart, aching to reach out and touch Connor, but with the super obviously pulling away it was hard to justify it. Connor could see Tim's little eyes flicking through every scenario in his head, he always got the same expression, the same look in his eyes when he delved deep in thought. Connor usually found it adorable but right now? It was a little disheartening because he was asking his _best friend_ if he could beat his _baby brother_ . How do you even justify saying ‘yes’? How do you stand by and watch that happen? Yes the alternatives were worse but that didn't mean it was better or okay. The Superboy let his Timbot do the thinking while he couldn't help but to feel worried the other might hate him, anyone else would be scared of Connor losing control of his strength. They wouldn't trust him to be able to keep the kid alive and while Tim was different..... Maybe he didn't trust him either..   
  
"I don't want to ask you to do something you can't, but if you think you can ... If you can offer so that Damian doesn't have to suffer more than he needs to, then that's the best choice. Right?"

 

Since when was he so unsure? The way Connor was reading off to him almost made him nauseous, it was obvious Kon didn't want to do this ... But it was the best choice out of a pile of shitty ones.

 

"But you have to promise me something." Tim finally stepped into Connor's space again, placing a closed fist on Connor's chest. "You'll find me afterword. I'll convince Ra's to let me have some space, and I want to see you. We don't leave this gala with this being the last time we see each other. Do you understand me Kon?"

  
"Tim.... If I had to do this two weeks ago I would've killed Damian, no doubt.... Because two weeks ago I.... I didn't have anything.... I have _you_ and...... If Lex killed or vegetablized Damian it would crush you." No.... vegetablized wasn't a word but the super was trying. "My....My point is that I can handle anything now because I know I have _you_ ." If Kon had a single romantic bone in his body he would've known this would be a perfect time to kiss Tim but instead he flashed a nervous smile, his hand moving to hold the fist on his chest.   
  
"I'll talk to Lex, I'm sure he'll let me see you if I convince him it's.... For gloating purposes or something... Like a 'thank you for letting me beat the snot out of your monstrous brother.'"

 

Tim couldn't believe how strong Connor was. He wasn't talking about physical strength, no he admired the emotional durability of the super. Most kryptonians could handle the weight of the world on their shoulders, because sometimes it was almost quite literally sitting on them. Though, when Tim thought about it ... All those Supers had a network of people that held them up. While the Teen Titans and the Kents supported Connor, it wasn't the same. It impressed Tim that much more, that _his_ super fought so hard for _him_. Tim blushed a little too, the confession was a lot to take in, but he knew it was honest because he felt so many parallels.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

Tim whispered, closing the distance between them and resting his forehead on Connor's chest.Connor couldn't help but to move a hand into Tim's hair when his head was on his chest, his heart rate increased and his stomach fluttered. He almost felt sick but.... he liked it. He's felt lust before… Attraction... but this? This was different. _This_ was intense and strong and kon just wanted more and more _especially_ since he didn't have it for so long.

 

"I'm sorry I didn't look harder for you, that I accepted you had died." Tim's hand clutched the one above it between them. "I'm so glad you are here though because... Like you said... I can handle all this knowing that you're alive. You're _here_."

 

Tim at some point would tell Connor how he'd planned Luthor's death in his head a million times, anything to torture the person who took Connor away from him. Tell him about how when he found out Superman had died and Connor was to be 'reassembled' he locked himself in his room in Nanda Parbat and silently sobbed into his pillow for hours, walking around with a hole in his heart until he saw Kon earlier. Tim knew what that all meant, and when Connor looked at him like that? Spoke to him in such a way? Tim thought _maybe_ Connor felt the same way. Maybe he ... Blue eyes closed as he just enjoyed the proximity for a moment. He felt like he was trying to memorize it, so he'd never forget.

 

"You'll need to go then if you want to catch Luthor before the event." Tim said so, but didn't make any attempt to move.

 

Finally Tim started to pull away, raising up on his tiptoes to place a light kiss on Connor's jawline. A sigh escaped the supers lips as Tim pulled away some though that space was soon closed when Tim kissed Kon's jaw. "Be safe. I'll see you soon."

  
Connor tensed, froze, his face turning red. He almost felt like he malfunctioned and short circuited... Is this what Tim felt like without coffee? "I...uh...soon....see you soonish...later..." Shit this was embarrassing. Kon soon cleared his throat and rubbed his neck."I will see you after everything....Uh..... Don't do anything too crazy, I can only fly so fast."

 

Despite all of Connors awkwardness he couldn't help but to embrace Tim one last time. He squeezed him softly and finally let him go, hesitating before turning and heading in to see Lex.

  
Tim didn't even know what to say because he was one hundred percent caught up looking at Connor's face before he left, his reaction, _that blush_ . Robot brain tried to fire up, then fizzled out just as quickly. Tim was left with his emotions and they overwhelmingly agreed, that reaction was positive. Connor _liked_ being kissed on the cheek by Tim. For the first time in a while, a huge, genuine smile came to his face that he covered with his hand. Tim felt like a crushing school girl, but fuck it, it felt nice to think about something other than saving the world. He needed to go find Ra's before Luthor started his presentation. He had peel himself off of the spot to start looking.   


  
Connor walked quietly, his eyes low as he approached the bald man. "Uh.....Dad...." It wasn't as bad...... No...Wait... Still felt like vomit on his tongue. "I was thinking...." He paused rubbing his arm. How was he to deliver this? "I was thinking about what you said... I.... I have been really resistant to the High Court and I'm starting to see the value in them. I want to prove myself to you and I was thinking I could punish the kid. I know you're planning on having an audience which isn't limited to his siblings and it seems like a good way to prove myself to you... Show you that I'm serious because the second my hands are on that boy, I'll be burning bridges with my former acquaintances."   
  
Luthor was standing at the back of the room, changing into a fresh white shirt that had specks of his blood on it. No doubt Damian's. He looked to then side, acknowledging Connor. "You're offering to torture Damian Wayne in front of Nightwing and Red Robin? My ... That would send quite the message wouldn't it?" Luthor's eyes almost seemed to light up with the idea, as if it couldn't have been better than if he thought it up himself. "Nightwing watching his Robin being beaten by his old teammate. It'll really drive in the message of hopelessness and vulnerability." Luthor clipped his godly expensive cufflinks in. "I've installed a small ... Present if you will into Damian's nervous system. A High Court prototype. It responds best in high stress situations. I expect you to push him to his limit once I activate it. You'll be my hand in this ... I can take care of the rest."

 

Connor didn't like what he was hearing, what the hell would this prototype do? What if _him_ hurting Damian made things worse. He panicked internally but being slightly emotionless it didn't show, instead his eyes shifted to Damian and he tried using his X-ray vision to see inside boy fully registering that something in Damian's immune system wouldn't really be visible.   
  
"Interested in the technology?" Luthor picked up on Connor's searching eyes quickly. Sure, he couldn't physically see him using his x-ray vision, but it wasn't like the kid did a good job hiding his concentration either. "It's a new type of control collar, minus the collar of course. Except this one works with biological feedback mechanisms and operant conditioning techniques. That's the theory anyway. A reward for positive behavior, punishment for negative behavior as is set up by the programing software. You'll get a better feel for it once we start." Luthor explained, watching his son's expressions carefully now. He soon walked up to Connor and patting the center of his chest where Tim's hand just was moments earlier. "I like that you've offered on your own initiative. I don't doubt you'll make me proud ... You should change though. Why don't you wear the suit I made you?"

 

Kon's eyes snapped back and he kept his stance straight though it tensed at the touch, it felt... Slimy... Gross... He hated it and had to fight to pull away, even more so not to gag at the idea of wearing Lex's suit.

  
"Will he die?" Kon asked blowing over Luthor's question, "Not to.... Be pushy.... But knowing how overly emotional Nightwing is if Damian's killed or hurt beyond repair... He'll be angry and more likely to get vengeance than feeling hopeless.... His rage will inspire him." Kon knew this without having to even make it up because he saw it after Jason died.  Stepping back Kon exhaled, "I think Damian needs to be hurt to a point so that Dick realizes he has no power rather than getting himself killed because he blacked out."   
  
"He won't die, I thought about it when we first captured him, putting him to death in front of his family is a good way to send a message. Regardless of Richard's emotions, I don't doubt Slade will have a good handle on him. But ..." Luthor finally broke his gaze. "You've brought up a good point, their emotional alliance to each other is something better exploited than extinguished. In fact, I already have some chess pieces in place to perfectly work that angle." He looked all too pleased with himself about that fact. "The Bats don't have super powers, but then again neither do I, it's about their skills. They shouldn't be underestimated, and I think our friend Ra's has already deeply underestimated our friend Tim's mind and overestimated his loyalty."

  
"So..... basically.... training people like dogs?" Kon asked, he at least understood that much with Krypto. Treats for good behavior, kennel for bad behavior. Connor glanced around before casually adding, "Where's the suit?"

 

He had to ignore the fact Luthor praised him. It was reassuring because it meant he did a good acting job and... just disgusting.Luthor dug a black bracelet out of his pocket and took Connor's hand, securing it to his wrist.

 

"The suit is inside this technology ... something I picked up from the High Court. It's touch activated and made of a high density carbon polymer that webs out over the user. Very effective." He gave Connor another once over before going to walk away. "Take five minutes, then I'll see you back stage for the main event."   


 


	4. Dehumanized

Whatever feelings of ecstasy Slade had from being with Dick were completely gone now and his eye was fixed in a glare. Slade felt the intense wave of tension spill over his body as his eye scanned over Luthor’s assistant trying to uncover what it was Luthor wanted. Sure the invitation itself was hardly concern but Slade knew Luthor well enough to know that whatever show Lex had lined up wasn’t going to be one they’d enjoy, especially Dick for that matter. Mercy’s attention shifted off the assassin, she was trying to charm, as she watched Nightwing emerge from the bathroom, the pet seeming to steal Slade’s attention as well, as he spoke. Dick saw how tense Slade was and he didn’t know this woman so he was hoping for some indication.

 

"Everything okay, Master?" His eyes were low and averted.

 

He was playing off being punished for spilling a drink on Slade, his body tense, eyes on the floor. The act didn’t even seem to matter because Mercy couldn’t care less, she was just shooting him a disapproving look, much less friendly than what she was showing Slade moments earlier. It was probably because she didn't care about what Dick thought of her, in reality, it didn't matter.

Dick was honestly unsurprised at her lack of interest in him, he was a pet, he could only imagine that this was how people of color felt... _Feel_ ... Degraded, disrespected, seen as less. It made his heart ache because though the circumstances were _entirely_ different the treatment wasn't and that being said Dick was still more fortunate than most.

  
"Took you long enough." Slade shot back to Dick, barely turning to acknowledge him, that wasn’t at all what Dick was hoping to hear. "Mercy is inviting us to a private meeting with Luthor and a couple other 'special guests'. I was about to tell her she's wasting her time if it's some attempt to get me to cuddle up with Luthor."

  
"Oh Mr. Wilson, Lex is well aware that the only way your loyalty is achieved is through your bank account." Ouch, but, true in a sense. "Consider this more of an ... Opportunity."  
  
"Sounds likes a supervillain pyramid scheme." Shit Slade needed to stop being around Dick, why the hell was he cracking jokes?  
  
"Humorous." Mercy replied with a polite smile. "I'll see you both there then? Fifteen minutes from now. Gentlemen." She said before parting.   
  
Slade followed her with his eye a bit and uncrossed his arms. "Something smells rotten about this."  
  
"Oh? I thought that was just her." Dick responded to Slades remark,"I know things haven't exactly gone according to plan but maybe we can still charm Lex... Especially if he has Damian." Dick commented though he seemed to get.... Distracted. Suddenly. Abruptly.

 

Helena. Dicks eyes weren't playing tricks, there she was in a beautiful white dress, drink in hand beside a fruit basket. At one time Dick had a crush on her, after all she _was_ gorgeous, though in their time apart those feelings dwindled and while he still cared about her deeply, he knew he wasn’t in love with her. Still, seeing her here sparked excitement within the young hero. He began walking towards her before his brain even told him to do so, blocking out his surroundings until he was already by her side. Slade was going to have to put a leash on Dick next time they went to one of these things, he would have had better luck keeping track of a kid inside Toys'R'Us at this point. This time he just took the slow approach behind Dick, keeping some distance as he talked to Helena as if to pretend like he had okay'd the whole thing.   
  
"Helena? What are you doing here?"   
  
Helena's sharp eyes shifted to the male, glancing him over though, she showed little remorse. "I got an invitation, thought it'd be better to accept than to decline."   
  
"...So you're with the court." Dick spoke, eyes narrowing.

 

"It seemed like a better option." She spoke gesturing to Dick's marks, "Bertinelli's _don't_ become pets."   
  
Anger was rising up in Dick faster than he even had time to process it. Tim was with Ra’s, Luthor had Damian, and now one of his ex girlfriends and close friend was _actually_ working with the High Court? Perhaps that was Dick's breaking point, sure she didn't make the best decisions but joining the court? It didn't take long for Dick's mouth to get the better of him.

 

"I thought you were better than that but I guess since Spyrals gone you needed someone else to bow to."  
  
It shouldn't have been a surprise that she slapped him, honestly what was surprising was how much it _hurt_ but then again he's already been hit on that cheek... Twice...

 

"It’s a miracle you haven't gotten yourself killed yet. Always looking for the way that keeps everyone alive. That world doesn't exist, Grayson, and your values are going to destroy you and everything you _love._ ”   
  
Dick's hand moved to touch his cheek, a sharp glare boring into her. "It’s better to get killed by my values than to let go of them… Do you even _have_ values?"   


“Of course I have values, Grayson… Why do you think I helped you burn Spyral to the ground?”  
  
“That doesn’t matter if you-”   
  
“If I what? Attended a stupid little Gala Lex put together for the High Court?”   
  
“If you left your values behind to _join_ the High Court.” Dick’s voice was sharp and bitter as he glared at Helena.

 

“In a world where my choices were to hide, become a slave, or die.. You bet your ass I chose the ladder.. I’m not going to run around underground like a scared little girl and I sure as hell won’t belittle myself enough to become someone else’s property. Perhaps you should look at the whole picture before you stand there and judge… You’re such an idiot..."

 

“I _am_ looking at the whole picture! Why the fuck do you think I gave up my family to be here!?”   
  
“You say that like you had the choice..”

 

Dick froze almost instantly, his heart rate increasing slightly as he tried to think of ways to counter what she had said, ways to prove her wrong so their cover wouldn’t be blown. He couldn’t afford to be exposed right now, not with Tim and Damian so close. Dick’s mind had grown completely blank though he was soon realizing it wasn’t due to loss of words, it was due to the conflicting expression on Helena’s face… She was relieved? Why would she be relieved at the idea of Dick voluntarily going under if she was, in fact, working for the Court?

 

"I have to go... Don't get yourself killed." She sighed and set her glass down before stepping forward, kissing his cheek, and walking away.  
  
Slade had just stood, silently letting the two have their space though there were plenty of times he wanted to interfere, when she slapped Dick? Kind of. When she insulted him? Yeah. But when she kissed him on the cheek causing Dick to make an adorably confused face? _Most definitely_ . He almost made a comment as Helena passed by, but decided against it. Everyone already knew Slade was controlling and possessive, he didn't need to highlight that point. Yet, the older man _knew_ that's not why he wanted to say it. It didn't matter though, Slade didn't actually own Dick in any shape or form. Dick could flirt with and interact with people _however_ he wanted... Not that Slade wouldn't boil alive about it. He leaned against the table Dick had himself positioned by and finally tore his eye from glaring daggers into Helena's back, settling with an amused smirk on his face, poking Dick between the eyes.   
  
"If you keep your face like that it'll grab attention." Slade teased his hand dropping back down in front of him. "Nice chat? Relive your teenage fantasies, Richard?" That was a slight jab, but a fair one to take.

  
Dick didn't realize Slade was jealous to say the least. And though they were flirting _a lot_ Dick didn't exactly believe Slade to have _romantic_ feelings for him... Not.... Deep ones anyways… Not the feelings Dick felt for him.. It took Dick a moment to snap back to reality as he just stared at the older male before rolling his eyes some. Slade seemed more tense than before, irritated? Frustrated? There was definitely something there but Slade was good at hiding it.   
  
"I have to relieve those fantasies _somehow_ since you won’t do it for me.” Dick jabbed back.   
  
“The way your body reacted ten minutes ago would say otherwise.”   
  
“Hmmm that’s based off the assumption I wasn’t having fantasies about my scaly friend.” The hero teased bringing up their conversation from earlier in the jet.   
  
“I assumed my beard would prevent such fantasies.”

 

Dick’s eyes settled on Slade’s expression, despite the fact he was joking back, there was something deeper. His eye showed a hint of contempt, the edges of his mouth were curved in a frown that was more strained than the one he were giving Mercy.   


"You’re jealous, aren’t you?"

  
Slade narrowed his eye a bit when Dick suggested he was jealous, it was a tiny reaction, but one that could easily be read by a bat "Jealous? I contractually own you, what do I have to be jealous about?" Slade's tone was ribbing, not serious. He in no way actually owned Dick, he knew that, he didn't think anyone ever really could, not even with all the torture in the world.

  
Dick couldn't help but to roll his eyes, " You know, Bruce could've said the same thing with all the adoption papers he signed but in the end he didn't _really_ own me."

 

"Bruce didn't have the collar or the raw rugged looks that I do." Slade replied back in a flippant manner, "Regardless, you kids can play around all you like, I have a feeling you'll come back when you're ready for some maturity." Slade sipped his scotch.  
  
"You're not as mature as you like to think..." A small smirk spread across his lips as he watched Slade, "and I'm having _plenty_ of fun playing around with you."   
  
He was having fun playing with Dick too, it was pretty damn obvious to anyone with half a brain and eyes ... So he thought Dick should be able to figure it out just fine.

 

“Anyways… I thought you’d be interested in knowing.. Helena isn’t really with the Court… She didn’t want me to know, she’s probably worried I’ll get her outed, but she was relieved to know I wasn’t taken by force.” Dick shifted the subject.

  
"If Helena is working toward the same goal as us, that likely means others are too ... No matter how well they are playing along." Slade used their close quarters to create an intimate conversation. People around them were getting buzzed by now anyway, he didn't think anyone would be listening in. "There is a lot of questioning and doubt going around, this Court came in and swept up everything so quickly, a lot of villains just went along with it because the High Court was advertising a product they wanted to buy. I think a lot of them are realizing they don't know what's really going on, where their futures lie ... It's just the kind of uncertainty needed to start a power shift." Slade set down the empty glass in front of him before standing up straight. "We just need to find a big enough chink in the High Court's armor to get the ball rolling."

 

"We still have to be careful, even if the others were willing to join us, the Court could easily kill them.... We need to squeeze as much from Lex as possible, I don't think Ra's knows as much as Luthor, he won’t be much help."

 

Slade clasped Dick on the back, maybe a little harder than necessary, Slade was still a little pissed about his shirt. "We have a meeting to attend, it's a start ... You plan on behaving right?"  


"I guess.... But you know my mouth works faster than my brain so I'm not making any promises, D."    

 

Dick shifted away from Slade as an indicator that he was ready to head to the meeting though it was slight enough to keep Slades hand on him so it would look like Slade was still leading him, for once.

  
“You know, D, it'll take time to find the chink in the armor.... The missing scale.. Hope you’re ready to ride the storm out with me." Sure he doubted Slade would get a Hobbit reference but he still went with it.

  
As they walked forward Slade let out a small chuckle. "Did you just make a Hobbit reference?" Slade shook his head a little bit. "I didn't know you had a long enough attention span to sit for movies that long."   
  
"Oh trust me I have to take _lots_ of breaks. It helps when you have someone to cuddle with, as long as you don’t end up making out with them." Dick chuckled, "I also read the books which took me three years."

  
“I’m honestly not even surprised, you have the attention span of a goldfish.”

  
Okay, so Slade was having a little more than fun playing with Dick, he was _thoroughly_ enjoying himself. Honestly? Who else was he even like this with? Sure, he could crack a joke every once in a while, but this was different. Dick was … Well Dick. Slade always thought about him like a tidal wave, sweeping up people with him and enveloping them in something that was just entirely his own. Dick had a way of making people feel special, wanted, loved. That's why he was naturally chose to lead teams, be the best man at weddings, be the shoulder to cry on for many of his hero friends and family. The hero spent just as much, if not more time, cultivating and nurturing his relationships with people as he did on his acrobatics.  Slade had to wonder though if there was anyone in Dick's life that put that much work in with _him_ , or ever just let Dick take a break from all that. It had to be exhausting.

  
  
  


-

  
  


Backstage of the sitting room where Connor had delivered Damian, Kon had just arrived  to meet with Lex, and Mercy was just returning from giving Slade his invitation. It didn't take long for her to get settled there with some sort of medical technician, they had gagged Damian at this point and were running some sort of test that the demon child was fighting against. The Robin's bonds had changed, he was still locked into a kneeling position on the floor, but his hands were bound in front of him and attached, with a short chain, to the metal platform they had him on. It was a show position for sure, bent back like he was before and no one would have been able to see his facial expressions.

 

Damian's breathing was relatively calm despite his condition, he must have had some kind of inkling about what was going to happen and was preparing himself. When he saw Connor his eyes seemed to brighten just a tad, but then when he saw Luthor's symbol on his chest they narrowed into razor sharp slits. It said nothing, but everything. Whatever bit of trust Damian had in Connor was swept away the moment the super showed up in that suit.

 

Mercy dismissed the medic and turned to Connor, looking him up and down at the new garb. "Fitting, I was told you'll be taking care of the punishment. Certainly saves me the trouble of having to find someone else after this one knocked out the last one." Damian seemed to be getting up to all kinds of trouble today. "Luthor will, in basics, be instructing you as he sees fit. You shouldn't need any implementation considering your strength."

 

"Yes I will be punishing," He confirmed, eyes on Damian feeling absolutely crushed at the light that drained from the boy’s eyes. He hoped he could get a message to the boy... Tell him he's _trying_ to help but at this point, he was starting to think he was making it worse.

 

"He'll do just fine." Luthor said appearing from almost nowhere with a new, shiny looking remote in his hands. "You said you've got decent control over your heat vision now, right? ... I have a little end of the show finale to discuss with you."

 

Luthor pulled Connor to the side and went over a few basic instructions, then showed him the High Court symbol on the back of the remote he was holding, he explained he needed Connor to engrave this symbol on Damian's cheek, somewhere everyone would see it for the rest of his life. Kon's eyes shifted to Luthor when he stepped in, listening to him as he explained the plan. God Connor didn't want to do this, branding the poor child?

 

"Uh..." He started though the expression on Luthor's face made it clear there wasn't room for hesitation, "I... My only concern is that I might not... Have the best aim and will get him in the eye...... But we could always brand him on his back or... Chest.. the symbol will be bigger and over time be less likely to fade." Shit... Maybe the cheek would be better, "Or I can do some practice shots before we get started..." Kon quickly suggested. Fuck... He was starting to fall apart. "I'm sorry I don't.... Dad I haven't done anything like this and I just... I don't want to mess it up." There... He could pass his distress on as concern about _failing,_ "You have this planned perfectly and I don't wanna mess it up." He looked back at Damian, "But if we're gonna brand him it should be done before they see him... Dick's gonna flip if we do it first thing.... Unless you want that."

 

Luthor watched his son with a practiced gaze, trying to read what was going on inside the super's mind. Luckily for both Tim and Connor, the nervousness was all he picked up on. "Being with the Justice League, around the Titans made you soft. I don't hold it against you, but it is something you'll need to push past if you want to make it in this new world order, Connor." Luthor said in an _almost_ caring way, well, caring enough for a super villain anyway.  "I didn't intend for you to help in the first place, so, lucky enough for you? I have a brand waiting. We'll use that on his cheek instead. Save you the trouble, but ... I do like the idea of double branding him. You could manage a Luthor brand on his back, couldn't you?" Luthor asked, though there wasn't really any room for discussion. "I plan on this being a finale to the show, a cherry on top for both Ra's and Richard to squirm about. I don't doubt that Nightwing is going to make himself a spectacle the entirety of the show, however, I trust his handler to keep him in place. If not, I'll do it for him."   
  
Mercy arrived back then with another medical professional that inserted a needle into an artery on Damian's neck and injected him. Just a moment later the child's heart rate and breathing rapidly rose, pupils dilating. It was chemically derived adrenaline, probably to keep him conscious as long as possible for the show.

 

"Sir, he's ready, and we are behind schedule." Mercy announced.   
  
Luthor simply shrugged, "That's the nice thing about being in charge Mercy, you can start when you're ready... go ahead and lift the curtain." Luthor went to stand to the right of Connor over by a tablet set on a thin podium. Luthor eyed Connor once more, "Follow my instructions. I'm sure you're already aware, but this is going to be a test for you."

  
  
  


**Fifteen Minutes, before the Curtain lift**

 

Tim's cheeks were still flushed pink when he found Ra's. He did his best to wipe the smile off his face, but a happy Tim just seemed to radiate with joy all on his own, even without facial expressions. It was easy to hide things like disgust, anger, and hatred around people because he was so used to it, _especially_ now. Ra's wasn't mingling, he never was the social type. Instead he was quietly observing and studying the other villains, watching them boast pathetically. They thought they had control, _power_ , when really they just had freedom. They were free to control the swine, free to commit their crimes, free to a degree.... it was a _privilege_ that they could lose whenever they were deemed weak or unworthy. It was almost amusing how they confused their freedom with power and control. So dull. Ra's was disappointed in humanities degression in intelligence, he at least half expected them to grow wiser.

 

"Alliances are better formed with conversation than observation Ra's."

 

Tim commented, leaning back behind the wall Ra's found himself at. Ra's heard Tim come up behind him though he didn't acknowledge his presence, he let Tim be the first to break the silence and even then didn't turn to face him. He was being friendly, it gave him some red flags. Perhaps Tim went to see his brother, or maybe he was just grateful Ra's decided against punishing him... For now at least.

 

"Speaking of..." Tim rolled off his tongue, eyes sliding over to Ra's. "... Luthor has invited us to a private meeting with a few special guests. I know it isn't your cup of tea, but I wouldn't want your absence to be held against you, especially by the High Court if they are involved." Tim knew they weren't, but he was playing dumb, he had to. "It starts in ten minutes. Want me to lead the way?"  


The assassin slowly shifted, glancing back at Tim, " I'm not concerned about the Court. They know they have my alliance." The male spoke coldly, eyes narrowing as he approached Tim and grabbed his chin. It was firm but not painful.  
  
Tim tried not to tense or break eye contact when Ra's grasped his chin, blue eyes were focused forward as he tried to look confident and strong. He didn't want to let his unease at Ra's proximity or touch show, especially after coming off so positive.

 

"We'll go to the meeting, I want to see what Luthor has planned this time. Perhaps he's still trying to gain full control." Ra’s released Tim's chin and he nodded for Tim to lead the way before following behind him, "He's always had a need for control, so much so it prevents him from winning."  
  
"Right this way then, Master."

 

Tim pushed himself off the wall, walking ahead of Ra's but not far enough he couldn't talk to the man just behind him. "I don't think you'll have any problems with Lex though." Tim seemed to bring up randomly out of their interaction, though for Tim it was anything but random. "He's concerned with retraining his Superman hybrid, Connor. Fixated actually." It wasn't true, but Ra's didn't need to know that. "Connor is ... Vulnerable though. He's looking for direction, seeking acceptance after the loss of Superman. We spoke briefly, he mentioned his doubts about teaming up with Luthor, wondering if it's the right choice."

 

Tim turned to face the Demon's Head just before the door, a somewhat mischievous smile on his face. Ra's would assume it was because the bat came up with a great idea, Tim knew it because he was moving his chess pieces.

 

"It would be advantageous of us to have someone like him in our back pocket, and with the right kind of persuasion I don't doubt we could achieve that." Tim then waved his hand a bit as if to dismiss it. "Give it a thought anyway." He finished before leading them into the event room.

 

Tim and Connor were teammates, it was no surprise Tim wanted Kon to become Ra's pet and unlike Tim, Kon had nothing to give the assassin. Nothing useful to offer aside from brute strength that could be misguided based off emotion.  Ra’s wasn't convinced and the small, "hm" he let out only showed that.  
 

 

-

  


Slade and Dick arrived just before Tim and Ra's. The room was still dimly lit. There were two comfortable looking chairs poised on either end of the stage with more seating behind them, the rest seemed to be open for anyone to take. The two chairs were labelled with both Ra's al Ghul’s and Slade’s name. Naturally, Slade didn't like the looks of this for two seconds. He kept a hand on Dick's back and tensed it a little bit once he saw the set up, upon closer inspection there was also a tag on the floor, placed on top of a foot rug by the bottom of the chair that read 'R. Grayson'.  Ah, Luthor was putting Dick on the floor like a dog ... Charming.

 

Dick couldn’t help but to glance around, his eyes taking in every detail they could almost skeptically so. He himself didn't like this and the way Slade tensed didn't exactly soothe him. Dick studied the seating and frowned when he saw he was supposed to be on the floor, figures.

Slade stopped to pick up his own name tag and crumpled it before carelessly tossing it to the floor. He pulled Dick close to him by his waist eliciting a soft gasp from the male, whom had instantly tensed and placed his hands against Slade in a gesture that suggested he was pushing him away. There were silent watchers in the seats further back and the last thing Dick wanted was for anyone to suspect that Dick actually _enjoyed_ being this close to the mercenary.     
  
"Something isn't right, but you cannot lose it kid. I don't know what they are planning but _don'_ t take the bait. Otherwise I'm _really_ going to have to hurt you." Slade let Dick go and went to make himself comfortable in his own chair.

 

"Have more faith in me Slade, I'm not so old that I can't learn new tricks."   
  
Dick almost teased before sitting on the floor, criss cross, as he somewhat leaned into Slades leg. He knew whatever was coming was going to be bad, he could feel it.

 

Ra's had entered shortly after Slade and Dick had gotten settled, his eyes setting in a glare at the other, "Wilson." He spoke coldly before taking a seat.

 

Shortly after having seated, the Demon had taken notice to the excited glint in Dick’s eyes, following his gaze straight to Tim. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the hero’s disgusting need to be close to Tim, Dick looked like he was ready to crawl right over to the baby bird in which Ra's was quick to hold his hand up.

 

"You've had enough contact with my pet this evening, Richard. If you insist on touching something I'm sure your keeper would be happy putting his hands on you."   
  
Ra’s didn’t forget that Dick was indebted to him for going over his time with Tim earlier, surely those conditions would only worsen if Dick said ‘fuck it’ and clung to Tim anyways. Nevertheless, Dick couldn't help but to glare, opening his mouth to speak and even letting out a squeak of noise before he stopped and looked away, he was supposed to behave....   


"Daddy's a little fed up with me at the moment." Damn it....... Why was staying quiet _so_ hard?

 

Slade gave Dick a healthy swat to the back of the head, for the comment but didn't seem to care much outside of that, Dick had a mouth on him and beating him senselessly would be absolutely pointless. The only thing that kind of excursion would do is where out the person dishing out the punishments, for Richard John Grayson _never_ stopped talking. Everyone knows that and clearly that’s what one would sign up for when making the male their pet, hell even Ra’s knew that much.

 

Speaking of, Ra's almost snorted with amusement, "He'd have better luck cutting off that tongue of yours, though from what I've heard... Those who've gotten their hands on you seem to enjoy it. I’m sure Slade makes good use of it, doesn’t he? Though, with how used it is I question how enjoyable it really is."

  
"Shut up." Dick snapped, that hit a nerve.   


"Who was it, again? There were so many rumor’s it’s hard to recall… The Penguin? Two-Face? Professor Pyg?” Ra’s paused as he seemed to shift deep in thought, Tim watching him intently as he tried to figure out what The Demon’s game was “... Ah... The Joker, wasn't it?"   
  
Ra's nearly smirked, clearly he was antagonizing Dick to make trouble for Slade. Afterall Ra’s was still pissed about the comments Slade had made earlier about his failure to control the batkids.. Judging by the fact Dick shifted as though he were about to lunge at Ra’s, it was evident he had hit a sore spot.Slade read Dick's body movements and even he could see that Dick was like a coiled snake ready to strike. He landed a harsh kick to Dick's back causing him to yelp, Slade then leaned forward and pulled his head back by his hair with his the hand not occupied by alcohol.

 

Slade moved to speak into his ear, sure that his mouth was hidden by the curve of Richard's neck. "Pull your shit together or I'm pulling the plug on this." Slade announced shortly before pushing Dick's head forward, letting go of his hair.

 

Dick hated hearing the words Slade whispered,  it meant he was losing control and right now that was _not_ an option. The hero glanced back at Slade and nodded before his eyes fell to the ground missing the glare shared between Ra's and Slade. Slade was very quickly realizing that they hadn't prepared well enough for this night. The fact of the matter was that they both had underestimated how taxing this was going to be on the emotional psyche. Missions like these, where you played a role to gain information, were never so damn personal. Hell, most of the time you weren't even yourself, you were playing a character to blend in and, at times, stand out. This wasn't like that at all. Slade and Dick weren't just in their uniforms running a mission, they were themselves. Slade doubted Dick could have realized how deeply personal this would have become, they'd be calling him by name, using his actual life and family against him like some fucked up game. Slade hadn't prepared for this, and the way that Dick was reacting proved he hadn't either. How could they have, though? Even for an old pro like Deathstroke, this was entirely new territory.

 

"Focus on your own pet, Ra's." Slade’s steel blue eye was staring the man down before looking directly at Tim who looked ready to catch Dick if he had the chance to attack Ra's.

 

Tim snapped out of his stance and leaned back into a more comfortable sitting position immediately. He was supposed to be ignoring Dick, but with how worked up the older male was already getting that was proving to be difficult. Ra's railing into his brother wasn't helping either, if he had to throw himself in front of Dick to keep the other hero from getting himself killed he would do it in a heartbeat. Tim knew he was too important to Ra's to be executed, and the positive aspect in all this was that Ra's was one of two heads now. His position was relatively safe. Dick? Well, if Luthor and Ra's decided he was too much hassle, they could easily retrieve him from Slade and publicly execute him, hell they would be happy to. Tim wondered if his brother had any sense of how serious that threat was ... Though he also knew that Dick wasn't likely to care. The threat of death never scared Nightwing off from anything before.   
God he could only imagine, only _dread_ , when Damian lands in his lap. Dick’s going to pick himself apart for letting that boy get into such a bad condition.   


"My pet doesn't cause me any trouble." Ra's nearly gloated before his eyes turned to the stage.

 

Dick mumbledunder his breath before leaning into Slade’s leg fully. His body blocked the hand that moved around  the mercenaries free one, giving it a soft squeeze. He was grounding himself, using Slade’s promise to help him to keep him focused despite how hard his heart was pounding.

 

It didn't take long after that for the curtains to open, Luthor standing on a stage with Connor by his side and Damian behind him, Dick gasped at Damian's condition and couldn't help but to squeal his name, shit even Ra's let out a gasp but it didn't hold concern. Damian's eyes went wide when he saw Dick, like he didn't actually believe his brother was there in front of him. His eyes were locked like a hawk, but he bloomed a need to endure. Damian knew his brother, his father figure, was going to react _strongly_ to all this, he could make it worse by letting himself show that the pain and the implementation was getting to him. Damian wanted to do this, he wanted to be strong for Dick, just like Dick always was for him. It was the least he could do after abandoning Grayson ... Though he barely had a choice. Damian formed a thin sheet of sweat on his forehead, cheeks red from the exertion already and they hadn't even started. Luthor moved over to the Robin and removed what was left of his domino mask with a sickening ripping sound. His face was bruised, his cheek looked broken… His _whole_ body looked broken with how they had him chained up. Tim was in shock, Damian looked _terrible_ , worse than what he had even imagined when Connor told him. He visibly flinched when Luthor took off his mask. It was so symbolic, but also had to be painful on what looked like a broken cheekbone. Dick couldn't tell if the poor body was about to seize or have some kind of heart attack, he looked over loaded. He looked like he was _dying_.

  
"I'm sure some of you are now fully aware of why you are here tonight, and others ... Well, you'll soon to find out." Luthor announced walking back to his place behind the podium, looking at Richard Grayson almost purposefully, right now, his reaction was the only one he cared about.

  
Dick was about to run up to the stage, anger and pain on his face as Luthor spoke. He literally ground his teeth before speaking with pure venom in his voice, "All that power and glory and the High Court couldn't even get you a toupe, tsk, you really _can't_ fix ugly can you? You come in every shade."   
  
Dick was going to get himself killed, Connor had to intervene. "How dare you speak to him that way!?" He snapped, he had to get close. Find a way to shut Dick up but he only fueled the fire.

  
"You're standing up for him!? Are you fucking kidding me? What has he done for you, Connor? You're going to help him get himself off by hurting a child!" Dick stood, fists clenched. “Maybe I _was_ wrong about you, you’re nothing but a useless tool ready to do whatever deed is given to you.” By now Dick was standing.   
  
Kon stepped down, having to move through the authentic pain that Dick’s words caused him. He hoped  anger could excuse this… It was only seconds before he grabbed Dick by the neck and forced him into the seat by Slade, at least this way he could use his TK to control the collar... Constrict his breathing... Make him stop talking before things got worse.   
  
"Lex is showing me the meaning of the new world, so sit down and shut up!”

 

Dick glared, hand on Kon's wrist. He could see it.... Kon's anger wasn't real.. He was sad..Faking it… Kon was on their side… That only made this hurt more because whatever was going to happen next was going to happen because Connor had to play along, had to play this sick fucked up game… A game that was going to make Dick absolutely _hate_ him.   
  
Kons eyes flicked to Slade as he released Dick, "Control your pet."

 

Dick sat up some as Kon moved back to the stage, standing beside Lex. Even with all of Slade’s threats.... Dick couldn't just let this happen. Couldn’t just sit back and watch Damian get hurt, it would absolutely crush and destroy him.  


"What's your game here, Luthor? My grandson isn't _yours_ to punish." Ra’s spoke calmly.

  
"Lex whatever you're going to do-" Nightwing was quick to inturrupt.   
  
"This isn't your business, brat." Ra's growled, "Damian _should_ be punished for his treason. I just don't believe _Luthor_ has the rights."   
  
"I wasn't expecting such upheaval from you Ra's. You've disowned him at this point ... I don't see any reason why you'd be in charge of his punishment or captivity ... But ... This isn't about punishment. This is about rehabilitation." Luthor explained. "You see, Damian is going to be the first of a handful of human test subjects to use this biological feedback device. It's absolutely revolutionary. Self predicting and monitoring that needs little to no Master input."

 

Luthor spoke, looking at Tim who seemed to understand exactly what Luthor was talking about. Tim picked up some information about the feedback sensors being used at microscopic levels by the High Court. It could identify certain emotional responses to particular stimulus in the body. He had no idea they got to the point of having a _way_ to correct that behavior. He shivered, this was ... Fucked.   
  
"Maybe a demonstration?" Luthor suggested looking to Connor. "As would be expected many individuals react in a visceral, negative way to things they find unpleasant ... Pain for example evokes this type of reaction. When Connor causes Robin to experience pain, you'll see a natural reaction." Luthor stopped to nod to Connor, he could get creative. "Now, shock from pain can cause a pet or soldier to become ineffective. For Damian, we want the reactions to pain to be retrained to more appropriate responses. In his case we'll see if we can stop verbalization and the flinching and clenching of the muscles with painful, but pinpointed, microscopic, musculoskeletal shocks when he gives us a negative reaction. When we gain a positive one, a small dose of chemically derived endorphins will be released." What Luthor was explaining was long term torture that would result in mind control.

 

Dick’s fists clenched, his brows furrowing. He  had absolutely no idea what Lex was _really_ talking about, he understood the basics basically that Damian was injected with something that'd take away his free will. His choice to react. Dick felt himself straining not to go attack Lex and his master certainly noticed. Slade was shocked, it was evident on his own face and by the way he clearly failed to restrain Nightwing at first. He was having a hard enough time getting Dick to calm down, how could he expect him to stay even sane while they had his little brother up there? It went from a mess to cluster fuck when that curtain opened. Slade had silently stood and moved behind Dick seated in his chair, putting his hands down firm on Dick's shoulders. He leaned down to his ear again, speaking low in Romani, a unpopular language they both knew, playing off that he was telling Dick to behave himself.

 

<Luthor isn't going to kill Damian. Trust me. He's worth too much to Ra's. This isn't worth you dying for. The demon brat can't do this without you kid, don't make him watch you die here. Be strong for him. Pull it together.>

 

His thumbs lightly pressing and rubbing small circles into the joint between his shoulders and neck, Dick was still having a hard time listening to Slades reason, he honestly wanted to completely break down right now. His mind was overwhelmed, his heart pounding in his ears. Rage filled him as he stared Luthor down though that rage shifted to a gut wrenching sadness when his eyes fell to Damian.

 

<Slade I don't know if I can do this.>   


<You have to, we don't have any other choice.>

 

What Slade said was easier said than done. If it were his kids up there, Rose or Jericho? He already would have put a bullet through Luthor and found enough kryptonite to tear Superboy apart. Slade _knew_ he was asking too much of Dick. He kept his hands firm on Dick's shoulder's until the hits started to come to the already poor, abused Damian.   


Connor had crouched down beside Damian, eyes locked onto the child's as he seemed to whisper something before standing back up. All the chains suddenly tightened around Damian, pulling his arms further back before he punched Damian hard in the face. The blow was hard enough for a loud crack to sound through the room and the next hit only seemed that much louder. Dick let out a scream and instantly moved to jump to his feet,  a move Connor heard coming before his feet could touch the ground. Kon activated the collar electrocuting Dick making him jerk, choke and convulse in the chair.

 

"Shit..."

 

Slade breathed, moving back to the chair next to Dick.  The mercenary kept a supportive hand under Dick's head so he wouldn’t fall or hurt himself and prayed no one found the action too generous, then again he could always excuse it as him not wanting his toy to get killed.

 

Despite all his best efforts the pain was starting to overwhelm Damian completely, he was trying so damn hard to stay strong especially with the fact that Dick lost control and was now being punished for it. The boy couldn’t help but to feel guilty, he was causing Dick so much pain and yet at the same time all he could focus on was the burning sensation in his own body from every hit the Superboy landed. The tears started almost instantly, he wasn't sobbing, but crying because he was truly in that much pain.

 

The superboy stopped beating on Damian and grabbed his hair pulling him up to his feet.  "I'm sorry."

 

The sorry that hit his ears from Superboy was confusing, but it was soon followed by a hard bone breaking hit to the ribcage. It was all Damian needed to decide that the apology meant absolutely nothing.

Slade physically winced at the sheer sound of Damian’s ribs breaking and he almost went up there himself to tear Kon away from that poor child though fortunately for the super he had chosen to step back on his own accord, turning to face the group. His eyes briefly glanced over Tim before shifting back to Dick as he shut off the shock collar, poor Dick didn’t even have the energy to react. He completely slumped against his chair breathing hard short breaths, every time he inhaled made his throat feel as though it were on fire.

Tim was clenching his fists doing the best he could to keep himself calm but between the sound of Dick’s labored breaths and the sight of Damian looking like he’d rather die than spend another moment like this was making the teens anxiety boil over.

 

Ra's stood, a glare on his face, "What is the meaning of this, Luthor? Beating him isn't going to train him, it's only going to damage him and make him more useless than he already is. What use is an assassin that's broken?"  


Luthor activated something just as Connor pulled away, Damian's crying stopped almost instantaneously. The pain on his face melting away, though it was clear that he was still feeling it by the way his heart raced. Dick's breathing was hard as he gazed at Damian, watching how he reacted when Lex hit the switch.... Damn it..... That was so inhumane and cruel it just.... It wasn't long before Dick had tears streaming down his face, he wanted nothing more than to tear Luthor apart and cling onto Damian for dear life, to tell the boy that everything was going to be okay. Even Tim wanted nothing more than to console the poor beast, he couldn’t help but to wonder if there would even be any Damian left to give over to Slade at this point, things have definantly gone way too far.

 

"See, this device works on changing the bodies reactions to stimulus ... Robin is in a tremendous amount of pain at the moment, as I'm sure you all could guess. Yet, look at him, with the flick of a switch he's much more stable, focused, calm." Luthor adjusted the software from the tablet. "And it will only learn more about how to control him the longer it stays with him ... But even with minor adjustments and exposure, right now I could get him back up and fighting despite his condition, despite his better judgement. Imagine the applications of his technology, with the right fine tuning, metas and superheros won't need a well trained hand ... They'll just need a sterile injection." Luthor turned off the device and Damian slumped forward again, breathing hard and shaking terribly as his tears began rushing down his cheeks. "Here is the meaning of this though, for you, and everyone else here." Luthor smiled, retrieving a piece of hot iron from the bowl of fire on stage right. "The High Court has the ability to give you the power over others, remember your loyalties, and this-" He motioned to Damian. "-Won't be you." He pressed the iron into Damian's cheek which forced him to scream again, even though it was only a few seconds it caused the poor boy to pass out, arms hanging by the chains binding him.

 

Tim said nothing, reacted in no way other than with wide, focused eyes. He felt nauseous, sick, surrounded by tunnel vision that was so similar to when he hit his head too hard on the job. Tim wanted to die, he wanted to save Damian, he wanted this to end. His hands shook just a tad as they fisted his pants under him until his knuckles turned white.  
  
"Stop it..." Dick winced, "Just..... Stop it... He's a kid a-a child not a toy....... Please Lex just.... Just let him go."   
  
"Silence your pathetic little pet." Ra's snapped at Slade before straightening his stance and gazing at Luthor, "Your form of control is for the _weak_ ... It's pathetic and lazy. Power doesn't come from the push of a button and if you depend on such a form it'll ultimately be your downfall."   
  
"Sounds like you're jealous." Connor spoke, glaring at Ra's who approached the stage ignoring the clone.

 

"I'll take my grandson now and retrain him _properly_ ."   
  
Dick couldn't take anymore of this and despite his pain and exhaustion he instantly sprung up, he didn't get very far since he got lightheaded and hit the ground with a hard thud yet through his black fuzzy vision he managed to crawl to Lex, it was quite pathetic actually and Ra's couldn't help but to watch, amused.   
  
"Lex listen to me." Dick said before reaching and grabbing Luthor's hand, but instead of begging he glared and spoke with pure malice, "You let Ra's touch him and I'll kill you."   
  
"I'd pay to see that." Ra's mocked before he stepped back to get Damian himself.

 

Connor tightening the collar around Dick's neck to prevent him from chasing after Ra's, their eyes meeting a moment before Dick looked back up to Lex, tears running down his face.

 

"Please..... I'll trade..... Damian's freedom for my captivity... You can do whatever the fuck you want to me if you just let him go."

 

Luthor actually laughed at Dick a little and knelt down to get on his level. "What makes you think you're worth _anything_ to me? Also ..." Luthor smirked a bit. "If I want to do something to you nothing is standing in my way."

  
“Except for me." Slade said walking forward and pulling Nightwing away from the man and off  ground by the collar on his neck which only made the hero wince with pain. "He's _mine_ , Luthor. Keep your empty threats to yourself." Slade ground out. "I don't _share_ toys with others."   
  
"Clearly." Luthor stood up straight to turn his attention to Ra's once again, snapping his fingers. Mercy and two large guards swooped in to take Damian away. "Ah, ah, ah Ra's. I have plans for him that don't include your care. Surely you'll understand." Luthor's voice left no room for arguments, though Ra's was likely to do it anyway.   
  
It seemed like both Slade and Tim were taking advantage of the distraction Luthor was making. Slade knelt down briefly to look Dick in the eye and even brushed some of his hair back. "Come on kid we need to go." He said softly.   
  
"Go to the dark room. It's quiet there." Tim hushed, trying to pull it together but feeling like such a fucking mess. He wanted to hug Dick and tell him he fixed this, that Damian was going home with him now and as horrible as this all was things would be ... Better. Not okay ... But better.

 

Slade went to help Dick up off the floor as Tim moved to talk with Ra's, a firm hand at Dick’s back. "It's ten yards kid we can do this."

 

Slade encouraged despite his doubt that Dick could pull it together at this point. After what they'd just seen and experienced? He expected nothing other than a complete emotional breakdown. Slade couldn't do a damn thing about it until they were alone in a more private setting. Dick was hesitant when Slade pulled him, brows furrowing as his eyes shifted up to him. He didn't want to leave Damian he.... He couldn't.  
  
"But master." He winced, tugging away from Slade before looking back at Damian.

 

Dick’s shoulders slumped and he looked down, clenching his fist before finally nodding. His entire body read defeated. No doubt he was likely captivating the court with his strong display of emotions, still no one seemed to do anything about them. Dick knew Slade would but... He couldn't and so Dick just began walking heading somewhere they could talk.

 

Tim moved to stand behind Ra's, blocking the line of sight to Slade and Dick hoping the mercenary could get his brother out of there sooner rather than later.

 

"Master ..." Tim said to Ra’s back, using a calm tone. "We have company. Members of the High Court in the back ... Now isn't the time for this." He suggested blankly.  
  
It was actually a good point, or Tim thought so. If the High Court saw that Luthor and Ra's weren't getting along, they were likely to pick a side. Luthor was using their technology,  in multiple meetings with them frequently. Ra's was a powerful ally, especially in the large scale take over they'd done. However Tim knew, and Ra's probably too, that they'd side with Luthor if they had to. That would knock Ra's out of direct power and under Luthor's authority. Something Tim couldn't see him doing purposefully. Ra's knew they were being watched and he had already shown defiance, Tim pointing it out didn't help and the assassin gave a small nod to the boy before faking a grin.

 

"I hope you place Damian wisely, too many would waste him." He stated before turning and walking off, being sure to firmly grab Tim's shoulder and push him forward, speaking in a low tone.   
  
"I've taken consideration into training the super... Meet with him and explain the benefits of joining us in the mountains, meet me back in the jet in 30. Don't be late." Ra's ordered before he kept moving. Lex wanted to play this game? Fine... He'll see how the bald man likes having his son taken from him.

 

Tim felt a bit of hope spring up inside him when Ra's finally took the bait to bring Connor into the fold. Yes. If they could do that, not only would Connor be safe from Luthor, but it would also weaken Luthor's influence. This was the one silver lining in this shit show of an event.

 

"Of course, Master."

 

Thirty minutes? It didn't seem like enough time, though he doubted any amount would. Tim turned on his heel and went toward the small sitting room Connor and him met at the beginning of all this. Tim had no doubt his super would find him. God he hoped he found him. As Tim shut the door behind him in the empty room he choked out a sob, when did he start crying? Why? He needed to pull it together, especially for Connor. Tim attempted to take soothing breaths, slumping into the couch there and burying his face in his hands.

  


  
Connor was itching to get out of there, itching to find Tim, itching to talk to him and Dick but mostly Tim... He heard Tim mention the dark room, heard Ra's say something about taking him? Kon shook his head and approached Luthor.

 

"Am I needed here? I uh.... Wanna see how Ra's is taking this." He said making up a god awful excuse.

  


Luthor raised an eyebrow at Superboy when he asked to see how Ra's was doing after all this. "You can just ask for a break son, it's a party after all." Luthor replied, apparently in a great mood after a job well done. He walked to Connor, clasping him on the shoulder. "I have some business to attend to anyway. Good job Connor, you're finally meeting the expectations I set when I created you."

 

With that, Luthor walked off to do ... Whatever it was Luthor's did after torturing small children and their families. Connor seemed to ease up at Luthor's words, he was glad his awkwardness and flat out lie didn't upset the other. Lex didn't at all suspect he wanted to find Tim, no no no, he just assumed he wanted a Break. A chance to relax. It was... Relieving though the words that followed weren't. Ew... He met Luthor's expectations.... Lex was _proud_ of him and it made him feel absolutely sick.

  
The moment Luthor was out of sight Connor flew through the large building, it was a beautiful place with the exception of it's company. Kon soon landed and pressed his hands to the ground, focusing his energy on Tim. He could still hear his heart, feel his body through his TK and hear his....... His crying? Oh...  Kon never sped walked so fast,trying not to call attention to himself as he rushed into the room Tim was.

 

"Tim..." He spoke in a soft voice and before he knew it he had wrapped his arms around the teen, "It's okay." It didn't matter if Tim was crying right now because Connor heard it earlier and could only imagine how upset his friend was. "I'm so sorry you had to see that."  
  
"It's not okay ... None of this is okay." Tim whispered, hugging the super back with almost everything he had. "I shouldn't have pushed you to do that. The look on your face was ... Connor I'm so sorry."

 

Tim meant every word because Kon had looked absolutely destroyed. He forced Connor to do something, to be something he'd been fighting against since they found him. Tim forced Connor out of his naturally good heart and caring person, made him hurt a child. _His own fucking brother_ . Tim felt cruel, evil ... Like one of _them_ .   
  
"I love you and I never-" Tim heard his own words repeat in his ears and paused. No he shouldn't have ... But he meant it. He loved Connor for so many reasons, it wasn't just romantic. He was his best friend, his partner on the battlefield, his fucking sunshine packed country boy. He _loved_ him. "I never want to do that to you again. You aren't what Luthor used you for today ... You're _my_ Superboy, my hope. I'm sorry Kon ... I'm so sorry."

  
Connor grabbed Tim's face with both hands, "Tim..." He spoke softly, eyes softening, "None of us liked that....I........ I'm not going to forget who I am I......" Kon was lost for words, how could he even respond to Tim's words aside from pulling his head into his chest and holding him tight. "I love you too...... Right now you're all I have and I'm holding onto it..... I… I won't be stuck with Lex forever  we'll get out of this... I'll get you out of this even if I have to die trying." He spoke not realizing he had wrapped his arms around Tim's head and started gripping his hair crushingly tight.   
  
Tim had just let himself be pulled into the strong embrace his head against Connor's chest. The soothing words, even his warmth was like the shot of xanax he desperately needed. Tim was so comforted that even the painfully tight hand in his hair felt good, it was Connor letting go a little. Enough to express himself and Tim was more than okay with that. Tim would shoulder the whole damn world for Connor if he needed him to, his only request being he could come back to these arms to deal with the fall out. Finally Connor let go and pressed his forehead against Tim's closing his eyes.

 

"Don't blame yourself, Tim...... You're the brains... You reason out the best action to take... You make the hard choices because no one else can.... But you're a fucking wonderful amazing person that more people should be like."  
  
Tim realized in the moment that he never could have gone through this alone like he'd planned to. He would have broken down or gotten himself killed sooner rather than later. With Connor here though? He could do this. He could shoulder all this.   
  
"No one is dying."

 

Tim said finally while their foreheads were pressed together. He moved a hand up to smooth through Connor's hair, he felt so much more calm and stable it was almost unreal. "You and I are going to fix this, but we're going to make it through to the end." There were never any guarantees in their line of work, any day could be their last, but he was sure Connor would understand the sentiment of what he was saying. "It's not worth saving the world if your not going to be in it ... I wanted to believe I could do this for the right reasons ... Because we are heroes, for freedom, justice. The things Bruce would be doing this for." Tim let his hand slip to the back of Connor's neck, pulling his forehead from the super's. "But I'm selfish. I want to do this for Dick, Jason, the gremlin ... You. It's not worth having all the good in the world if I have to be without the people I care about." Tim gave Connor a small smile. "I realize I can't make those sacrifices anymore. I'm not that strong ... And that's okay."

  
"It's okay Tim.... I know what you mean.... Some of us just... Don't have it in us to fight without getting _something_ in return, we’re not all martyrs like Dick.... I mean come on, I turned to Luthor, of all people, the moment I thought I lost you so trust me... I get it... And I will _not_ let you do this alone.."

  
The Robin smiled softly and pulled away from the Superboy to move over to the nearby couch, softly tapping it "Sit with me. I've got twenty minutes left with you and I want to enjoy them."   
  
Connor sighed sitting on the couch beside Tim, his body turned and facing the other. Tim just leaned over and laid his shoulder against Kon's chest, head leaning onto the clones shoulder. It was intimate, Tim just didn't care, he had a limited amount of time and Connor usually let Tim drape his body all over him. Really, Tim couldn't think of another person in the world he did this with, or would want to do this with. He reached forward and took Connor's hand and forearm, running his own fingers over the super's skin like he saw drawing out a map. Nervous fiddling of sorts.   
  
"I.... Was totally not eavesdropping or anything but I overheard Ra's say something about me going with you.... What was that about?" The super asked, honestly excited about the idea though he had absolutely no clue how he'd get Lex to take the bait. "Do you think that's possible?"

  
"You should eaves drop as much as possible. In this case? I one hundred percent give you permission." Tim said, thinking about how to frame things. "I talked to Ra's about how it would be in our interests to get you over to our side of things. Luthor won't outright admit it, but he's investing a lot in you, he has a lot of interest in you. He's learning to trust you so quickly. Ra's didn't take to it at first, but after what happened to Damian he's rethought his stance ... In fact he let me go to come and talk to you. Try and plant the seeds to steal your loyalty away from Luthor." Tim began massaging Kon's palm. "I'm going to tell him that you're not happy about having to hurt Damian like you did because there was no point in it. It'll give me enough time to decide what we need to do." Tim didn't want to say this next part. "...If we take you from Luthor too quickly without learning more from him it could be detrimental. I don't doubt Luthor is in well enough with The High Court to crush Ra's outright. We need to focus on making a bridge between us rather than yanking you over to one side... Meaning ... I'm still working out the details." Tim admitted feeling extremely tired all the sudden. The fact he had to survive a jet ride back with Ra's wasn't appealing at all either

 

Connor used his TK to run waves of energy around Tim's body, it was his own way of comforting the teen, connecting them, expressing his... Emotions.... He knew Tim was anxious, sad, distressed, how couldn't he be after everything? Tim just about melted at the sensation of Connor's TK running over him. He was getting better at it, more focused and steady. It was actually incredible the detail the super could produce with his ability. Tim briefly wondered about what else the super could use his TK for ... Then flushed pink and shoved that train of thought right off the tracks. Not right now.   
  
"I'd pay you $100 to be wrong about one thing." Kon finally grumbled after thinking over Tim’s words.

He knew that switching sides so quickly wouldn't be good. It'd make it obvious he was faking it and lose out on the opportunity to learn more information, information that only Lex has. Despite the fact he desperately wanted to run away with Tim in the long run it would backfire horribly and out both of them which wasn’t an option. The clone sighed and closed his eyes, his palm opening more as Tim massaged it.

 

"Maybe.... I can bring the offer to Luthor's attention, make it sound like I'm offended Ra's asked.... It might make him trust me more.. Or at least believe I want to, I don't know, impress him? Or whatever the hell sons do."

 

That statement almost hurt. Kon never _really_ had a father. One was insane and the other didn't really want him. He didn't know how to son, how to family, he was made to kill... To hunt.  He could do that, that was easy... Tim made the compassion and love parts easier but he still didn't understand a lot of things when it came to any kind of relationship.

 

"Lex said he was proud of me..... Maybe I can use that... Make it seem like I'm excited about it. Tell him that Ra's is an idiot for thinking I'd walk away from this."

  
"If I was doing this for Ra's truthfully, I'd never tell you outright to leave Luthor. I'd try and win you over first, get you to trust me and provide you with something Luthor can't or won't." Tim was theorizing one hundred percent, but it still sounded creepy. "I'd drag you away from Luthor slowly, make you do more and more for me until finally I could snip your tether from Luthor without you even noticing or caring." Tim seemed draw out the actions on Connor's arm like a comic strip. "You aren't stupid though, you'd notice something is up, but not exactly what. _That's_ what you need to tell Luthor. Tell him I was being friendly with you, asking some questions. Tell him that you aren't sure what is going on, but that Ra's and I might be up to something fishy." Tim paused and just held Connor's hand. "Tell him you want to get closer to me and see if I'll divulge anything. With any decent luck our owners will set up a playdate or two for us so we can see each other." Tim squeezed Connor's hand. "... And ... Of course keep contact so we can take down the High Court too."

 

Kon listened to Tim break everything down and explain it, of course... It all made sense… Actually it flat out sounded like Tim had done this sort of thing before which was somewhat unsettling.

  
The super watched Tim's fingers, his TK almost squeezing around Tim's hands and ribs as he felt those fingers dancing on his skin. "I can manage that... Playing dumb is my specialty." Kon chuckled despite his resentment to not being as smart.

  
"You're ... Um ... Getting really good at that by the way." Tim complimented almost out of the blue. "Your TK abilities I mean. It um ... It's really comforting." Five minutes. He had five fucking minutes. "Connor ... I don't want to go."

 

  
Kon finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair, withdrawing some at the compliment before he looked away.   
  
"I know..." He muttered and sighed before his hand moved to Tim's cheek, "I won't mess this up.... Luthor will want me to pull information out of you and by God I will do everything I can to make him send me to you.... If not.... I'll sneak out and see you."

 

Kon smiled and leaned in to kiss Tim's forehead making the teen turn beet red.. Fuck. Why was so sweet and perfect? Why did Tim have to be so ridiculously gay and Connor so ... Straight? Right? The super had girlfriends that he appeared to be genuinely attracted to. They were these insanely strong, brilliant meta women with curves for days. That _definitely_ wasn't Tim. He was painfully normal as far as superheroes went, or so he thought. Tim was human, pale, and thin. He didn't have the 'boy next door' perfect looks and body like Dick did, he certainly wasn't roguishly handsome and built like a brick house like Jason was. The most important part though? Tim was male and had no desire to be anything else.Too much, he was putting himself too much into this. He wanted to be Connor's friend, needed it, if he insisted on pushing himself onto Connor it was going to cause nothing but heartbreak for him. Tim sat up on his own and put Connor's hand down in the process.

 

"I care about you too, and I'll be damned if Luthor gets to have you all to himself." Fuck its like he couldn't stop being a love sick idiot today. "I trust you Connor, with my life and everything else. You can do this, we can."   
  
Tim looked down at his lap. "...My time is ...." Tim let out a long sigh. "Connor I have to go." His hands clenched on his pants as his heart seized in his chest and fell down into the pit of his stomach. He was going to leave Connor here by himself with Luthor, and go back to being alone with Ra's. This felt like the end of a dream and the beginning of his usual nightmare again. "Promise me that if things get to be too much that you'll tell me. Don't try and be a tough guy, I don't need you to be the invincible Superboy for me. I need Connor Kent, Kon-El, be honest with me."

 

“I will… Listen, I don’t want you to worry about me, I may not be a bat but I _am_ related to the invincible Superman!”   
  
“That doesn’t have the same ring to it.” Tim chuckled.

 

There was a pause between the two, both boys staring down at the ground as they hesitated though Tim knew as much as he wanted to he couldn’t sit around and wait here… He’s already pushed a couple of limits with Ra’s tonight and the last thing he wanted was to be late and make his punishment worse.  
  
“Take care, Connor.”   
  
Red Robin finally spoke, defeat in his voice as he got up and walked out of the sitting room leaving the Superboy alone in the dark. Kon couldn’t help but to sink against the couch, a deep frown spreading across his lips as he listened to Tim’s heart until Tim was on Ra’s jet.   
  
“I love you Tim…..”


	5. The Unforgiven 2

The space was filled with silence as Slade lead Dick to the 'dark room'. He could only imagine how distraught the poor hero must've felt after watching his baby get beaten in front of him, knowing he couldn't do anything to stop it. Slade couldn’t even begin to imagine what that was like, he would’ve killed anyone who hurt his kids like that in a matter of seconds however, if it were rigged in a way that prevented him from taking said action? Well it would absolutely tear him apart. It didn’t take long for the duo to actually enter the room where Dick lifted his eyes off the ground. The room was an extremely dim room, littered with furniture and private areas surrounded by curtains. Slade almost wanted to puke. Was this some kind of joke? Had Luthor set up some kind of sexual fantasy corner? Was that what this gala was about? ... Regardless, it was disgusting. Slade breathed a sigh of relief when he saw an open day bed with a long curtain pulled back around it. He slipped over with Dick, shutting the fabric around them and continued their conversation in romani.

 

<Let's sit.>

 

He used a level voice, it didn't hold command, nor did it speak of pity. It was grounded and clear, he knew that's what Richard needed right now.

 

Slade placed his hands on the smaller's forearms. <Breathe. It's just us.>

  
"You sound like my dad." Dick couldn't help but to chuckle, shifting as his forehead pressed against Slades chest, <I can't believe they did that to him.....>

 

Dick started in Romani, moving away to get to the other side of Slade where the bed was. His hands moved to run down the taller males arms soon meeting his hands before he sat on the bed, pulling the other with him. Slade managed to adjust himself so that he were facing the young hero with one leg partially crossed on the bed and the other hanging off, Dick sat with his body close to Slades finding comfort in the physical contact, his nails softly running up and down Slades arm.

 

"I know......I'm going to hate myself for this later but....... We are going to do _whatever_ it takes to get Damian out of here... No matter who....Dies."   
  
Richard winced as the last word came out of his mouth soon plopping onto his back, letting go of Slade completely as his hands covered his face. He felt tears start streaming down more aggressively despite his best efforts to fight them back.

 

<I want to _hurt_ him.....>

 

Slade could almost feel the emotions coming off of Dick, he didn't have to tell Slade how he felt, the mercenary just knew by looking at him. Part of Slade screamed that this was getting too intimate, too close. Regardless of Nightwing's state, he was making a clear choice between ally and ... Something else.Sure a friend would console a hurting friend but a friend didn’t hold the same solicitousness that he was feeling for Dick.. There was a stronger part of him that saw Dick hurting and just ached for him. Slade experienced the same pain that Dick was experiencing vicariously, he watched the hero beg at Luthor's feet like a dog, saw how willing Dick was  to do anything to save his brother… He watched how Dick shattered the moment those efforts _failed._ . Regardless of what all _this_ meant, Dick was a person he _cared_ about and he was in need. That's all that mattered. Right now Slade just listened to the hero and his heart broke for him. Nightwing was giving up his own no killing rule, the foundation of his training and morality, because Damian meant _more_ than that… He meant more than the hatred Dick would feel towards himself for breaking his rule, for betraying his values. The mercenary didn't take it lightly.

 

"We are going to hurt him." The older male promised.

 

In further attempts to bring the young vigilante some comfort, Slade laid back with an elbow propped beside Dick's head and pushed a hand back through that dark hair. The pads of his fingertips massaged the scalp under them causing the young hero to close his eyes and relax in the comforting touch. Dick wanted more however, Slade currently didn't want to push too much contact, He didn’t want to break the trust that was given to him.

 

"We are going to bring this all to the ground...And I’ll make sure  it'll be the worst pain he's ever felt."

 

Hearing the words only seemed to soothe Dick more, for he let out a soft breath focusing on the sound of Slades voice, the sensation of Slade’s hand in his hair, the feeling of Slades weight sinking down in the bed beside him. He couldn't help but to lean into the touch and shift his body closer so that their bodies were touching. Slade took a calming breath, letting his hand fall from Dick’s hair and wrap around his body. Despite his anger, on Dick's behalf, he needed to continue to be soothing to him, not excitatory.

 

"I promise you that by the time we leave, I will have Damian for you. You have my word."

  
The young males hands finally moved off his face as he looked at Slade, a hand moving to rest against the mercenaries cheek. "I trust you Slade...I just hate that it's come to this... That people have to _die_ because..."   
  
An intense wave of harrowing emotions crashed against Dick’s heart as more tears began rushing down his face. Shifting he buried his face into Slade’s neck, wrapping his arms around him, anger and pain mixing inside of him like a storm. He was grateful they were alone right now because he couldn't keep holding it together, he couldn't stop himself from breaking down and just crying into Slade.

 

"...This is all my fault." He winced, finishing the sentence from before. "If I just stayed and kept looking they would've never found Damian.... Tim wouldn't be with Ra's a-and I'd know where Jason was..." He felt so lost. He clenched his teeth and tugged at his own hair some letting out a growl. He just wanted it all to stop. "They _don't_ deserve this... They've been through enough."

 

Right now Slade could feel the frustration, hurt, worry and failure rolling off of Dick in thick waves. Part of Slade wanted to tell Dick  that all of that was nonsense to comfort him, but that wasn't honest and Slade was not going to lie to him just to make him feel better. Neither Dick nor himself would find any true comfort in that.

 

"It's not all your fault." That part was true, one hundred percent. "We all make choices in the moment with limited information and time. There is always going to be a sense of 'what would have been', but holding onto that will drive you mad if you let it." Wouldn't he fucking know? He's made more mistakes than he could count. "The fact is this: we need to move forward. Your family is tough Dick, more than you give them credit for. Tim knows what he's doing , we will get Damian back, and Jason ..." Slade shrugged his shoulders a bit. "He's probably hidden himself away so well you won't find him until he wants you to." Jason was like a damn ghost gopher, disappearing and reappearing suddenly with a perfectly covered trail. It was damn impressive.

 

Despite everything Slade said, pointed out... The thing that got to Dick the most was 'we need to move forward'. He couldn't count on one hand how many times his loved ones told him that his biggest strength was being able to look ahead and keep moving, to seem like he could just brush it off. Hold onto the end goal. If he was going to get his family back then he needed to trust himself, trust his judgement, his decisions. Be open to failure.

 

Dick shifted to his back shaking his head, "It's a godsend that you're so calm."  
  
"Calm? You wouldn't have said that ten minutes ago."

 

Slade chuckled a little, missing the contact of their hug as soon as it ended. Having Dick closer to him made it easier to offer comfort, to touch him in a way that Slade knew Dick would relax into. Dick was a tactile person, Slade was aware of this before the High Court took over,  living with Dick over the last week or so only taught him how crucial touch was for the male. He used touch to communicate a lot of things, sometimes things he couldn't, or wouldn't, say. It was more than an action for Dick because it was, in everyway, his _expression_. It communicated feelings, words, thoughts, without it the hero would be absolutely nothing. Slade leaned over Dick and pressed their chests together, one arm lying over Dick's as his fingers ran along Dick's wrist and palm. The other arm had shifted above the heroes head more, preventing Slade from downright crushing him. Dick felt his heart starting to race, his breathing shifting some as Slade’s fingers ran along his wrist and palm. He didn't know if he was hearing his own heart beat or Slade’s at this point, his eyes fluttered as his free hand instinctively moved to rest in Slade's hair.

 

"None of you deserve this, yourself included. It isn't your fault ..."

 

Slade had said down by his ear, then sat up enough to bring his face close to Dick's, just a breath apart. His hand moved from Dick’s wrist running callused finger pads down the shape of his jaw as if he was trying to release tension there. Dick’s eyes slowly opened, his own hand moving to rest on Slade's. He wanted so badly to close that distance, to just relieve the built up romantic tension he had been feeling. After everything Slade had been saying it wasn’t so far out of the question and with the male so damn close Dick’s impulses could easily get the best of him.

 

"You have to trust that I will-"  
  
"Mr. Wilson?"   


Another voice breaching the space made Dick flinch slightly as though he were pulled from a dream back into reality. Slade audibly groaned as he shifted back, pulling his chest off of Dick’s as he looked back towards the curtain, Dick already missed having the other’s weight on him.

 

"What?"   
  
"Luthor would like to have a word with you."   
  
"Fine. We'll be out in fifteen minutes." He wanted to try and calm down Dick more before they went to confront Lex.   
  
"Oh, no sir ... Just you. Luthor asked that the pet stayed. Also ... He wanted to meet immediately."   
  
"Of course he does." Slade nearly growled out, pulling himself off of Dick completely,  rolling his shoulders. "Stay put, do anything stupid and you'll regret it. Got it?" Slade played up the intimidation, but it didn't reach his eyes until he turned to leave the sanctuary of their curtain closed room.   
  
"I'm sorry to have bothered you it's just-"

  
"Don't worry about it. Luthor is a selfish prick, certainly isn't your doing."

  
  
"I don't know about..." Their voices trailed off as they walked off, leaving the sound of beautiful orchestra music in the background an the light chatter from the ballroom.

  


Dick grunted and laid back down, eyes closing as he rubbed his temples. "Damn it.." He whispered to himself, "Pull yourself together, you can-"

 

He paused... He heard voices approaching... Figures, Lex wouldn't trust him alone, especially with how much trouble he's already caused. The male had fallen completely silent as he listened to the voices, heavy footsteps came next, and then a recongnizable tell tale gothamite accent.

 

"We's just got to watch him?"   
  
"Didn't I tell you to shut your mouth five minutes ago?" That voice was more familiar. A second later the curtain pulled back, revealing a man in an over the top mafia brand suit and unmistakable black features.   
  
"Well, well ... After seeing you run around in spandex for so long it’s nice to see you in a more domestic situation, Nightwing." Roman let slide with a smirk, slipping into the room with three other men at his back before the curtain was closed again. "Pretty face too ... Though I can't say I was expecting anything else."   


"Geewhiz! For a moment, I thought you were a ghoul, scared the crap out of me.. You know, you should consider taking that mask off.... Oh wait... That's right, you're just naturally disgusting." Maybe running his mouth wasn't the smartest thing he could do right now but.... Oh well.

 

Black mask was as patient as ever with the Bat family. He had hated Batman running around ruining his supply chains and rounding up his men. Then, when Redhood moved in to obliterate everything he had been fucked. His operations were never the same afterword. Needless to say, a bit of revenge sounded deliciously sweet.

 

"He's got a mouth on him... I wonder what else it can do." One of the guards spoke making

 

Dick roll his eyes, "You know, that'd be funny if you weren't like... The fifth person who's made a comment like that, it's okay not all of us can be original.... Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep before DeathBloke gets back here and tries to put on a show."

  
"Did Luthor say we couldn't hurt him?" One of the guards asked, looking to Roman only earning a glare from Dick.

 

"Luthor said _nothing_ about keeping him happy _or_ healthy." Black Mask ground out. "I've heard good things about his mouth from reputable sources." Black Mask smirked and snapped his finger, pointing to the guy next to him. "I've been waiting a long time to put you bats in your place. I thoroughly enjoyed watching that bratty Robin get what was coming to him."

 

As Roman spoke the first henchman rounded to one side of Nightwing bringing out restraints. The second eyeing the third, whom had made the comment about Nightwing’s mouth. Dick couldn't help but to glare, his eyes  following the men who moved on either side of him. He didn't like this, not. One. Bit. He was outnumbered, he could still fight back he just had to be smart about it.

 

"He kept lookin' at you to save him. Little did he know you were about as useless as a  chained dog."   
  
Unfortunately Roman completely distracted Dick, the moment he brought up robin the males attention snapped to Black Mask neglecting the henchmen completely. His own anger was getting the best of him as he sat up on his knees, still on the bed.

 

"You leave him out of this!” Dick snarled, he's had _enough_ , the emotional distress Nightwing was under had him completely blind and distracted, "You're nothing but a scared little boy. You couldn't get power on your own so the second a higher power offered you 'control' you took it. You're absolutely nothing but a failure." Dick's words held nothing but hatred, "You're just butthurt we always had the upper hand, we'll get it again and when we do you're going to _bleed_ ."   
  
The third man circled around, out of Dick's line of sight, he could tell Dick was ready for a fight. His jaw was tight, his fists clenched, he was waiting. The man went ahead and took the bait, swinging at Dick getting the reaction he anticipated which was Dick grabbing his arm and throwing him down at the foot of the bed, leaving himself open. The two other men were quick to action, moving in on Nightwing with a coordinated effort. These two stooges obviously had tangled with BatBrats before, they knew better than to leave an opening, and specifically, to make _sure_ to strap Nightwing down _tight_ .   


The man at the head of the bed quickly clipped braces around each one of Dick's wrists, starting with the wrist nearest to him. Dick had quickly turned his attention to the man and swung at him with his free hand which was caught by the second goon who then pulled the hero hard enough to throw his back down against the mattress. The first goon swiftly handed the second the restraints so he could fasten Dick's wrist tightly against the bed frame. The man at the foot of the bed took advantage of the fact Nightwing was focused on getting his wrists free and got to work fastening straps around strong ankles.  Dick managed to kick the man back, his foot coming up to hit one of the goons by his head however the second man had caught the heroes ankle with surprising strength.

 

“Nuh uh uh, Pretty Bird.” He taunted as he pulled Dick's ankle down to fasten the restraints on it.

 

Both men pulled the restraints taught  at the same time, effectively putting the hero into an upward facing starfish position stretched over the length of the bed, then secured to anchors either on the bed or the nearby wall. Dick's neck rested on the edge of the bed, head hanging over slightly in what was probably an uncomfortable position.  
  
"Anger doesn't seem to suit you like it does Hood. He works with it ... You seem to flounder under it." Mask taunted rounding in front of Dick's face, squatting down so he could make eye contact better. "What's funny though is right now I'm in control. Tomorrow? Who cares. Right now? I've got you laid out like the proper whore you are." His smile seemed to twist even more. "If you want to run your mouth I don't see why we can't put it to work." Black mask snapped his fingers, the man who had been handling Dick's ankles giving the first a Jennings gag. "Now be a good bat and open your mouth or we're gladly going to get rough."   
  
Dick's stomach twisted and his throat grew tight, eyes glaring as a mix of fear and anger filled his expression. The worst part was that this seemed like it was _planned_ , like they anticipated getting to put their hands on him and using him like some kind of blow up doll. Dick didn't plan on making that easy.   
  
Dick spit in Black Masks face when he was told to open his mouth, the only thing filling the air was Dick's voice, "Burn in hell." He growled.

 

The man with the gag quickly grabbed Dick's jaw and began forcing it open making good on Roman’s promise. The hero shook his head, tightened his jaw and pulled at the restraints trying to stop him, he didn't plan on allowing them to touch him. He wasn't going to bite and spit and just do whatever it would take to keep the sanctity of his body from being polluted by some of Gotham's worst residents. Still, Dick knew he couldn't fight forever, knew at some point they'd get at him. He felt like he was going to vomit.

  
"Quit being so difficult!"

 

The man ground out, finally punching Dick in the stomach making him gasp and wheeze for air. The man then forced the gag into Dick's open mouth despite the tongue that kept trying to push it out.  Dick shook his head more actually letting out somewhat of a scream that sounded like 'stop.' He didn't want this to happen, not again. The crook grinned and secured the gag before his hand ran down Dick's chest and over his crotch making the hero shutter.

 

"Do you plan on sharin' Mask?" The man asked as his gaze flicked to Roman.

 

Mask caught his henchman's eye and shrugged his shoulders. "It would be a shame if I was the only one who got to enjoy him." Roman was stood up now, admiring the implement in Dick's mouth. "This right here though-" Roman pressed an open palm down on the hero's throat. "-this is mine."   
  
The man down at Dick's ankles flicked out a pocket knife and started to cut Dick's pants off like it was just another day in the office. Dick only squirmed harder in attempts to prevent the other from declothing him, his legs desperately trying to close together so the man couldn't get between them. The hand on his crotch tightened in warning to make the hero stop struggling and that grip only grew to be painfully tight. Dick whined and closed his eyes, biting down on the gag as he attempted to hold back his pained yelps. Black Mask watched with some interest before releasing the other's throat, Dick's legs now being fully exposed.

 

"How does it feel?" Mask lead on, unzipping his pants. "To be so truly helpless? Batman isn't coming for you, your brothers are trapped or _dead_ ... Must be lonely being Nightwing right now." Roman finally pulled his member out of his pants ... He obviously had enjoyed the display Dick put on. "I'm going to fuck your pretty throat, then, when I'm done? I'm going to let these three load into you until they've had their fill. After that? Even Deathstroke won't want to touch you."

 

"I can't wait to have a taste." The man purred making Dick shutter again.

 

Black Mask gripped the side of Dick's hair and held his head still, taking absolutely no time before pushing himself deep into Dick's mouth and holding himself there for long seconds. A groan escaped his lips as the grip tightened in the heroes hair, the heat of Dick's mouth feeling absolutely amazing to the sociopath. The sensation of Dick's tongue trying to force him out and the pressure of the gag tightening from the other biting down only helped that sensual lust fueling Romans desire to take the hero for everything he had. All  Dick could hear was his racing heart and the echo of Roman's words. Words that _crushed_ him. He walked away from his safety net, dived into the dark blindfolded and look where it got him.  Alone. No friends. No family. Dick closed his eyes as tight as he could he long since had given up on pushing Roman out with his tongue since it filled his mouth with a disgusting bitter taste and only seemed to influence the other to push his way in deep.  He couldn't help but to gag and shiver feeling the other man starting to rub him before sliding his hand into the hero's boxers slowly stroking him while the second ran his tongue up Dick's inner thigh. Tears began to stream down Dick's face as he choked and tried to pull away, moving his head to the side but the damn goon grabbed his hair with his free hand and held him in place, even moving Dick's head so that it bobbed around Roman. It was then that the hero began sobbing.

 

"Not a fighter... I heard that about you." Black Mask said with nearly too much satisfaction before he took over the movement on his cock with the thrusting of his own hips, going deep, hard, and fast into Dick's mouth like he was an object to use, not a person.  "Crying already too? Fucking pathetic. What would Batman say? He probably used you like this too ... Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets copies of the photos if he's still alive." There was a snap of a camera next to them, the second man doing just as Mask had said. Documenting it. "Something to remember you by after Deathstroke and my men get done with you." Black Mask gave the man by Dick's legs a nod. "You'll have to tell me how much Slade has loosened him up ... Looks like this end needs some more work. Gagging too much."  
  
Bruce would _never_ touch him this way, _ever_. The very thought disgusted Dick to the very core of his being, in fact the young hero swore he threw up in his mouth at the mere mention of it, but it didn't seem to hender Roman’s movements in the slightest. The sound of the camera made his head spin as more photo's were taken, not due to the sheer humiliation they caused but due to the PTSD induced memories that accompanied them. The heroes mind grew fuzzy, cackling filling the background noise of Romans thrusting. He swore he felt twice the amount of hands on his body, felt cold steel against his back. Tears were soaking his face and hair, blue eyes red as he opened them to get a check on his surroundings. He wasn't in that God awful place the clicking of the cameras brought him to, though the place he was now was not much better. He had Roman's disgusting cock in his mouth, one man's hands on his own member and another man's fingers inside of him, this hell was almost as bad as the other one. Dick looked up at Roman, studying his pleasure filled face. The hero didn't even have hatred in his eyes, he had pure pain and disgust.

 

"Look at him... He's almost disgusting.... I bet he likes it." The crook chuckled and stroked Dick faster.

 

"Of course he does." Roman nearly moaned out getting into a good rhythm of things. "He was bred for this, _look at him_." Mask smirked, pressing his hand down on Nightwing's throat again. "Feels good doesn't it? Just wait until my men get done with you ..." He pressed down even harder on Dick's throat as the switchblade was handed to him. "Let's have some fun."

  
  
  
  


    "So you'll be giving him to me tomorrow." Slade was standing from the conference table, still trying to wrap his head around the conversation he just had with Luthor.  
  
"Well unless you want to be delivered a broken product. He'll be having complex surgery done to repair damage to ... Several areas. Once that's over you can take him with you." Luthor explained, still sitting comfortably.   
  
"Sounds like you want me to take care of that ornery brat so you don't have to." Slade was playing up his annoyance, but silently he was taking a giant sigh of relief. Dick would be ecstatic about this ... Damian was coming home with them.   
  
"It's no secret you've been struggling to control Richard." Fuck, that wasn't a great at all. "However, I think your techniques will work well with Damian, plus, while he's in testing I may need you to run some experiments. Details for later. Until then ... Maybe use this opportunity to get Dick to become more ... _Obedient_ ."   


“Right…”

 

“I'll have him delivered to your jet tomorrow morning, now you must excuse me I have some things I need to catch up on.” Luthor said waving Slade off.

  
Slade walked away from the meeting feeling like a slime ball, but with the best news he could have hoped for. It was a strange mix of emotions ... Right now though? He just needed to get back to Dick and tell him the good news.   


The mercenary was only half way down the hall from the room he left Dick in when he heard it… The sound of groaning and sobs. Slade’s hair stood up as his stomach turned, steps quickening as he rounded the corner stepping into the Dark Room. He had a feeling of what was happening before he had even approached the curtain, and if that wasn't evidence enough some stupid Black Mask henchmen was outside the curtains, peeking in with an obvious tent in his pants. Slade moved with purpose, taking the guard completely by surprise. He heard the moaning, the choked sobbing, Roman's voice. The first man hit the ground like a sack of shit before he even knew what hit him.  
  
"What was that?" The man asked from between Dick's legs before the curtain was pulled open, he barely caught a glimpse of a demonic level fury, what followed happened so fast.   
  
Slade was on them like a force of nature. He saw red, deep crimson, and he wasn't holding back. He couldn't burn the image out of his mind, couldn't stop seeing Dick laid out, forced down, and being brutalized. Deathstroke was a killer for pay ... Slade was a killer for an entirely different set of reasons, as these men were to find out. The next crook was taken out simply with a sweeping kick and undercut blow made a horrible cracking sound, making the third flinch and release Dick's member before the camera hit the ground. Slade simply slammed this man's head against the backboard of the bed and tossed his body to the side. The last henchman decided he wanted to live and ran for it, Smart. That left Slade staring down Black Mask who had pulled out of Dick at this point but was still holding his knife like it was some threat to Slade.

 

"Deathstroke ... It's been a while." The small talk was answered with silence. "Let's make a deal. You're a man of money ... I can pay you for using your pet. Certainly that's something someone like yourself would agree to."  
  
That statement almost made Slade growl. His hand was around Roman's throat a second later, the knife dropped onto the floor as Slade's impressive stature literally lifted Black Mask off the ground.

 

"He isn't for sale."

 

Everything was so fuzzy, Dick couldn't make out what was happening. He could hear the sound of fists pounding against flesh, the sound of bones and cartilage snapping as Slade beat Roman in the most gruesome way imaginable. The hero wanted it to stop, he didn't want Slade to kill the man though… There was a darker part of the hero that _wanted_ Roman to die. Perhaps that's why he didn't speak up, why he just closed his eyes tighter and tried to block out the noise.

Slade beat Black Mask for what seemed like eternity but was only a moment, leaving the mob boss nearly unconscious on the floor.

 

"You've done this for the last time Roman."

 

Screaming came next, then silence. Slade wiped his bloody hands off on Roman's white suit jacket, the crotch of it completely soaked in the crimson fluid. The mercenary stood from the ground, his attention completely shifting to the young hero.  
  
"Dick ..."

 

Slade's voice sounded different, almost nervous. He leaned over the hero and unclipped his wrist restraints, his hands sticky from the blood despite having wiped most of it off. He quickly took the gag out of Dick's mouth before sitting him up some with a strong arm slung behind his neck and upper shoulder. Shit this was bad, how did he even handle this? He left and Dick was _raped_. Slade never thought his hero was in that kind of trouble.

 

"You're safe."  
  
Dick was trembling almost violently against the mercenary which only filled him with more concern. He didn't know how he was supposed to comfort the hero after the way he was just violated, this wasn't supposed to happen, Dick was supposed to be _safe_ . Reasonably, Dick gagged some like he was going to throw up though nothing came out and within seconds he had wrapped his arms around Slade, the restraints on his ankles rattling as he pulled at them.   
  
"Slade!"

 

Dick choked out, a mix of shame, relief and embarrassment filling him as his trembling fingers clung onto the mercenary, he had no interest in even looking at Roman, he couldn't handle it right now. Nightwing stayed still, just crying into Slade's shoulder, crying so hard he was nearly choking. He couldn't help it, after how the night already went and now... This? He wasn't interested in holding it in or pretending everything was okay because it _wasn't._ He felt like he was drowning, like he couldn't breathe.

 

"You're alright."   
  
Slade shifted so he could sit on the bed, keeping Dick close to his chest as he freed a hand to quickly unclip Dick's ankle restraints. As soon as his ankles were free Dick curled up around Slade, who sat indian style with the hero in his lap. Slade was completely focused on Dick, giving him the freedom to completely break down and cry into him.

 

"Are you hurt?" Of course he was, but Slade ment physical injuries, though those probably didn't matter as much right now.

 

Dick couldn't bring himself to even respond. He just kept crying and sobbing sounding heartbreakingly broken, he couldn't answer the questions, he couldn't stop crying long enough to even try. Still, Slade stayed there with Dick and didn't dare budge, even when his legs fell asleep under him, or when his shirt became soaked again. None of it mattered as long as he could keep Dick close and feeling comfortable, safe. He switched between rubbing large strokes on Dick's back to combing his hands through the man's hair. Staying mostly quiet except for a few hushed, 'I'm here's and 'you're safe'. After about 20 minutes Dick finally calmed down, finally stopped crying and was just slumped against Slades chest with his shirt balled in his hands like a child.

 

"I'm sorry." He mumbled before wiping his face with his hand, shaking his head. He wasn't apologizing for what happened, he wasn't taking blame.... "I'm sorry that... Things went so wrong." His voice cracked some, "That we didn't get what we came here for.... That everything just..." He shook his head and let his cheek rest against the others chest, focusing on Slade's strong heartbeat.  


"Don't apologize. We had no idea what we were walking into. No one can perform under these conditions ... You wouldn't expect anyone else to, and neither would I ... Don't hold yourself to a higher standard. You did the best you could." Slade explained, massaging a hand down Dick's spine.

  
Dick kept silent for a few minutes as Slade's words sunk in,"They didn't..... Hurt me.... I'm okay..." He finally answered the question from earlier. The words were hard to speak, he _wasn't_ okay... His jaw and throat were aching, "We need to find Damian so we can leave... I can’t stay here." He whispered.   
  
"I have it handled." At least he had some good news for Dick at the end of this hellscape of a night. "Turns out Luthor wanted to ask me if I'd take Damian to train him. He thinks Ra's isn't the right fit for what they have planned, said I would be better suited. I didn't get much more detail than that, but I agreed to it in exchange for some High Court tech ... And money of course." If Slade hadn't asked for compensation it would've been suspicious, he actually saw Luthor's concern leave as soon as he said it. "Luthor says he's in surgery until morning, we can take him home after. I have enough supplies to set up triage when we get there. Tonight we'll just sleep in the jet ... I don't want to leave and let Luthor back out on our deal."   
  
Hopefully some shop talk and the news about Damian could pull Dick enough together to get them back to the plane. If not? Slade had no problem carrying him there. Fortunately, Dick had eased and relaxed in Slade’s arms when he said Damian was coming home with them, that was at least something good for him to look forward to, though even with the shift in topic, Dick was clearly still upset and exhaustion was quickly crawling over him. Between having hardly eaten and crying for what felt like hours Dick honestly  felt as though he could go to sleep. This showed in the way that the young hero sighed and closed his eyes.

 

"I didn't see that coming. I'm gonna need new pants..... And a drink." He wasn't much of a drinker but how else was he going to clean his mouth out? Bleach? The young hero then sat up, knee’s against his chest as he just hugged them and finally let the subject change completely. "I have arrangements for Damian after we get him... I mean.... I want to spend some time with him but with what we're doing I don't think staying with us will be entirely safe... And then.... I..... I need to talk to you about something." He grumbled, he almost wished he could joke and forget about this but he wasn't there yet... It was still fresh after all twenty minutes really isn't that long.

 

Slade had a lot of questions about the mess of vague information Dick just gave him, but decided now was not the time or place for such conversations. The young hero needed the freedom to have his space and so the mercenary worked on filling the requests Dick made instead. He was lucky to find a lone waitress running around the dark room. She spoke broken English, but they could communicate effectively, though she seemed confused when Slade asked for pants. Nevertheless she had gone to fulfill the request and while she worked on fetching trousers Slade had moved back into the room, dragging the bad guys into one solid pile making sure Black Mask was at the very bottom of it all. He wondered if Luthor would be upset? To be honest, he didn't even care. The poor waitress about dropped everything on her tray when she opened the curtain. Slade hushed her and took the items before sending her on her way, poor thing was probably going to have nightmares not that it was Slade’s problem.  
  
Twenty quiet minutes later Slade and Dick were inside the jet, as soon as the port door shut behind them Slade let out a heavy sigh. Richard’s head was swimming with thoughts and while Slade had begun stripping off his formal attire, Dick snatched a bottle of whiskey and drank directly from it swishing the liquid around his mouth despite the gentle burn. He swallowed the liquid before taking another large gulp, setting the bottle down shortly after, he was never much of a drinker so that got him a bit tipsy.  He followed Slade through the jet and into the main room which contained a queen sized bed, made up neatly with dark blue and grey linens, a door to the left and a wall closet to the right. Off to the other side was a small medical suite with a aseptic set up, fold down gurney, and anything he would need to save a life within reason. Slade walked into the bedroom, toeing off his shoes and putting things away behind the closet doors.

 

"I have a shower through that door ... If you want it. They'll be big, but you can borrow a change of clothes."

 

The older male had finished pulling off his button up shirt and slacks leaving him in his briefs, his usually steel cold eye held a bit of warmth as it scanned down the solemn expression on Richard’s features. He almost wished he could remedy the pain of what happened however the mercenary knew there were no words or actions that can undo that kind of trauma, all he could do was give Dick the space and freedom to express his emotions. Dick had begun shedding off the shirt long before Slade offered his bathroom, his eyes on the ground as he made his way to the shower room stopping in the doorway to look at Slade.

 

"I....Appreciate all this.... Really..... I don't mind your clothes, they're more comfortable than this." He said gesturing to the pants he now dawned, "If you want you can come in after  a few minutes.... We can talk."

 

The vigilante peaked in the bathroom to confirm that there was in fact a curtain to keep the privacy. With that, the hero disappeared behind the door, closing it and starting the water before stripping down. He hesitantly looked in the mirror and inspected some of the bruising the gag left behind before he sighed and stepped into the shower letting the hot steamy water run over him. He scrubbed himself with soap covering every square inch of his body in suds as he worked to scrape off the feeling of Roman and his men's hands off him. His mind drifted and his eyes closed as he finally just let go, the water running over his body as his hands stilled.

There were so many things to discuss outside of what had happened to him... Where to put Damian, his feelings... He didn't even know where to start.

 

"Why can't things just be easy?"

 

Slade finished changing in the bedroom, something simple and comfortable, a white shirt and black cotton pants. He brought in a similar t-shirt for Dick and ridiculous pair of pants that Alex Peabody gave him for Christmas last year. They were too small for him anyway. He set the items on the back of the toilet after he opened the door.

 

"I'm here, I brought you a change of clothes and a towel."

 

Slade could already smell his body wash perfuming the air, it smelled like oak and blue cypress. He didn't mess with underperforming soaps at this point, in his line of work? If it didn't cut through grime it just wasn't worth his time. Working on his own nightly routine, Slade began brushing his teeth, and washing his face, particularly under his eye patch, which he wasn't exactly looking forward to wearing in bed. He  passed a new toothbrush and toothpaste to Dick through the shower curtain.

 

"Here you probably want this." Slade could only imagine.

 

Doing activities like that willingly could sometimes leave the throat and mouth feeling ... Unclean. In this particular situation, he imagined it was that much worse. Dick didn't at all hesitate to grab the toothbrush the moment it peaked through the shower, thank God. He probably put more toothpaste on that thing than he ever would any other time of his life but he needed to get this feeling out of his face. Slade could hear Dick brushing vigorously as he sat down on the toilet lid, leaned back and stretched out his legs as much as he could in the tiny bathroom.

 

"So ... What's on your mind?"

  
"There's a lot on my mind." Dick said around the toothbrush, silence filling the space as Dick finished up and began rinsing out his mouth. He was sure the bathroom smelt like a combination of soap and mint... "I shouldn't tell you this... I know where Bruce is." God he felt like just a traitor for saying it. He ran his hands through his hair, working on washing the soap out, "He doesn't want anyone to know... I'm the only one who does but I think that Damian will be safest there.... If someone finds out we're working against the court they could hurt Damian, especially with whatever the hell they put in him."   
  
God the thought of them getting Damian hurt or killed made Dick's stomach turn. He let out a sigh and shut the water off, passing the toothbrush and toothpaste through the curtain in trade for the towel.

 

"I know where we can land and a path we can take so we won't be seen... Bruce won't be happy so you need to let me do the talking... Okay?"

 

Slade was so surprised by Dick saying he knew where Bruce was that he completely missed the toothbrush being handed back to him. He shook his head quickly and took it and handed back the towel in response.

 

"I honestly thought he was dead this time." Slade admitted truthfully, no one had seen any Bat activity in months.

 

What was Bruce even doing in hiding? Maybe he was hurt or planning something. He really hoped it was the latter. Even though they had plenty of bad blood between them, Slade knew if anyone could come up with and orchestrate a plan to take down the High Court it was Batman.   
  
"While I agree that taking Damian to Bruce is the best option, I don't think it's something we can do immediately. Hear me out." Slade suspected he would get some backlash for this, so he wanted to explain it first. "Luthor made a pretty risky decision entrusting Damian to me, I think he's aware of that. I'm still not entirely sure _why_ he did. I suspect something else is at play here. I wouldn't put it past him to monitor us for a period of time, two weeks or so. My home is a safe zone. I have signal disruptors set in place and the best surveillance money can buy or... Steal." Really, he was under the radar from the Justice League before all this went down. He didn't have any concerns. "We also need to make sure Damian hadn't been fitted with an internal trackers or an extermination device."

 

He'd seen Luthor do something similar before, he'd done it with his last version of Superboy. It was a fail-safe, that if Luthor lost control over the experiment he could set off a device inside the body that would effectively kill the subject. They didn't need to bring Damian to Bruce, then end up with a dead child and captured Batman.   
  
"Once we weed out those factors we can take Damian to Bruce, before then ... It's too risky. Bruce is too much of an asset to risk for Damian's protection." That was the part he was sure Dick wouldn't agree with, but from a completely unbiased perspective, it was true. "Damian will be safe with us until then. We'll lay low and I'll claim I'm working on training the both of you. He'll need to heal too. To be honest? I think that's better done with your touch than Bruces." Slade was sure that Bruce attempted to be a good father to Damian, but it was clear who his favorite was.

 

Dick was quiet when Slade began explaining, he wasn't wrong and even if he was Dick didn't have the capacity to argue. In fact he was grateful Slade’s head was clear enough to think of all those little details he would've otherwise missed. Not that he'd think of them anyways. He worked on drying himself and stayed quiet a couple minutes after Slade was done speaking before he wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out.   
  
"That's a good point..... Honestly I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to have Damian with us for a while... I was really worried about him." He said with a sigh before running a hand through his hair, "I'll work on getting him to trust you after we take him in... Then we'll make sure it's safe to bring him to Bruce." He half repeated before sighing and looking down at Slade.

 

The other looked exhausted, tired... Dick grabbed the clothes that Slade had brought in for him, holding up the small pair of pants, "Did you put these in the dryer?" He asked about the pants noticing they were definitely too small for Slade’s ginormous ass. This was Dick’s way of avoiding the more important and uncomfortable conversations he had lined up in his brain.

 

While Slade was usually much sharper and observant he didn't notice right away that Dick was trying to distract away from real issues. Now, generally that kind of behavior set alarms off on his bullshit meter. Sure one would have to be reading someone’s body language and tone of voice to pick up on that kind of deceit and avoidance however, Slade’s attention wasn’t on the hero’s microexpressions, No, he was checking Dick out. He watched the warm shower steam dissipate slowly like something out of a porno around Dick, slowly revealing more of him to Slade, really it was just because the room was so small and Slade forgot to turn on the vent. His eye followed the steam down, beads of water dripping down from Dick's hair, his poor bruised neck, perfectly shaped collarbone, strong scarred chest, flexible stomach, then it went for the kill, traveling along his Adonis belt in an easy sloping trail to his ... Towel. Towel. Slade couldn’t help but to blink as the hero began sliding the pants on under the towel soon dropping it and hanging it up. Dick’s gaze shifted from the hook the towel now sat on to the assassin’s greyish blue eye, making eye contact as he watched Slade’s gaze shift back onto his body. The hero just stayed silent, letting the other study him in silence. Perhaps it was just because he liked having the other’s attention though he had failed to notice how the assassin fawned over him merely seconds earlier.  
  
“I’d have thought that Bruce trained you well enough not to get hurt so much.” Slade pointed out, using Dick’s scars as a reasonable explanation for his staring. The last thing the old man wanted was for Dick to think he was getting wrapped up in his body like a horny teenager.   
  
“Well… You can’t beat them all…” The hero shrugged and ran his finger tips along some of the scars on his torso, “Some of these are from you…”   
  
“I don’t doubt that..”  

 

“Not all of us have that fancy healing factor. For all we know you’d have more scars than I do.”

 

“Ha, I’d be surprised if I didn’t, kid.”

 

Dick couldn’t help but to softly smile, he wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed of his scars, even if he was the slight dilation of Slade’s pupil told the male that the merc didn’t dislike what he was seeing. Before too long the raven haired male moved out of the bathroom, pulling on the shirt Slade brought him as he stepped into the bedroom. Slade followed Dick out, starting the bathroom fan just as Dick plopped onto the bed, laying on his back.

 

Dick stared at the ceiling as the light pitter patter of rain started drumming a soft rhythm above him, "...The... Damian situation wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about I just... Haven't figured out how to say it yet." He sighed and slid up the bed, leaning back on the pillows as he waited for Slade, leaving enough room for the other to come lay by him.  


"You at a loss for words? That's a first." Slade replied sarcastically as he pulled a tablet on his lap from the nightstand, but didn't turn it on.   
  
Now that Slade was listening, he could hear the exhaustion in his voice, the way his face laid. Dick was experiencing, what they called in military, fallout. That even when a person didn't do anything physically tasking, the emotions of the mission just drained every inch of you into numb, sleepy helplessness. Slade knew that wasn't the time to have tough conversations like Dick was obviously trying to have with him. No one said 'I haven't figured out how to say it' and not have it be something easy. He didn't know exactly what it was, but give him a couple guesses and he'd get there quickly.   
  
"You know it doesn't have to be tonight right?" Slade offered him, then put an arm around him and pulled him up close to his side. "I'm checking for resistance groups near our Batcave channel where we are having Tim sent the messages. See if I can get you to convince them to give us a heads up if the High Court starts sniffing around their area." Slade mentioned, leaning his head toward the map he'd pulled up. "Which of these cities is close enough to work? Know anything about the populations? You've been there before I assume." Slade was giving Dick something to distract himself with, a task that wasn't taxing to do, but interactive enough that Dick couldn't slip back into his own thoughts while working with Slade on it. Dick would bring it up when he was ready, Slade knew that he wasn't manipulating Dick in that sense, he just needed to rest.   
  
Dick was silent, his mind hardly paying any mind to the older male as it focused solely on the intense wave of butterflies that was fluttering around his stomach. He couldn’t help but to shift into Slade’s grasp and even softly smell him letting himself get completely lost and caught up in the other. Slade didn’t seem to notice, his eye was fixed on the screen and he was patiently waiting for an answer, one that Dick had to do some serious searching for since he nearly missed what the merc had just said.

 

"None of the cities are overly populated but this one’s the smallest." Dick said pointed to the city positioned furthest to the left, "There's also secret underground tunnels B built, the purpose of the cave was to be one of five secret locations we'd go to in case of emergencies. Of the five he showed me four, Jason three, and Tim all of them...." His tone was soft as he felt the pressure lift off his mind from all the over thinking.  
  
The younger male shifted and reached up and run a hand through Slades hair before it shifted down, fingers running over his beard. "He didn't tell Damian about any of them because Damian wasn't ready... He trusted me with his location because he wanted the others to focus... He knew I'd _lose_ focus if he was dead."

 

How Dick was able to talk about Damian and Bruce with such a straight face while touching him like that was something Slade just couldn't understand. He knew it was a coping mechanism to keep away from whatever was going on inside his head, nevertheless the young heroes actions were nothing short of what Slade would expect of a lover talking about a hard day. They weren’t lovers though, in fact they were always enemies, it was interesting how easily Dick slipped into the comfort of physical touch.

 

Dick soon dropped the subject completely. "I like you, you know?" Knots built in his stomach as his brows furrowed, "I know that I shouldn't.... That you're supposed to be a ‘bad’ person.... A heartless killer.." Those sounded more like Bruce's words, almost as though this wasn't the first time this has been an issue for the hero, "Morally it just doesn't work... It’s like a vegan dating a butcher.. I can't say I'm against killing if I'm with you." The heroes eyes closed as his hand moved away from Slade’s face, a deep sigh escaping the other. "It doesn't matter how much you smell like home, or how melodic your voice is, or the feelings I get because it just can't work but.... I don't necessarily want things to stop." Once he started he just couldn't stop, it's as though the flood gates had opened and every single thought the young man had to offer was going to pour out of him involuntarily. Dick's hand returned to Slades jaw, his thumb softly rubbing it, "I want to keep touching you... And teasing you and flirting... But it can't progress to anything more than that.. Okay?" He asked, his eyes softened, vulnerable, hurt. He had to deny himself his feelings and it killed him, especially when something as simple as a kiss would completely shatter that resistance.  
  
This was by far the weirdest confession Slade had heard in his entire life.. Dick liked him, alright, he could have guessed that. That part was simple, they both about had sex in the bathroom a couple hours earlier, it would be stupid of him to think the other felt differently. There was an attraction there at the _very_ least. Next came the disclaimer, every confession had one. It was about Slade being a killer, immoral, blah blah blah. He'd heard this all before, from Bruce and every other Justice League member he ever talked to. Those were the predictable parts. Dick went into the most adorable crush babbling he'd ever heard from a grown adult before even though it sounded incredibly sad. Even though some people might be embarrassed for Dick being so open, Slade found the gesture to be powerful and endearing coming from the young hero, it was an authenticity that the assassin would never dream of having. Slade waited for the 'and we have to stop' to drop past Dick's lips, but it never did. No, Dick said he basically wanted to keep messing around but that they couldn't 'catch feelings'. Slade actually chuckled a little bit, he didn't mean to, honestly, but god it was just too ridiculous. Did Dick not even know himself? Been a part of any of his past relationships? Dick was talking about Slade in not just a sexual way, it was heavily intimate.   
  
He let out a small sigh, putting a hand over Dick's hand on his jawline, a small leftover smile on his face. "I don't need labels on anything Dick. Don't worry, I won't cry if you don't ask me to prom." Slade responded in a light tone. It was a weird shift in their dynamic, for Dick to be so down and Slade being the one trying to pull things back out of the ground with humor. It wasn't wholly genuine though, at least on his part. "What I'm trying to say? We both find each other attractive, that's clear, but I don't need you to validate my choices or be _with_ me to ... Whatever. Commitment and labels are for people who are more concerned with normal than people like us Dickie."

 

Dick chuckled and rolled his eyes, Slade made it clear that he was just as attracted to Dick as he was to him. It made this more difficult, made his heart pick up a bit as he listened to the other speak cooly. He didn't get rejected or brushed off, he didn't get pressured. He had complete control over what direction this would go and while he appreciated it, it made his choice that much more difficult… Why couldn’t Slade just whisk him away so that Dick could blame him for the fallout? Maybe because Slade wasn’t just a serpent, waiting to strike down its prey. Maybe Slade actually cared how their relationship would affect the hero, after all if Dick wasn’t the one to choose powerfully then things would fall apart and Dick would get shattered. It is through his freedom to make the decision without any outside influence that would have their relationship flourish into something magnificent but… Dick couldn’t let himself get taken away by that. His morality, his reservations, his need for approval were all barriers that he wasn’t able to cross.

 

"Hey... I just so happen to be the kind of guy who does ask people to prom _and_ buy flowers."

  
"Just flowers? A man of my caliber requires chocolates as well Dickie, I'm a classy broad afterall."  Slade joked back, finally discarding the tablet to the bedside table.

 

It was becoming increasingly clear that he, nor Dick, were going to be able to concentrate on any of its contents tonight. Dick couldn’t help but to smile, fingers combing through the older man's beard before moving up to his hair brushing his fingers through it, Slade was completely lost in Dick's touch across his chin and through his hair, he even closed his eye and let himself relax into it. Why not? Today had been taxing, he wasn't going to fight the opportunity for a some physical relaxation, especially from Dick. The young heroes touch was just as honest and transparent as his words, it was almost pure in it’s own way. Though there was a slight tension that began festering between the two and Dick just had to point it out by softly tugging Slade’s hair, almost playfully. When Slade felt the tug on his hair he let out a small groan, eye opening halfway to peer at the hero's face. Slade was glad he did. Dick's face was red,  he was clearly thinking hard, like his mind was grappling with itself, the groan Slade let out only seemed to add to the effect. He didn't say anything at first, letting Dick work himself out of the maze he was in. It was tempting to pull Dick to a conclusion, and with his current state of mind it would be easy for the mercenary to do. Dick could stop fretting then and they could move on ... But that would be Slade influencing his own desires on Dick rather than him coming to his own decision. Despite popular belief, Slade Wilson wasn't the obligatory manipulator everyone believed him to be. He learned from a few hard life lessons that influencing the choices of others in such a manner was like setting a timer on a bomb; you could walk away from it, not even be there for the aftermath, but in the end someone was going to get hurt.

 

"I can't do the... 'No strings attached' thing." Dick finally broke the silence as he shifted to lay on his side, facing Slade fully. "This is just gonna be really complicated..." He groaned finally going with what one of his ex girlfriend, technically she never made it official but in his head she was his girlfriend, had said, "Lets just... Enjoy it for what it is... Figure out the rest later."  
  
Dick had gotten completely lost in thought, fingers running from Slades hair to his cheek and jaw soon running across his lips. Then he snapped back into reality and shifted his gaze away, fuck… They didn't even do the sexy stuff and he caught feelings. He knew deep down the platonic cuddling and flirting wasn't going to last but he had to tell himself it would.

 

The kid was going to do something he'd regret. He wasn't in the right mindset tonight. "Dick." Slade said trying to pull the other out of his thoughts, which seemed to be successful.

 

This situation was entirely complex for the young hero, he had before trusted his feelings in the hands of someone who could be viewed as a monster and here he was doing it again. He wouldn’t acknowledge it but he was scared and worried that Slade would exploit it, hell if any of the Titan’s were here they’d be screaming at the hero for handing his arch nemesis his weakness. Slade didn’t plan on using Dick’s feelings against him however, he knew deep down that he reciprocated a level of them though he was nowhere near being ready to admit that. How could he? It had been so damn long since he’s felt anything close and now in this moment he was feeling these things for someone young enough to be his grandson, and not just that but someone who’s moral’s were on the other side of the spectrum. As if this was enough Slade honestly believed that Dick’s feelings weren’t authentic. He believed that Dick just needed someone to love and the fact that Slade was attractive and willing to give him attention only fed into that need. It was no secret Dick was scared to die alone and with the way things were going Slade wouldn’t be surprised if the other was desperately trying to secure himself. What he didn’t get was why Dick was still putting up a wall, sure there were the moral conflicts but if this was about not being alone then why would that matter? Perhaps Slade has been out of this game for too long. Dick had somehow managed to drag Slade into the same mental mess he was struggling with, but instead of grappling with it, he pushed it to the background and decided to enjoy the moment ... with conditions of course.   
  


Dick  cleared his throat, hand back in Slades hair before tugging on the eye patch string, "Do you sleep in this? That seems _really_ uncomfortable." He stated changing the subject quite abruptly, at least he wasn't focused on the shit night anymore... He just couldn't pine over his feelings all night either.   
  
"When I have company? Yes. Generally the gaping eye hole tends to ruin the mood."

  
"One time.... I went on a date with this beautiful girl, I had a crush on her for weeks before I finally asked her out... I went all out, candlelit dinner, flowers, violin music, everything... Then when it came time for the kiss? I threw up all over her, turns out my butterflies were symptoms of the flu... I highly doubt your scars or... Holes are as much of a mood killer as projectile vomit.”

 

"If you ever vomit all over me, for any reason, I assure you I will never touch you again." Slade said, then let out a small chuckle. "Poor thing ... Probably was excited for her date with the hot Wayne heir and ended up ... She never called you again. I don't even have to ask."  The imagery was _terrible_. Little, just hitting puberty Dick, so incredibly ill and some cute redhead just frozen in horror. Then of course, poor Alfred having to help clean it up.

"You need to sleep Kid. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Damian is a hellion on his own, I'm sure post anesthesia he's going to wear us both out."

 

Physically not so much, but mentally? He already knew they were in for a rollercoaster. Slade pulled the bedding over them and moved to rest his forearm on Dick's chest and shoulder, his palm over the side of his face. Slade used just his thumb to brush across Dick's temple and back into his hair. He used to get Rose to sleep like this when she'd had a fit of wailing as a child, he would lay with her and give just that little bit of physical comfort to show her he was there and everything was okay. Dick wasn't Rose, and the feelings he had for him weren't even _close_ to the same, but he was still communicating that same message all the same.

 

"Get some rest."  
  
Dick reached up and slipped his fingers around and under the eye patch strap, his body relaxed against Slades touch with his other hand resting on Slades waist. The hand on his cheek successfully got Dick to close his eyes, the touch relaxing and soothing. This is what he needed. He needed it on all levels, physical, mental and emotional. Touch was an outlet of love for Dick, something he used to ground himself and remind himself that he's not alone. Because he wasn't, even though his friends might think he is. They didn't see what Slade offered him. The support, the reassurance the sheer freedom of just being in whatever place he's in without being wrong for it.  Slade's eye was closed as they relaxed focusing on how impossibly soft Dick's hair was as it dried toward his temples. God, if he could get this kid to use a decent conditioner Slade wouldn't ever stop touching his hair.

A soft hum escaped Dick, it sounded like it  was out of relaxation and acceptance. He began moving the eye patch off Slades head, slowly so the other could stop him if he really didn't want to take it off, however Slade was so focused he barely thought about the fingers moving under the strap on his eye patch until it shifted noticeably on his face.

Dick knew it could be something more... Vulnerable... Private.. He didn't want Slade to be uncomfortable and at the same time he wanted Slade to know he could be transparent. He could show Dick everything and while they weren't even close to being official, Dick wasn't going anywhere.

The more the eyepatch shifted the more Slade tensed, his fingers freezing in the others hair as there was a single moment of panic, the urge to swat Dick's hands away and yank things back into place and firmly tell him no. In every other situation where some woman ... Or man ... Tried to make some grand gesture by 'accepting his scars' by removing it without his permission Slade did just that. Slade knew the underlying intentions were usually good in their minds, but he wasn't receptive to it regardless. They thought that by removing the patch, looking into the scar and remarking how 'handsome' Slade still was despite his imperfections, that it would break down all the walls Slade tended to build up around himself. That telling Slade he was 'more' than that would mean something. To Slade it wasn't any of that.  
  
It was a reminder of failure to him, it wasn't something he was self conscious about looks wise, he honestly couldn’t care less. Actually he _wanted_ that ugly reminder. He didn't want people to tell him it was 'beautiful' or that it was 'appealing'. It would never be any of those things to Slade. It represented his uncontrolled anger, the loss he experienced because of his failures as a husband, father, and mentor ... Things he never wanted to do again.   
  
Yet, he didn't stop Dick. Stuck between making a decision and not wanting to stop comforting Dick it happened. The exposure made him feel raw and vulnerable like he was being rubbed with steel wool over his entire body. Dick slowly pulled the eye patch away though kept his eyes closed not exactly feeling the urge to look, it wasn't that he wasn't curious but by the same token it didn't define Slade. He himself had scars, lots of them, each telling it's own story. Most of which were of wounds he's taken for others, others were reminders of times he almost died, the time he _did_ die. While his scars didn't brand him a 'monster' he still  had few that carried shameful memories with them.

 

Dick wasn't trying to force Slade into 'breaking down' or  'being vulnerable' he reminded himself. The kid wasn't cruel enough, or manipulative enough, to have those intentions. Dick was probably just trying to communicate that Slade could be comfortable around him, that hiding himself wasn't necessary. Slades fear though? It was a reminder. Even more so to Dick who probably had _some_ idea how Slade lost his eye in the first place. A reminder _who_ Slade was, a physical representation of his evils and sins laid out for Dick to observe and remember he was in bed with a monster that was everything Dick fought against and hated every day.   
Slade didn’t fully know why but he was afraid of Dick suddenly forgetting the protective, supportive person Slade wanted to be for him and going back to viewing him like everyone at that nights party .... Deathstroke. Deathstroke the terminator, the murderer, the horror, the terrible legend.

  
A small sigh escaped his lips as he waited for the inevitable fall out that this, or some other situation would eventually cause. It was only a matter of time wasn't it? "Fill your curiosity kid?" Slade didn't mean to sound so crude, suggesting Dick was doing this selfishly, but it was just easy to fall back on what he was good at ... Pushing people away. "Everything your Titan friends and you imagined it would be?"   
  
The sight underneath wasn't as bad as one might imagine, or even as Slade had described it. There was no 'gaping hole'. There was the remainder of an upper eye socket and part of the bottom up until the middle of the eye, then it folded back into the face in a large scar that ran from the inner corner of his out in a v shape along the top and bottom lids. It had been some reconstructive surgery tried when he still thought he wanted a prosthetic eye. What was left of the inner socket was about half the size it would normally be, in a slanted, oblong shape. It looked just like the inner red of the eyelid and dipped in only a couple centimeters from the eyelids themselves. Overall? Others had _much_ worse facial injuries.   
  
The acrobats eyes only slowly opened at the sound of Slades voice, the blues scanning over the scar before he shifted and set the eye patch on the nightstand. He was honestly offended that Slade seemed to think he did it for his own selfish purposes… Shit, maybe Dick expecting Slade to feel so safe and comfortable with him after such a short while was selfish.   
  
"I was expecting a black hole.... Like...The second that came off I thought everything would get sucked up into your head and disappear." He did consider that Slade might feel self conscious about it though... It didn't sit well with Dick, it just didn't fit. There was something so much deeper that Dick read in Slade’s face.... Shame... Disappointment... Sadness... Regret. He didn't care how it looked on him, Dick didn't think so anyways, but where it hurt was in the story. The story that was spelled out in a place everyone could see, a story about a killer and how he tore his family apart.... At least that's what Dick heard... He knew who gave him the scar but he didn't know the details.

 

"A black hole? Sounds like a bad anime."

 

Slade tried to joke, but his tone was tight like he forced it out. Slade laid still, feeling the bed shift next to him as Dick moved around. Was he getting up? His curiosity boiled over as he finally opened his eye, just as Dick leaned in and kissed his forehead. Surprise didn't quite describe how he felt. Slade had been sitting there spiralling into darkness, assuming the worst of Dick, running over all of his worst traits and personal failures. So convinced that the hero was going to push him away suddenly like his scar would magically change what they went through that night. Slade kept holding Dick up to the same standards he did everyone else and expecting him to act accordingly, to be predictable. Whatever happened didn't matter now because whatever Slade did doesn't define him... He's different now... He's not just a monster.   
Dick shifted into Slade more, his face burying itself into the others neck while his hand moved back up to run through Slades hair.   
  
"I don't doubt that you deserved it... But.... As much as you might hate it, you're human.... We all make mistakes.. Especially when we're younger, I don't think your mistakes should define you.."

 

Dick spoke softly as he brought his forehead to rest against the older man's, his heart racing as he took in the others scent. Dick let his eyes close just feeling the space between them, how close they were. He relaxed in Slades scent and the sound of him breathing as his fingers softly stroked the older man's cheek, he knew coming to terms with these feelings would be hard... That he needed time. He himself needed to forgive and let go of everything Slade had done, he needed to let go of who he knew him to be so he could fully understand who Slade was... 'You're not _just_ a killer' Dick thought to himself, his stomach feeling a weight in it as he leaned further into Slade. His mind dancing around what Slade was if he wasn't a killer, if he wasn't a hero...   
  
His eyes flickered open locking onto Slades eye, his thumb running over Slades scar. He wasn't going to try and compliment him, not that Slade looked bad in fact Dick was having a hard time not mauling him, he just knew that compliments weren't what Slade needed... He needed... This connection? Dick sighed, he wished he knew what was happening in Slades head, he couldn't just keep assuming he felt the same way though the expressions he showed confirmed or showed similar feelings.

  
Slade began to drag himself out of his self destructive thoughts and back into the moment. A moment where Dick was being so incredibly gentle, sweet, and nuzzling into him, giving _him_ comfort. When the hell had that switch been made? How had this kid even known his mental space and adjust accordingly? Nightwing was a damn enigma. Slade just let himself listen to Dick talk, it was melodious sounding, calming. It also helped that the message was uplifting as well. Slade understood why the Gotham police and Batman usually had Dick be the one to talk down jumpers from bridges and buildings. He just knew how to weave the pieces of comfort, inspiration, and a dash of humor together to bring someone back from the edge. For so long when Dick was young, and to some extent since he grew up, Slade viewed Richard in such a flat manner. He saw the charm, the humor, the flashy smile, the natural talent. Nothing that truly separated Dick out from other hero personalities under Batman's tough wing. Slade _instantly_ liked Dick more when he fully told Bruce to shove it and went out on his own. From then on Slade saw the different sides to Nightwing that he found ... Appealing. Sure, his body was incredible, anyone with eyes or two hands could know that, but Dick was more.   
In that second he realized something, Dick and him were similar in that aspect.  Dick understood what it was like for people to see you in one point way, and not realize there was a fully formed person underneath.

 

"I would find it hard to believe that you're the same person." Dick whispered, "Unless you're a good liar, which you know... You're _not_ ." He smirked   
  
"I've never been a good liar ... Poker doesn't suit me either." The comment slipped out much more relaxed, a hand wrapping around Dick's waist, feeling the motion across his scar. "I deserved this kid, let’s be clear about that." Slade wondered if he ever said that out loud to anyone other than his children. "I made stupid, selfish choices that put my entire family in danger. Then, instead of trying to fix it I just wanted to gamble one more time, I thought I was invincible, unstoppable. My wife gave me this as a reminder that my grandiose pride had consequences, as if my son's mutilation wasn't evidence enough." Slade let it slide out with surprising ease, god this brat was easy to talk to.   
  
"I'm not a good guy. I never have been. My first job at sixteen was a soldier, I killed my first man before I was seventeen. If I could write a list in my own blood of the people I've killed, the lives I've left ruined in their wake, I'd bleed dry before I could finish. I cannot hide from those facts, and I won't." Slade gently took Dick's hand away from his scar, holding it in his own between them. "Deathstroke has always been a necessity, for different reasons. I'm in a place now where I can control my decisions and try to make up for my past. I'll never be Bruce, I won't stop killing, I'm not _that_ just, pious, or pure."  Slade paused and brought Dick's hand up to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "I've changed, but I'll never stop, Dick. Make sure that's something you understand _clearly_  before you dive too far into this like we both know you will."

 

Dick listened to Slade speak, listened to his confession. Most would only hear the coolness in his tone, hear carelessness, disregard, maybe even pride but Dick could hear the regret in Slade’s voice and couldn't help but to sigh. Again, he didn't doubt Slade deserved the scar, he just wished the whispers and rumors were wrong. That he _didn't_ ruin his family but he knew that was a lie... He was friends with Rose, he heard her side of the story, he saw first hand how destructive Slade could be.  He didn't know when his jaw tensed, when his body pulled away, he didn't mean to but his body was just naturally expressive. Slade wasn't surprised when Dick pulled away from him, that was normal, it was predictable. Once Slade started pulling out the facts and figures of how truly bloody his past had been a lot of people couldn't stomach it. Dick wasn't the first to pull away, and certainly wouldn't be the last. The main reason being Slade didn't want to change, or rather he couldn't. At some points in his life, like now, he could see himself stopping the mercenary work. The pay to kill system was something he did because of a deep seeded need to use his skills, the thrill of planning, set up, execution. Slade _loved_ his work because it was the only thing that satisfied him, made him feel alive.   
  
So, Slade could leave behind the paid killing, and in some aspects he believed after this he would _have to_ . He couldn't work for men like Luthor anymore and turn a blind eye, it morally wasn't possible. The destruction the High Court was able to pull down on Earth was incalculable, and he had to feel partly responsible. Slade had sat on the cusp of a world that allowed this to happen, he supported the underworld of humanity longer than he wanted to admit. However, he couldn't stop killing. Unlike Dick and Bruce, Slade believed it was a necessary evil. There were untouchables, like Ra's and the Joker, that no government could ever fully bring to justice. Allowing these people to continue harming innocents in the name of righteousness was utter insanity in Slade's mind. He understood Dick's mind set though, he supported and respected it. Chiefly because he didn't think Dick _could_ kill someone purposefully. Dick valued all life so dearly, he was incredibly pure in that aspect. His aversion to Slade's lifestyle made perfect sense. Slade always wondered why Bruce brought Dick into the fold ... He had such a kind heart to require violence from.

 

"I know...." Dick whispered, eyes on the ceiling, "It's why I'm resisting you Slade... Deathstroke is your life... Your job... You love it. It would destroy you if it got taken away from you." The male fell silent and ran a hand through his hair. He's seen Slades kill count, it was definitely higher than he was comfortable with but it didn't make his feelings fade.

 

Slade quirked a brow at Dick with his following comments. Slade could be pinned a killer, he was fine with that, but his intentions with Dick weren't malicious. He had hoped Dick was seeing that. Apparently, he'd been mistaken. "Deathstroke is my job, it _used_ to be my life. You learn quickly that that kind of 'life' isn't sustainable ... Because unlike you I don't fancy death."

 

"Apparently I have a thing for men with violent hobbies..." Dick sighed and looked back at Slade, hand on his cheek again, "And I hate it.... That I feel this way and I can't make it stop and it hurts to resist it.. But in the end I can at least say I tried and hope you're not another bad choice.. Hope you don't hurt me too bad.. And if you do it'll be my fault for trusting you." He closed his eyes, head against Slades once more. Despite there being a moral conflict, Dick couldn't deny the fact he saw habits and patterns that would work in their benefit. Sure he knew where they'd fight, knew how destructive the relationship could be but that's what relationships were. Good times and bad times shared with someone. "We should.... Get some sleep.. We have a long day ahead of us and I highly doubt you enjoy me vomiting my feelings all over you.." Dick opened his eyes, looking into Slade's before glancing at the scar. Despite its symbol, it's story... He couldn't see Slade as a monster... He could only see him as human.. Human with his own perspective, feelings and ideals... And while they didn't match it didn't exactly make them wrong, though Dick could certainly do without the killing part.  
  
Dick shifted again, his back to Slade but still pressed against him. He was absolutely exhausted and knew it would take little to nothing for him to fall asleep, all the crying and stress tended to have that effect on people.   
  
Slade let the rest of what Dick said sink in for a long drawn out silence. Even when Dick snuggled back into him Slade remained still. Was he going to hurt Dick? Even if Slade was being Slade and not Deathstroke ... Could he ever separate the two enough that his actions wouldn't eventually crush Dick?   
  
He pulled an arm around Dick eventually, his nose resting down in the raven's hair ... He smelled like Slade, but had this distinctive under scent that was sweet. Probably all the damn sugar he ate.   
  
"I hope you understand I don't know what I'm doing either kid ..." Slade muttered once Dick's breathing evened out, signaling his sleep. "You're worried about me hurting you... But I don't think you know how easily you could crush me if you wanted to..."

  
  


The next morning came early, way too damn early, even for Slade. There was harsh pounding on the jet door. Slade sat up immediately, untangling himself from Dick who had wrapped around him like a boa constrictor, and flipped open his tablet screen to look at his surveillance tab. It had him up and out of bed quickly, sliding on his eyepatch before moving to the front of the plane and unlocking, then lowering, the bay door. There was a female doctor and two guards standing there. She spoke to him in Turkish, he had no idea what she was saying. He blinked at her as she gestured back to the guard who was holding an unconscious Damian then pointing to a clipboard.   
  
Dick was just about to drift back into sleep when he heard the voice, causing him to sit up. Slade stepped down and stared at the document ... Fuck he needed his cheaters. It looked like a release form of some kind, so he signed it and took Damian from the two soldiers. The doctor sighed loudly, handing him a pack of papers before leaving altogether. Overall it was a very strange hand off.   
  
Slade went back into the jet and out of the cold dawn air. Damian was in nothing but a thin surgical gown and underwear. The poor thing was unconscious and shivering. Slade instinctively held the smaller body closer to his as he walked back through the cabin, not knowing if Dick had woken up or not. Regardless Slade planned on taking Damian into the bedroom to assess him, the medical bay was too small for all three of them, and this bed was far more comfortable.   
  
Dick was out of the bed in a matter of seconds, approaching the two letting out a, "Damian!" Though it was hushed. He stood beside Slade though it didn't take Dick long to move away making a spot up on the bed. God that poor poor baby. Dick removed his shirt and gave it over to Slade knowing it would be plenty warm, "Put this on him." He ordered before disappearing further in the jet. Slade helped with getting Damian dressed but then disappeared to grab a couple items from the medical bay just as Dick returned with some water and apple slices, setting them on the nightstand. He was in total mom mode. Without even asking Dick began searching the room until he found some pants Damian could wear and in even less time he was on the bed pulling Damian into his arms and curling around him.   


Slade fully accepted that Dick was going to take over Damian's care as soon as he saw him, and the mercenary wasn't going to stand between the momma bear and her cub, not a chance. The child just got out of surgery, and Slade wasn't confident he was stable or in good condition. He planned on checking everything over twice on the medical side of things and letting Dick take care of the nurturing aspect.

  
Seeing the amount of pain Damian appeared to be in only had Dick on edge, he began running his fingers through the boy’s hair before softly singing his favorite tune from the circus in an attempt to ease the poor boy,  🎶He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young man on the flying trapeze. His movements were graceful, all the girl he did please and my love he has stolen away.🎶 His voice was smooth and even, the kind of voice that could make any crying child hush or any woman swoon. He recalled a moment Damian felt belittled by the fact Dick thought a song would ease him but the more he sang it the more well received it was... Usually.   
  
Dick was lost in the moment, rocking and holding Damian. He almost forgot Slade was there until he caught the smell of him off the new shirt Damian was wearing. Dick glanced up at Slade, brows furrowed, "Did they say anything about what we need to do to care for him?"   
  
"They handed me some discharge instructions, in ... Terribly translated English." Slade was actually wearing a pair of glasses when he came back. He didn't have time to go put in his contact right now. With his increased brain capabilities he'd already read over the instructions before coming back into the room. "It says he had a reconstruction of the rib cage and suture of the lungs... Five screws with two plates ... God." Slade physically winced as he read straight from the paper to Dick. "Repair to his wrist, and removal of the spleen ... This has to be joking he shouldn't be released from a hospital like this." Slade was in absolute shock. He handed over the papers to Dick and let him read them over.   


Dick listened to Slade closely, if the situation wasn't so... Fucked... He'd actually find Slade cute with the glasses, he almost wondered what a monocle would look like on the other. Before his thoughts could drift too far he was handed the paper where he began looking over everything, god... his poor fucking baby. Dick knew a good handful of the terms thanks to Bruce, hell,  he's heard Alfred diagnose Bruce with similar injuries before... minus the spleen.

 

"Damian." Dick whispered, brows furrowed as he watched Slade work.

  
Slade had an entire basket of items. He started taking vitals off of Damian, outside of a slightly spiked temperature and lower blood pressure, the kid was holding up pretty well. Heart sounded good, and the lungs surprisingly clear. Slade kept Dick in the loop as he went along. "Alright, I'm going to set him with IV fluids, he's also going to need intravenous antibiotics to prevent infections from the spleen removal and pain medications to keep him comfortable." He worked on setting up said IV in Damian's arm, the needle poke caused the child the jerk and start grumbling. Once the bag and lines were set up and flushed Slade went to grab the medications he mentioned and a portable oxygen tank. His oxygen levels were fine for the moment being, but he didn't want to take his chances. He handed the nasal cannula over to Dick so he could put it around Damian's face and in his nose while Slade turned on the device.   
  
"I'm going to start pushing in the Dilaudid and antibiotics ..." He did the pain medication rather fast, then hooked on the antibiotics and watched the clock pushing in a tiny amount every fifteen seconds. "I have to go slow with this one, it's strong and can upset the body."

  
Dick took back to singing, helping Slade in any of the small ways he could, he appreciated the fact that not only the other knew what he was doing but the fact he was being so communicative and the fact he himself seemed shocked and mortified.

 

Damian opened his eyes blearily listening to Slade and Dick talk, tears were instantly falling from his green eyes and staining now red cheeks. He let out the most pathetic sounding groan of pain and tucked himself in next to Dick.

 

"G-rayson..." He squeaked out, sounding like his throat had been rubbed raw with sandpaper. "...Where?"

 

"We're in Slades jet." Dick replied in a soft voice, his heart aching at the sight of his baby bird in so much pain. Nothing broke Dick's heart more than the sight of Damian crying, "He's on our side.... But I don't want you to worry about that right now, I want you to rest. I'm right here." He wanted Damian's pain to go away but knew he himself couldn't make it vanish, all he could do was support the other, combing fingers through his hair and softly humming. "Lex won't get to hurt you again I _promise_ .. No one is going to hurt you again."   


Damian was relaxed by a combination of Dick's humming and words. To be honest? At first he had no idea what Dick was saying. Something about a ship and 'on our side' whatever the hell that meant. Damian was so completely out of it, trying to even string together simple, coherent thoughts was an incredible test in concentration.

 

The raven hair looked at Slade, "If he's stable I can stay with him... We need to set up communications with Tim so that his messages can go through...  There's a bunch of medical supplies at the cave and places Damian can rest, it'll be better than your hospital on wheels..... Plus.... There's actual food instead of old man stuff."

 

Dick somehow kept the mood light though it was his way of preventing himself from getting worked up, his way of stopping his own tears from flowing. He blamed himself for Damian's predicament and it tore him apart to see him this way, but if he cried then it wouldn't help Damian. His eyes moved down to Damian, stroking his forehead.  
  
"He can rest there for a bit before we go back home." Dick froze a moment, eyes snapping forward... Home... He called Slades house home...

 

The male snapped out of it and shook his head before he pulled Damian closer and wrapped himself around him. Damian felt better now, but hissed at a sharp break through pain in his side when Dick pulled him closer. Regardless though Damian snuggled into the perceived and true safety of Dick's arms, smaller hands holding onto the front of his brother like at any moment someone might come and take him away

 

"Careful kid ... I know you want to pouch him like a kangaroo but remember he just had surgery." Damian recognized that voice, he looked away from Dick's face finally, over his shoulder and spotted the mercenary. Damian full on hissed at Slade like a cornered cat, and showed too much teeth afterward.  
  
Needless to say, it took everything Dick and Slade had not to bust out laughing at the behavior. Damian was probably blown out of his mind on painkillers and for some reason thought Slade would understand and fear his _literal_ copy cat threat.

 

"He's stable enough. I'll keep his stats running up front and come back if I see anything troubling." Slade had placed a wireless monitor for heart rate and oxygen on Damian's finger. "If the cave has the equipment we should run a scan of some sort, x-ray, even ultrasound to get a look at things." Even if Slade couldn't read the results or conduct the tests, he knew a few doctors he could call to walk him through it. "Also blood tests. He's probably anemic."  


“Last I was in the cave it had a fully functional MRI machine, it’s been awhile since it’s been used but I would be shocked if it didn’t work. You know how paranoid Bruce is.” Dick explained as his fingers combed through Damian’s hair more, “There’s also a book down there… Bruce disappeared for a while and brought a bunch of his fathers stuff with him, Thomas has a lot of notes on how to use the machines and medical terminology, I don’t doubt it’s still-” Dick was cut off by Damian’s second round of hissing.

 

Slade couldn’t help but to humor himself with a, “...Maybe we should check for rabies.”

  
Damian hissed again, this time doing it into Dick's chest muttering 'shutup old man' twice. Slade chuckled this time. "Have fun with that ... Call me if you need anything. I'll signal when we are taking off." With that Slade began to head out of the room, giving Dick's ankle a squeeze on the way out as if to reassure him in some way without coming into his space with Damian.   


Dick hated how warm and fuzzy a simple touch like that made him feel, especially when he himself was so fucking conflicted. “Hey… Before you go..” Dick started, his eyes kind and soft. He looked like he was about to say something meaningful, like he was going to throw out some, ‘Maybe we should try things out.’ or ‘I appreciate all you’ve done’ but instead… What slipped from his lips was, “Do you have cereal? I didn’t eat yesterday and being around you has made me feel absolutely sick… I mean… I was stressed too but… You’re not helping..” Dick was cut off by the loud grumble of his stomach, “See? I’m dying of starvation here and you’re old man food isn’t going to help.” He nodded towards the apple. Having Damian in his arms, safe, brought back the heroes humor.  

 

Slade’s soft eye narrowed on Dick in a glare, before rolling pretty dramatically for the terminator. He let out a long-suffering sigh, "You're absolutely impossible, Richard." Slade reached forward and actually pinched Dick's lower calf surprisingly hard causing Dick to pull his leg away from Slade

.

He turned as if to end the conversation there, but paused at the doorway like he had a change of heart, knocking a fist against the frame. "...There is a more modern city that used to have a large American military presence about an hour from here by plane. I'll make a _quick_ stop there for you to get some junk food for your dumpster of a stomach. I can get some specialized medications and equipment for Damian too."

 

The heroes little pouty glare shifted to a smile when Slade said he'd stop somewhere to get some food, was it wrong he felt like he had slade wrapped around his finger? Really Dick was just happy he was getting attention from the male, especially the borderline romantic attention. "You will forever in my heart be my hero." Dick said with a hand on his own chest, watching as Slade left the room.

 

With that Slade made his exit, going to the front of the plane to iron out their flight plan and request ground clearance for the stop he discussed with Dick. How did Slade even get involved with such a brat in the first place? Sure Slade had picked _him_ as his 'prize' from the High Court, but he'd been reeled in by Dick's charms long before that. He couldn't help but give a half smile, yeah, Dick was an idiot with terrible taste in food and even worse taste in men ... But like Slade always said, it was part of the hero's charm and Slade was definitely under the spell of it all.   
He about hit his head down on the control panel in front of him, he was so entirely and thoroughly screwed.

 

  
  
  
Damian seemed to relax once Slade left the room, his head pushing up into Dick's touch on his hair like a needy cat. "I missed you." Damian admitted quietly, feeling a lot more gushy than normal. That damn Deathstroke must have drugged him with something. Once he was recovered he'd kill that old pervert and take Dick with him into the mountains somewhere until this all blew over. Yes ... It was a perfect, not at all drug influenced plan.   
  
"Mother needed me ... I had to go." Damian tried to explain, eyes clenching as his lungs began burning a little at the exertion from his crying and hissing spell. "I'm sorry." Damian nearly squeaked out before his voice gave in entirely. His cheeks were still stained red, a few more tears falling down his face. It wasn't even because of the pain at this point, it was in pure relief. Being with his mother for the last few months rather than with his family and Dick was hard, even if the wouldn't have admitted that readily. With Bruce being gone, and Damian _thinking_ Dick was safe, he wanted to do the right thing, the choice that Dick or Bruce would have made in his shoes. Now that he was back in Dick's safe company, he was regretting ever leaving it.

  
A deep frown spread upon Dick’s lips as he began wiping the tears. "Sh sh sh… It's okay... Damian you don't need to apologize. I don't know why you went with Talia but I know you well enough to know you were trying to help. You were making a sacrifice for the greater good. It's not your fault it backfired and it's not your fault we're here now... The High Court, Luthor .... It's all so unpredictable, Damian." The male comforted, "What's important now is that we have each other.... We have a way to communicate with Tim.. We have help."   
  
Dick's eyes moved up towards where Slade had walked out before falling back onto Damian. God... He knew Damian would be disgusted with him if he knew how Dick felt for Slade... If he knew how much he trusted him... Dick continued playing with Damian's hair, sinking down and laying on his back so that Damian could use him as a pillow if he wanted.

 

"We can't take back what happened, we can only take new actions."

 

He had no idea how _badly_ Damian had fucked up to get caught by Luthor, how he failed. It wasn't worth going over, especially not when just breathing hurt. He took the opportunity to lay himself out across Dick's chest and was asleep not a moment later. Letting out adorable, tiny snores. Dick was perfectly content with Damian sleeping against him, he loved it so much more than words could even muster. For Dick it was a show of trust and the tight grip that Damian had on him only supported that. The young acrobat wanted nothing more than to be the boys safety net, to be someone Damian could always come to no matter the problem, be it splinter or accidental murder. Sure depending on which extreme Dick might be upset but not enough to shame or disown Damian in any way shape or form... He meant it back when he told Tim that he learned what being a brother _truly_ meant, he didn't treat Jason all that good. He burned the bridge before it could have even been built. He was jealous, hurt, angry and he let every ounce of it out on Jason and when he lost him? He was disgusted with himself... He's grown up a lot since then and while he was still hot headed and impulsive he knew when he was going too far, he knew when to apologize. He knew how to bite his lip and offer support even when he wanted to jump down someone's throat.  He hoped Jason was okay in all this, he had a lot to make up to him.

 


	6. Welcome to the Family

"Looks clear out here, I’m heading back."

 

Jason relayed to the cave from outside the set up tracking perimeter, which was in a perfect three-hundred yard circle around the hidden cave within the tepid, oak wood forest. The Red Hood was using an all-terrain four-wheeler to do a weekly check on the systems and see if there was any suspicious activity going on nearby. Luckily, they hadn't had any problems yet.   
The nearest village was miles away and boasted a population of a hundred individuals. They spoke Belarusian, one of the few villages in the country that still spoke Belarus' native language, and just enough conversational Russian for Jason to go into town, get what he needed, and set up a decent working relationship with the locals. They were suspicious at first, which Jason of all people understood, but between Roy fixing their old watermill wiring system, Jason clearing out a small band of nasty thugs, and Lian being generally fucking adorable they'd snuck into their trusting protection.   
  
The village residents knew little to nothing about the High Court and their dealings. The country was already part of a struggling democracy, that like Russia, had fallen into corruption and fraud since their independence after world war two. Luckily, they didn't trust any form of government or leadership, so whether it was the High Court or the military. That meant they weren't likely to squeal about their new 'weird friend' that came out of the forest occasionally with a red-haired man and a little girl.   
  
Jason wished he had time to run into this quiet little town, Lian and Bizarro had been whining for more apple and peach Nalistniki since he brought some back last time. Sweets were hard to come by out here, so the pancake treat was like crack to his two resident 'children'. However, Roy had been stuck in the cave babysitting for nearly twelve hours now while Jason ran his sweep. He could only hope the children were still in decent condition as he jumped on the four-wheeler and turned down the short drive back to the nearest underground tunnel system. There were four that branched out about a hundred yards, each pointing in a cardinal direction. All were well hidden and highly fortified before they even arrived, since then? It was even more so. Jason let himself inside the small entrance, hiding the four-wheeler in its usual spot in an abandoned lumber pile. As soon as the door shut behind him Jason took off his helmet, briskly walking the final hundred yards to the central cave.   
  
When the door opened Jason could immediately smell the food he left to cook in the crockpot early that morning, just a simple chicken and vegetable dish that he was hoping Lian would eat.   
The cave had been set up in a very spartan style when they arrived. There was one large room in the middle that housed the kitchen, a table, and of course, batcomputer with spare suits, technology, and partly closed off medical bay. Off the left of the main room was an open showering room, private toilet, and small washer dryer. To the right were two sleeping quarters, one with a bunk bed and the other with a plush king sized bed and television. Jason told Roy when they arrived that he and Lian would take the main bedroom, and Bizarro with himself would sleep in the bunk room ... That had lasted not a single night. Jason blamed Bizarro's horrible snoring every time.   
  
Jason only made two major changes to the space when he arrived. First, he locked away all the weapons, chemicals, and other dangerous objects in the East tunnel out of reach from small hands. The second was setting up a play space for Lian, filled with toys, stuffed animals, games, crafts, and anything else that would keep the little one entertained during this tough time. Little did Jason know her biggest plaything would be the three hundred and fifty-pound super-experiment he brought along with him at the last minute.   


Roy was grateful to have Jason by his side after all of this went down, it was... Tough to say the least, especially when he watched all his friends die one by one. He saw the terror in his daughters eyes and watched it turn to grief when she lost her mother.  
Countless times Roy wanted to just give up, let himself be killed or something that wasn't... This... Lian pulled him from that destructive cycle with the help of Jason, the one person Roy could always count on. It was no wonder he fell in love with him. Even during these tough times Jason was here, supporting them.   
  
Currently, Roy was working on making some explosive arrows, his work bench set up in a place he could see the children's playroom, it was important to keep an eye on them. Make sure they didn't somehow get their hands on something dangerous as children seem to do. The sound of the children giggling warmed Roy's heart, it gave him hope, reassurance that maybe things would be okay.... Or they'd take a turn for the worst and his kids would spend the rest of their days in hiding. Roy frowned at the thought and sighed, why couldn’t he keep these negative voices quiet?   
  
"If only I could build an anti invasion machine." He muttered to himself, Lian paddling up beside him and reaching to grab something off the table.   
  
Roy smirked and quickly caught her, picking her up and blowing on her cheek, "What do you think you're doing, missy?"

  
"I was gonna borrow something."

  
"Foooorrr whaaaat?" Roy asked suspiciously.

  
"None yaaaaa busiiinessss." The girl mocked back.

  
The two were lost in their own special world not at all noticing Jason had returned, that being said, Bizarro was the first one to notice Jason's presence. Standing up from the play area, covered in a mess of finger paints with the dorkiest smile on his face, he yelled.   
  
"Redmom!"   
  
Soon wrapping Jason up in a hug before he could even protest against him. Jason instantly wanted to kill Roy after he heard the nickname.   
  
"B ... You're crushing me." Jason murmured, Bizarro set him down with a pout. "It's okay big guy, just watch the super strength."

  
"Bizarro excited Red home."

 

The larger announced before going back to the playroom, gently flipping through the pile of paintings he'd been working on with Lian all day.

 

"Looks like mommy's home."

 

Roy taunted before he began carrying Lian down to where Jason was. He wore a white tank top and jeans that had holes in the knees, his hair and face now covered in paint thanks to Lian. Fortunately, his hat was unstained. Jason looked down to the front of him and saw he too was now covered in finger paints and let out a sigh.

 

He literally couldn't step foot in the cave without getting something child-related all over him. It was like a damn curse. "So, the cave didn't burn down while I was gone. I'm genuinely shocked.”

 

"I didn't want to awaken your inner naggula by leaving ash and smolder all over the cave." Roy teased back.

 

"Daddy made some kind of fire thing that went fwwwwoooosh!" Lian tattled and gestured widely, "It was sooooo intense."

  
"It was a self combusting arrow that just so happened to combust without the use of the timer I built within it."  Roy scoffed and set the girl down.   


"I'm sorry Roy you _what_?"

 

Jason caught that admission easily, and looked fully ready to lay into Roy about child safety and generally not testing explosives inside, things Jason _wished_ he hadn't needed to talk to Roy about before ... But most definitely had. Roy was saved by his adorable daughter though, as she gasped and ran off soon returning with a messy painting of a 4 stick figures, one with the giant red hood (more like red skyscraper), one with a cape, one with a hat, and a little stick figure. Those sweet eyes met Jason's and  his anger melted away into a small smile.

 

"I painted this for you so that when you're gone you don't miss us!" Lian held the picture higher, standing on her toes.  
  
"Let me see." Jason shot Roy a single glare that perfectly read 'I'll deal with you later' before squatting down in front of Lian and gently taking the picture from her.

 

Roy smiled and crossed his arms, watching his baby girl offering her art to his boyfriend. "I think that'd look nice in a frame, what do you think babe?"

 

"Princess it's perfect. I definitely think it belongs in a frame." Jason said with genuine praise, then leaned forward to kiss Lian on the forehead. "Thank you. I'll keep it safe. Why don't you and B go wash up for dinner? Make sure he uses soap this time."  
  
"Zaro always use soap!"   
  
"No, he _definitely_ does _not_ , because he thinks red man won't notice." Jason said standing back up with the painting still in his hand, the other ruffling Lian's hair a little. "That's why Lian is going to help you big guy."

  
A giggle escaped Lian as Jason ruffled her hair telling them to go take a shower, "Its okay B! I'll make you smell really pretty!" She beamed before running off to shower.

  


Roy couldn't help but to watch the entire seen with a giant smile on his face, it was absolutely heartwarming to see how quickly Lian accepted Jason as a father figure in her life, truly Roy was touched. He knew losing her mother was hard but seeing how much closer she was to Jason was absolutely golden. It made Roy fall more in love every day.  Honestly he didn't think he'd be a half decent father if it wasn't for Jason. As much as he would deny it he knew he'd end up an alcoholic junkie father, too out of it to pay attention to his girl. Sure he could hold it together for her but if he lost Jason when the High Court came? He'd have fallen apart.. No matter how much he loved Lian she didn't give him the same type of love. The love that smacked him around and pulled his head out of his ass... She'd watch him fall apart and God only knows what would happen then.

 

Jason looked ahead at Roy, a tired sigh leaving his lips as he rolled his neck around, pressing on a particular sore spot with the palm of his hand. "If you tell them to call me ‘Mom’ again I'm going to tell the villagers you're some kind of witch and let them burn you."

 

Jason threatened, laying the painting down at his own little workstation where he removed his gear and maintenance it along with his guns. There was a locked safe that opened next to it that he accessed by fingerprint, loading off anything sharp or dangerous before locking it up again. He would later transport these out of reach of the children.  
  
“If you did that then you wouldn’t have anyone to kiss your owies.” Roy smirked.     
  
Jason, even after being locked up in the cave with Roy for weeks now, still found some of their personal and private interactions tense. He knew that was his own fault, Roy was just being Roy. Which was exactly how Jason wanted him to be ... It's just like he was still waiting for the fallout and destruction. Jason always was the eternal pessimist, assuming the worst because with his general luck it usually panned out that way. Roy, even after all these years still kept Jason around, let Jason be close to him and his daughter, told Jason he wanted to be with him and cared. Most people would be elated at their childhood crush and favorite DILF falling for them. Jason? He was scared, still is.  Regardless of circumstances, Roy and Lian meant everything to him, they were foundation and safety net he could fall back on. Or ... Really ... Roy was. Jason had tossed his own fucked up feelings and damaged thoughts wayward the moment the High Court threatened Roy and other vigilantes particularly from Star City as a way to flush out Green Arrow. He _couldn't_ lose either of them … He refused.   
  
Jason hung his leather jacket on a hanger attached to his bench, stuffing the gloves into the pockets. He then turned back to Roy, pushing the sleeves of his shirt up his forearms, then crossed them as he leaned back against the closed locker.

 

"You know what I'm going to say right? She might think it’s funny, but there are no major hospitals out here Roy. If she, or _you,_ gets seriously hurt from one of those inventions help is too far away." Jason gripped his biceps, trying to scrape up more anger to use on Roy but somehow fell short. "Just ... Fucking be careful. It's enough work trying to watch both of them without having to keep an eye on you too. You're older than me, Roy, for Christ's Sake."   
  
"Hey.. Age isn't the same thing as maturity, besides things were perfectly safe. The kids were in the dining area eating some fruit when I tested it!"

 

"At least they had fruit instead of candy this time ..."

  
Roy moved and stood in front of Jason, both hands finding their way to his lovers hips. "If you keep worrying Jaybird, the rest of your hair is going to turn white and you'll _look_ older."

 

Jason opened his mouth to say something else, but lips fell partly open as Roy's hands landed on his hips. It was a simple enough touch, but it had his hairs standing on end all over his body. Roy was close enough Jason could reach out and grab him, tell him what a fucking idiot he was and kiss his stupid handsome face. He wanted to pull him up against his body, run hands over his sculpted neck, shoulders, arms, legs ...

  
Roy pulled away only to take Jason's hand to kiss it, moving back to sit at the computer. "I know I don't make... What would you say? .... good choices? But I would never ever ever place our little bumpkin's in danger. You're the only one I test my weapons on" He said this despite the fact he still worked on making weapons with the kids around, sure they were closely watched but nonetheless it wasn't exactly safe.   


"Alright, Prince Charming ..." Jason said sounding like he was fed up with Roy's antics, but they both knew that Jason secretly enjoyed every second. He lightly pushed at Roy's chest to punctuate his point. "Just know, if you so much as singe the end of Lian's hair with one of those experiments, I'm not letting you bring your weapon anywhere near me again." Jason threatened seriously, looking down at Roy's pants just to make sure the archer knew _exactly_ what he was talking about.   
  
He wished he was serious in his anger, but it was hard to stay mad at his lovable, but careless, idiot. Roy had a way about him that made Jason's walls meltdown, and while that was still absolutely terrifying for him, he couldn't deny the magnetic and soothing effect it had on him.... It also didn't help that he and Roy hadn't had actual sex since they arrived. With Lian sleeping between them, Bizzaro's complete lack of privacy awareness, and the basic work it took to keep them safe, their activities had consisted of stolen kisses in private and inappropriate touches outside of Lian's sight (and sometimes accidentally in it).

 

“Hey!! Mr. Jonathan has done nothing to deserve your anger!”  
  
“...It also has done nothing to deserve such an awful name.” Jason rolled his eyes and pulled Roy’s hat down before he moved away.

  
Roy scoffed and fixed his hat before green eyes shifted to the computer, staring at the monitor before he made a noise and scratched his head. "Huh? That's weird..." He mumbled and began typing, he seemed to be completely focused on whatever he was doing, softly humming and mumbling to himself. "How secure did you say Batbutts systems were?" He asked in curiosity, turning the chair to face Jason, "Cuz we uh.... Kinda got hacked..."

 

Jason was planning on picking up after Lian and Bizarro's art projects when Roy began messing with some signal coming through the computer however, the words spoken concerned him. He took position behind Roy's chair, looking over his shoulder as he worked. "You're kidding, right? Bruce has more money than God and a Timbot ... I don't think anyone is hacking in here ... Other than you." Roy was a fucking genius, he wouldn't put it past him.

 

The redhead was silent before the computer began jumbling a noise catching the redheads attention making him turn as a highly encrypted message came through. His sharp green eyes scanned the coding as he focused on cracking it and after 17 minutes successfully doing so. Lian had gotten out of the shower and was standing by Jason holding his pinkie looking at the weird symbols on the screen. Jason smiled a little running his fingers through her wet, black hair then happily letting her hold his pinkie with her impossibly tiny hands. Bizarro was dressed, thank god, and currently setting up the table for dinner. Jason couldn't be a more proud momma chicken at the moment.   
  
"I love the matrix." She said making Roy laugh.

 

"Oh pumpkin..." He breathed out shaking his head before gasping and standing as the words came through, "Tim!" He exclaimed.

  
"...Why would uncle Tim wanna talk to you? I thought he'd have better things to do."

  
"Woah! Okay there little missy! You've been hanging around Jaybird way too much!"

  
"Right cuz I'm not trapped in a cave with him." Lian quipped back.

  
Roy smiled and shook his head, "You're so damn cute when you're sarcastic."

  
"I know." Lian said before moving away from Jason to crawl into Roy's lap and read the message aloud, fumbling on some of the words as she read slowly.

 

Of course, the little bird hacked the system, he probably _built the system_.

Even though Jason would have been highly amused at Lian harassing her father, he was too focused on the message. It read like _horribly_ written slam poetry, Lian adorably reading it was the only thing giving it any entertainment value. He listened to her stumble across the word 'freighter' as 'fur-eight-er' as she broke it down and a light bulb went off in Jason's head.

 

"It's GPS coordinates to send a return signal. He's hiding the numbers inside the poem." Jason said suddenly, leaning closer to the computer, grabbing up a pen and paper to write everything down.  28.694123, 83.536855. He handed it to Roy, "Where the hell is this?"   
  
Jason caught the end of the message as Lian read it off. "My Code is determined by my Master. My responses, my life, only will come from this." Then there were a couple lines of coded nonsense before a last simple sentence. "BigBird be safe."

 

Roy's eyes shifted off the computer to the coordinates Jason had taken to writing down, picking it up and looking at the all too familiar numbers. Now Roy was a genius but that didn't mean he memorized every damn coordinate around the globe but this one? This one was one that he grew up with, Ollie was trained by the League of Shadows, Roy discovered the coordinates while he was still a kid. He may or may not have been snooping through Oliver's shit to steal but regardless he found these numbers, learned their origin,  encountered the headaches of the people who live there. He’s seen it tear at his mentor, his friends, his friends mentor… You get the picture.  
  
"He's with Ra's..."   
  
Jason gripped the back of Roy's chair hard when he said Ra's name, the leather whining and crunching under his hold. Of course it had to be Ra's, the creepy fuck. Talia was bad enough, what with her track record of making drugged men have her babies and forcing sexual relationships on brain dead people ... Oh wait, that last one was _him_. Unfortunately, that rotten apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and Ra's was just as unconcerned with people's choices and free will as Talia was. Jason didn't even want to think about what the poor TimBot was suffering through at the hands of Ra's Al Ghul. Everything he did have made Jason’s skin crawl.

  
Roy's eyes shifted back to the screen, his mind clearly working as he scanned through the message again. "BigBird... Grayson's alive...." Roy stated before looking to Jason, "Tim had to have seen him somewhere. He's trying to reach him... We need to let him know we got the message but encrypt it.." Roy leaned back and rubbed his chin before as Lian watched him.

 

"But how?"

  
"That's what I'm wondering, bumpkin...." Roy's hands didn't take long to move up, starting to type what seemed like a random set of numbers.   
  
"Tim-bellina is one smart cat, he won't see it at first but when his brain systems come online he'll see that I'm using Hexadecimal language. He can pass it off as computer coding or some other shhhhhhhishkabob.." Roy tried not to cuss in front of the kids which generally meant the curse word was replaced by some sort of food. It made for interesting conversations.   
  
"What's Hecka deck mal?" Lian asked looking at her father who couldn't help but to get the biggest mad scientist smile ever, he loved when his daughter asked about shit like this.

 

"Its a way to communicate through numbers." He explained briefly as he continued punching the numbers in, "Each number represents a letter... And other numbers.... It wasn't easy to learn but when you're grounded you find the time." Roy shrugged.

  
"Means they both must have gotten picked up by the hero trade." Jason had narrowly escaped capture on his way to fetch Roy. Black Mask had a huge bounty and guaranteed protection for anyone who could bring Jason in. Still did. He wasn't surprised, ol’ coal face still had his panties in a bunch about Jason blowing up his operation ... It was just annoying. He heard about the trade from two would be hitmen he beat the answers from. "I wonder who pretty bird got stuck with." Jason used the familiar joke nickname, but sounded more worried in his tone. "Ask Tim if he's okay, and specify mentally too. Doubt we'll get an honest answer, but the lie will at least partly soothe me."

 

"Of course, I'll ask if Ra's needs to lose his hands yet or if he's good with them for now." Roy responded as he glanced over at Jason, it didn't take long for his attention to fully shift to the computer as he punched in the numbers typing out all the codes. Roy's message included a long letter asking Tim how he was,  if he was hurt or struggling in any way. He asked about Ra's and how Ra's was treating him, whether or not Ra's was getting handsy.... He asked Tim if he had a plan and began to tell him how he himself was doing and how Jason was doing.

 

Lian watched a moment before seeming to grow bored and hop off Roy's lap, looking up at Jason, "Da, can we eat now?  I'm hungry." She said with a pout, "And Bizzaro might eat it all if we keep him waiting.... He’s so fat" She whispered the last part as though she were trying to convince Jason. Her eyes got big as she stared at him like a sweet little puppy, "Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaasee? Dad's gonna take foreverrrrr to send his email."   
  
"Awww... Jay don't keep her waiting, you guys can eat without me." Roy said, pausing to look at Jason with a smile... God he loved that man. Loved the way he pretended to get annoyed at all the little things, loved how he mostly really did get annoyed. Loved how dedicated and loyal he was despite his fear or Roy leaving him... Did Roy know? Of course. Would Roy admit it? No.   
  
Jason nodded to Lian when she began whining. "Alright, alright. Go have a seat, I'll be right there." Jason caved in way too easily for those sweet baby eyes. He sent her onto the dining area with a soft tap on the back. Bizzaro was finished setting the table, and sitting quietly just staring at the crockpot in the middle like a man starved. Shit he really did need to go handle this.   
  
"Hurry up and finish, you can't eat every meal you have over the computer ... I'm already worried about it growing mold from your crumbs."

 

Lian happily ran and sat at the table, listening to her parents before glancing back.

 

"What do you mean pa? There _is_ mold on the computers!!" She teased and giggled, kicking her legs as she did so.

 

She adored her parents though sometimes felt… Ignored... Roy was always busy with something and he told her to wait a lot, even brushed some of her art off... Yes he would go back to acknowledge it and right now  he was in the midst of trying to save the world but... She felt like she couldn't compete with his work, and maybe right now with the world in his hands? Maybe she wasn't as important.

 

Jason leaned down and took off Roy's hat, placing a short kiss on his forehead before walking away with it. "No hats at the dinner table."

 

Roy had gotten sucked into his work being very thorough and descriptive when Jason kissed his forehead making him pause and look at the other with a smile, rolling his eyes.

 

"You love my hat." He smirked

 

“Just shut up and finish up.”

 

Jason put the hat on the table before serving dinner, helping Lian cut her chicken. She didn't hesitate to grab the hat and plop it onto her own head, it was like her way of connecting with her slightly absent father. Jay didn't want Roy to miss moments like this with his daughter. Being able to sit down and have a meal together amongst the madness was becoming increasingly important to Jason. He needed to make sure Lian still felt loved and cared for every step of the way, and while dinner didn't seen like a big deal, it had been for Jason. When he was Robin he did some of his best bonding with Bruce, Dick, and especially Alfred over meals. Even if it was just Jason sitting in the kitchen with pancakes while Alfred cooked, it was time spent together and he cherished it all the same.   
  
Jason sat down to his own plate finally, regretting his own ‘no alcohol’ policy as of late. "So, you did all the reading I left you with and the math problems Dad made for you right?" Lian was brilliant, though sometimes hard to focus. She could be like Tim in that aspects.

 

The young girl's big brown eyes shifted off the back of Roy's chair and over to Jason,

"I did all my work..." She said with a pause before sighing, "I did half of it, then B and I played with the transformers toys.... The math is done... Not the boring reading... Oh! Daddy guess What! B and I made a huuuuuuge Lego tower that was almost as big as me!" She beamed with pure excitement.

 

"You'll have to show me tomorrow… as for the homework, we can go over that later ... I'll read you more of your story too if you want."  
  
"Zarro wanna listen too Red."   
  
"You can listen too, just not in my lap this time. Lian only."   
  
"No fair, Red."   
  
"Yeah okay, tell that to my crushed legs and pelvis."   
  
Roy finally signed off the computer, being sure to leave the line open for Tim as he went to the table, sitting and pulling the hat off Lian before setting it on his knee. He ruffled her hair and smiled as she began eating slowly though after the first bite she was scarfing the food down as fast as Bizzarro was.

  
"You two could totes compete in an eating contest." He chuckled, taking a moment to just appreciate the family before he started eating.

 

Honestly eating all together like this was strange, he appreciated it but at the same time part of him wondered how long it would last before the tradition would fall apart…. Maybe that was why the tradition was so loose to begin with, he was always the last one to sit down.  
  
"After dinner we can set up a fort, get some reading in and do cuddles before bed. Both of you are going to he brushing your teeth really good, you didn't brush last night."

 

Lian pout, "It's not that laaate."

  
"Bedtime’s bedtime, Princess. You need a good night's sleep if you wanna keep all your braincells." Roy shrugged.

  
"Is that what happened to yours?"

  
"You're a snot." Roy chuckled and ruffled her hair before looking at Jason, "And _you're_ rubbing off on her." He smirked, his hand moving to rest on Jason's thigh.

 

Jason actually laughed at Lian's teasing this time, "I see no problem with- ... That."

 

The tough and bold Red Hood paused when Roy's hand touched his thigh, he couldn't help but to feel a jolt of intense electricity and it nearly made him freeze. Roy was always so damn sweet and open with his affections, Jason didn't know how to reciprocate or accept yet. Honestly, Jason wasn't the best at showing his feelings, he never had been even as a child. Bruce failed at showing the young hero how to love and be loved and when Dick was done being a prick he showed Jason love in a much more platonica light. This was different. He wasn't prepared and didn't even know where to start, Roy wasn't his brother so he couldn't love him that way and unlike being with the rest of his family Jason had a deep seeded want to be more open with Roy.

 

The male finally sighed and reached under the table and put his hand over Roy's, giving it a small squeeze, but didn't meet the other's eyes. Baby steps. Roy, meanwhile,  felt _pure_ bliss. Jason's hand on his own, his family all together. He could melt away and get completely lost in this forever, this mundaneness. Sitting at the table with his romantically awkward boyfriend, his kids. He couldn't help but to smile at the way his children stuffed their faces, eating as though it was the last meal they'd have. It was honestly beautiful to Roy and each moment like this was the world to him, especially when he didn't know how long it would last… Every day was truly a gift. Jason talked with Lian about the structure she made with Bizarro until they finished dinner. Bizarro also gave his own description of what Roy's earlier explosion was like, which made Jason squeeze Roy's hand painfully hard under the table with a short look accompanying it.   


Roy winced when his hand was squeezed, his mind snapping out of its trance. He finally took a bite of his food and got to work on eating, before he knew it the table was being cleared and the dishes were being washed, he wished he could slow time down and hold onto the moments with his kids. His green eyes watched them as they left the table, Lian drying the dishes while Bizarro cleaned up the legos.

  
For some reason Jason fell into this domestic 'parental' role of his relationship much easier than the romantic aspect. Lian was like his daughter, he loved her deeply and unconditionally in a way he never felt this way about another human being. She was dependent on him, looked up to him without seeing the pile of shit his life had been at times ... God and those eyes made him want to squeeze her and never let go. When she called him 'pa' or any version of it he melted into the floor. He couldn't imagine a life without her and Roy in it anymore and honestly? It was a source of anxiety for him.   
  
"Alright pumpkin, once you finish drying the dishes go get into your pajamas okay? Bizzaro you should change too."   
  
"Cookie clean?" Bizarro asked from the play area.   
  
"Yes, your Cookie Monster pajamas are clean." Jason had put them away last night.

 

They were his favorite. It was a huge blue shirt with the iconic face on it and pants with cookies printed all over them. Bizarro was up with a huge smile floating off to  the bedrooms. Lian paddled off to the bedroom to change into her aquaman nightgown, her little hands not taking long to capture her little teddy bear that Roy bought her for her third birthday.

Jason went over to Roy, leaning a hand on the table so he could create a more intimate space between them.

 

"Can ..." He let out a sigh, his voice dropping a bit lower so little ears behind him wouldn't hear. "We stay up a bit after we put the gremlins down?" Jason almost hated how his voice had this hint of begging under it. "I want some _alone time_." No, Jason needed some alone time. They both fucking did.

 

“Stay up late? Are you wanting to play, Jaybird?” Roy teased, leaning in to kiss Jason however an electronic voice rang through the cave.

 

“Landing strip, enabled.”

 

Roy instantly looked back at the computer, panic filling him. He shot from the dining chair to the computer chair in less than a minute, plopping and spinning around to face the screen. He typed almost violently as he pulled out footage from the surveillance cameras zeroing in on the aircraft.

 

“Shit.” He muttered, hitting some command keys, “Abort landing.” He ordered.

 

“Command denied.”

 

Jason eyed the screen, the jet looked familiar, but he couldn't place it, and familiar didn't always mean good. Familiar could mean Luthor or some other psychopathic fuck. The furrow in his brows deepened when the computer refused to let Roy override the command. Jason gave him complete access to everything he did in the batcave, and Roy probably dug deeper and got even more …

 

“What do you mean command denied!?” Roy shouted, making Lian flinch and run to Jason, grabbing his hand.

 

“What's wrong?” She whispered to him as Roy continued talking to the computer.  
  
Jason's focus was shifted off the computers when Lian grabbed his hand, a protective urge causing him to pick her up off the ground, "I'm not sure, Dad's-"

 

“What the fuck do you mean ‘denied’!? My fucking kids are here and they are not-”

 

“Command overridden by Batman.”

 

Jason heard the computer say Batman and turned his head back to the screen. Override by Batman? That wasn't possible, even he didn't have access to those codes. It was possible Dick or Tim might have, but they wouldn't have access to a goddamn military super jet that could take them to Belarus.

 

Roy froze and furrowed his brows staring at the jet, “B...Batman? He's dead… Explain.”

 

“Emergency broadcast sent, protocol 4B-21 activated. Override code by Batman.”

 

Roy fell silent again, he could hear the soft hum of the caves systems getting ready to accept the approaching aircraft. Jason set Lian back down and went over to the gun safe and immediately started to load up what he needed from it.

 

Roy looked at Jason and got up picking Lian up, “We should get the kids in hiding.”

 

“Daddy what's happening? I thought it was Batman?”

 

“I don't trust it sweetie and I'm not risking a damn thing.”  
  
“You should take Lian and head out the South tunnel, Bizzaro, you go too." Jason turned to see the gray man, dressed in blue, glaring down at him. "This isn't the time to argue big guy."   
  
"Staying with Red."   
  
"B-"   
  
"STAY!"   
  
"Fu-Fracker Jacks fine!" Jason missed cussing so much.

 

He wasn't worried about Bizarro as much, the big guy could handle himself in a fight, but he'd much rather the oaf stay with Lian and Roy to keep them safe.

 

"Roy you have to go."   
  
Roy chewed the inside of his cheek as he looked back at the computer, apparently there was no saying 'no' to the fucking Batman, whoever this was had to be trouble... Only the big names could have access to a jet like that and Batman's secret coding. The redhead's gaze shifted back to Jason, a pit in his stomach at the idea of leaving him.

 

"No... You're not staying behind Jason, we all leave together!" He snapped, his blood rushing and adrenaline kicking in.  
  
"Daddy I'm scared." Lian spoke as she clung to the male tighter making Roy's stomach drop, damn it damn it damn it.

 

"Fine.... I'm going to get Lian squared away and then I _will_ be coming back for you, got it?" with that Roy left hesitantly, carrying Lian with him down the tunnel, Lian watched with pure worry in her eyes, she didn't want to lose her family... Her daddy.

 

Jason was relieved to see Lian _and_ Roy go. He hated the look on both of their faces, but now was not the time to worry about that. At the end of the day, Lian needed her father and vice a versa. Jason cared too much about both of them to think he could do any if this without them. Even if he volunteered to take Lian instead, he couldn't leave Roy behind. Roy was ... Home. Everything that accepted and welcomed him back no matter how many times he fucked up. Jason would rather die again and not come back then have to live in a world without that insufferable ginger idiot in it.   
  
"Alright B, if you are staying I'm putting you to work." Jason said, getting a highly determined and rarely focused look from Bizzaro. "I need you to go up to the rafters for a better vantage point. I'm going in closer for a better shot."

 

Jason explained as he loaded bullets into one of his high powered magnums. He wasn't fucking around, screw Batman's rules... He wasn't here anyway. Jason was protecting his family, spilling blood for that cause wasn't an issue.

 

"I'll give you a signal to drop in  when it's time."  
  
"Birdie call?"   
  
"Yep." Bizzaro was referring to a whistle, but because Jason used to be 'a robin', a fact Bizzaro may have taken literally, he referred to it as such.

 

"Alright get going." Jason shooed him as the belts activated to park the incoming vehicle.   
  
Jason moved into position, using a well placed display case by the port walk way to hide himself. He listened closely to the activity, waiting for the right moment to act.

  


Roy went down one of the tunnels, he knew realistically he couldn't go back for Jason, he had to stay with his baby girl... He felt torn and crushed. Halfway down the escape tunnel Roy had stopped and slowly sunk down to the ground just holding his daughter close to his body.

 

"Daddy is..... Is papa gonna be okay?" She asked, tears building in her eyes as Roy looked at her and rubbed her cheek.

 

"Yes.... Of course pumpkin... I promise I won't let anything happen to him."

  
"Then why did we leave him?" She asked all too innocently.

 

"Oh sugarbear...I..... Because I need to make sure _you're_ safe first." Roy set her down and grabbed his phone from his back pocket, activating security protocols, "Computer, scan our guests. If they aren't Batman shut down the main systems-"

  
"That's a negative." and without a second more, a photo appeared on Roy's screen.

 

"Holy..."  


  
  


  


  
  
  
  


~1 hour earlier: Somewhere in Belarus.~

 

  


  
  


Slade flew the plane down to the market as promised. Damian wasn't going to budge with his iron tight grip on Dick, so Slade had gone out alone leaving the two stationed at the airport. Fortunately the market wasn’t far from where they landed, in fact Slade didn’t even need to pick up a rental car. After stepping of the bus, the assassin entered the market where he picked up what they _actually_ needed first, food and clothing. He even included different vegan liquid meal substitutions in case Damian couldn't manage to eat enough whole foods. The last thing he did was go into a convenience store and stare down the dozens of cereal boxes. He found Tony the Tiger and the leprechaun man with entirely different script and languages on the boxes. He bought them both begrudgingly before returning to the plane. Gps said their final destination was only an hour away.

  
Slade allowed the jet to go on autopilot as he moved over to the small kitchenette. It was there he prepared a bowl of sugary Lucky Charms for Dick, along with cut apple and banana slices that he was going to pretend were just for Damian, with the hopes that Dick would eat some _decent_ food. He brought that along with new medication and a fresh nutrient saline drip.

 

"Shouldn't be much longer ... Weather looks good, no problems so far." Slade muttered, handing the plate to Dick and setting the bowl of cereal next to him on the nightstand.

 

Dick had been sitting with Damian’s head nested against his chest however had shifted upon receiving the food, leaving Damian’s head against his stomach.

 

"Look at you, coming back with a 5 star meal, you must be Prince Charming." Dick teased, looking at the fruits with an almost disappointed look before setting them aside and grabbing the bowl of cereal.

 

"You know I was expecting you to eat some of this too." Slade said, sitting down on the edge of the bed where he picked up a slice of apple and popped it into his mouth. They'd been expensive red delicious apples that proudly boasted being from the states. It reminded him of home snd and being a child, the nostalgia was nice for a brief moment.

 

“Don't worry, daddy, I'll get to the fruit eventually.” Dick teased, not even Bruce was this anal about eating healthy, it wasn't that Dick disliked healthy food it was just…. Boring… Sometimes he'd snack on half an apple or a couple raspberries but for the most part? His food of choice was cereal.

 

"Damian's vitals look decent. His respiration rate is a little troublesome, but once we are at the cave we can see what they have in terms of breathing treatments." Slade updated Dick, changing out the bags and starting to push in Damian's medications to the IV. The poor kid was completely zonked out next to Dick.  


The hero stirred the cereal around before taking a bite, speaking with a full mouth, "Push comes to shove, Bruce has a back up... Alfred takes injuries very seriously. If there's nothing in the cave, I know a place we can take him, no questions asked..." Dick then fell silent as he finished chewing and swallowed, "Assuming the doctor’s alive.... He's a smart man so I would hope so..."

 

"I like the idea of a doctor checking him over. Even if things end up fine. I know my way around triage but I'm no Alfred."

  


As though Damian knew Slade was talking about him he shifted, eyes opening up as his head lifted to look over to the one eyed man. His eyes narrowed in a trademark Damian glare, before turning back to Dick holding onto him tighter. "Why is he here?”   
  
"Well good morning to you too, Sunshine." Slade replied with heavy sarcasm.

 

In response, Damian mumbled something incoherent in Arabic.

  
“I'll give the good doctor a call. It shouldn't be too hard to schedule an appointment. We should go in costume though, it's how he knows me.” Dick had chosen to ignore his temperamental bird for the moment.

 

Naturally he was leaving out the portion of the story that talked about who exactly the doctor was. He wasn't anyone that someone from Gotham would know. Hell, Dick only knew the guy because Bruce took him to see the man when he got injected with some kind of poison during a mission. While he was in recovery he asked Bruce questions and soon learned that the Batman once saved the doctor's wife. Since then, the doctor felt indebted to the bat and learned to recognize his many Robins.

  
Slade took up another apple slice and started tapping away on the bedroom tablet. "I'm picking up the batcave tracking signals already." He placed it on a spare section of Dick's abdomen.  Damian looked like he wanted to bite Slade's hand, so he definitely wasn't lingering with his touch. "I'm assuming Bruce taught you how to set up landing clearance and open the port. You don't have to tell me ... But unless you want to go hiking through the forest, I suggest we make a direct landing." They'd be coming up to the spot soon ... Just in time for dinner too.

  


Dick’s hand moved off his spoon long enough to comb through Damian hair, eyes shifting to the tablet that was on his stomach, which had flexed in response to the cold sensation it left. “Does your jet have some kind of stealth mode?” The cereal killer questioned before swallowing the bite in his mouth, moving the bowl to his lips and drinking the remaining milk before setting it aside.

 

Dick then  sunk back down, letting Damian's head move to his chest as he held the tablet  up above their heads starting to dial into the cave systems. He knew how to bypass the fail safe and entered in Bruce's special code to enable the landing protocols. Light fog began to roll into the area, thanks to a machine Bruce built, providing them cover.

 

“The jets going to land on the-” Dick was cut of as the tablet slipped from his hands and crashed into his face making him jerk and yelp, “Sonofa…” He paused and sat up some, fuck that hurt… Damian made a sound of annoyance which had nearly sounded like a low growl.

 

Slade actually laughed at the tablet smacking Dick in the face,"Most graceful Robin my ass." he said under his breath.

 

“We’re  going to land on a landing pad that opened up above the cave, from there our systems will be shut off and we'll be brought under and pulled by a conveyor belt into the caves docking system.” Dick explained continuing to rub his face before handing the tablet back to Slade, “I can land her, you might have a hard time seeing in the fog.” He smirked and shifted from under Damian, kissing his forehead. “We're going to land soon. Just rest, I can explain more when your head is clear.”

  
Damian nearly whined when Dick moved, but quickly stole his brother's warm spot on the bed, pulling the covers over the top of his head. He was out again seconds later. Whatever Slade was putting that kid on was _good shit_ .   
  
Slade, meanwhile, had  followed Dick up to the cockpit and sat down in the co-pilot's chair. "You know I've been flying planes since before you could walk right?....Make an old joke and I'll drop you in the forest. Don't tempt me."

 

The merc  flicked on a few dials to switch the plane into 'stealth' mode, the outer shell beginning to blend into the environment while the mechanical noise shut off completely. Slade saw the dock opening below, the plane's navigation system already locking onto it and adjusting for a smooth landing.

  
“I'm sure you've done many things since before I could walk, grandpa." Dick teased despite the others threat, seriously Slade would _never_ stick himself with Damian, alone...  "Just sit back and take one of your power naps, God knows you need it."

 

Nightwing couldn’t stop himself from taunting the other though, his attention did shift to slowing their speed and altitude, it didn't take long for the wheels to hit the ground and even less time for them to come to a complete stop. The landing was smooth and steady making even the young hero seem surprised, usually there was more.... Friction when Dick landed these things. They could feel the jet shake slightly as the wheels were locked into place, the young hero looking over at Slade as the platform they sat on slowly got pulled under ground.

 

“It's weird being in the driver’s seat, usually my elders insist on taking the wheel." He continued to tease, that was the third strike on Slade's age.

 

Slade didn't even say anything, he just shot Dick a well worn nearly fed up look. He should have known better, he left himself completely open to all the old jokes in the world at that point. He almost wished that he had just thrown himself off the plane and into the forest. Though with his healing abilities it probably would’ve  just been a long painful recovery on the forest floor, regretting his life choices and wondering why he ever let himself get tangled up with the frustratingly attractive and eccentric Richard Grayson.

 

Dick stood up and put a hand on the back of Slade's seat, leaning in "You'll have to let me fly her more."   
  
With that, Dick booped Slades nose and walked away heading to the back of the plane. Slade had nearly swat the heroes hand away for the gesture however, admittedly it caught him off guard and he completely missed his chance.

 

"Should have thrown myself off the ship while I had a chance..."

 

In the back room Dick had grabbed the tablet logging into more of the batcaves systems  to make sure all the doors were unlocked as they lowered into the tunnel. Soon they were pulled into the docking bay where the jet came to a full stop. It was then that Dick had begun digging through Slade's stuff in search for something decent to wear. By this point, Slade entered the room where he stopped in the doorway and watched the younger man’s endeavours with crossed arms.

 

"Bro... While we're here, we're grabbing my suit, unless you _want_ to see me in this." Dick spoke holding up the top piece of Slade's old suit. His eyes scanning the material before shifting back to the older male, reading his expression, "Wait.... No." He said sternly, lowering the garb in his hands. It was obviously old, the color faded, it shouldn't have been a surprise that Slade would want to see him in that. "You're insane, I may be your 'pet' but... I..... Grrrr." Dick huffed not really letting Slade speak, okay so maybe, _maybe_ Dick wanted to see what look Slade might have in his eye if he put it on and so he disappeared into the bathroom to see.

 

While Dick went through an identity crisis rummaging through his clothes, Slade set to pulling out and putting on his own suit. It was definitely the newer version, solid black with orange extensions such as the utility belt and leg holster. The left shoulder shined with an orange scale like  armor, his forearm baring a grey sleeve that lead down to his black glove. He skipped the mask ... This was definitely a Slade Wilson job. Deathstroke wouldn't touch any of this with a ten mile pole. When Dick emerged from the bathroom Slade was fully suited up and checking his suit's systems on the tablet. He nearly chuckled at the sight, but set on a smile instead.  
  
"It's so big and orange........" Dick’s eyes shifted from the suit back up to Slade, "Are we gonna dye my hair and get me an eye patch now?"

  
"You look like a child in that." Slade responded, amused, pulling on the general bagginess at the shoulders. "Here."

 

Slade rounded Dick, standing at his back, smoothing a hand up between his shoulder blades and to the base of his skull to push the hair there out of the way. He swiped his finger over the back neck of the suit, activating something in it that he could now access in his tech. It was dangerous in a way, showing Dick how to deactivate and remove his suits and gear, but at this point Dick already knew too much anyway.

 

Dick rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Well in my defense, you're taller than most normal men.. It's part of your charm."

  
Slade tapped a couple times on his tablet as he went to stand in front of Dick again, suddenly the body of the suit shrank in towards Dick's body for a more fitted look.

 

"This was the first suit I had fitted with the polymorphic technology, useful, but sometimes glitchy. The colors tended to come out too bright. For you? Seems fitting." Slade looked back down at his tablet and slid his finger across it, the orange color shifting through yellow and green rapidly before setting on a highly familiar electric blue. "More your color."

  
"You really are the man with everything... Well.." Dick commented as his hands ran along the now form fitting suit. He paused and glanced Slade up and down, "You don't have me but... I'm sure you can make up for it in other ways."

 

Nightwing winked and moved away, checking up on Damian as he gently ran his fingers over the others cheek, he figured it would be best to grab a gurney and export Damian that way. He couldn't afford to hurt his little prince.

 

"The systems should be unlocked.. All we have to do is walk in."

  
"Place is probably overrun with Ermines. They love dark places like this in the Fall and Winter. Cute, but vicious little creatures. I saw one drag a bass four times it size from a vendor's stand once. The owner was so scared of it he just let the thing have it." Slade reminisced with a pleased look on his face. That was a _long_ time ago, back before he went gray.

 

The jets bay doors opened. Dick began following down the steps while Slade told his story. Damn it was so.... Special? Listening to Slade talk about his past with an ease in his voice, it made Dick feel that much more closer to him. Like a friend... A lo... No... He couldn't call himself that. He couldn't afford to even think of being Slades lover. He was a _friend_ and he was _platonically_ enjoying the sound of Slades voice as he shared a sliver of his past.

 

"We better be careful we don't disturb them, they might make a meal of you, I know I would." Fuck.... He needed to stop flirting.

 

"Guess we'll have to make sure a group of them don't try and drag Damian off later." Slade mused to himself.   
  
"Honestly I think Damian would like that."

 

Dick said in response to the idea of a group of sweet fuzzy creatures kidnapping Damian, looking back at the jet as he imagined Damian running off to be with the rodents. It would be like a rip off of the jungle book but Dick would enjoy watching no less. His eyes glanced back to Slade at the same instant a loud bang could be heard, no more than several feet in front of them. Slade barely had time to turn around toward the main cave when the shot went off. Dicks entire body tensed as he quickly looked ahead, first he saw Slade, his heart pounding in his ears as dread and worry filled him. Slade felt it afterward, looking down at his chest where the bullet had hit and only partly went through the protective mesh. There weren't many guns that could penetrate his suits, luckily this one had resulted only in a minor injury and some soreness that would heal up within the next two hours. Slade looked toward where the shot came from and was _almost_ surprised.   
  
There was Jason Todd, looking a tad bit dumb founded. The kid had a tendency to go for a 'shoot now ask questions later' kind of mentality that Slade could honestly respect. However, he was glad that  he took the bullet and not Dick ... His old suit wouldn't have been able to handle that kind of firepower.

 

"You didn't tell me you had family over already." Slade deadpanned back over toward the jet. "Always such the welcoming party."

  
Jason was much less amused, he took the shot the moment his brain registered it as someone other than the Batclan. The fact it was Slade Wilson, a familiar face, did not soothe his tensions either. Slade was a mercenary, he very well could be here for himself or Roy. He held his gun out still, pointing it at Slade's head.

 

"Next shot is going through your good eye, Douchestroke."

 

Jason called back, feeling his finger wanting to tighten on the trigger and end this already. Letting Slade move or even explain himself was dangerous, but something inside Jason told him to hear the guy out. He hated his moral compass right now.

 

"Talk old man, what are you doing here?"  
  
"One more age joke and I'm running over myself with the batmobile."

  
Dick’s shock had finally worn off and within seconds Dick moved out from behind Slade, quiet literally bolting passed him and tackling Jason. It wasn’t the shock of Slade nearly getting killed, but the sound of Jason’s voice. Dick was somewhat convinced the other had died (again) when he vanished and so hearing him, much less seeing him caused the older brother to stiffen.

 

"You're alive!" He exclaimed like a happy puppy, arms coiling around Jason

  
It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, especially since Jason was holding a loaded gun that could go off from something like this, however Dick was absolutely overjoyed by the fact his brother was okay. Fortunately, Jason's gun hit the floor before Dick's arms even wrapped around him. When Roy said Dick was alive earlier he had heard him, but he hadn't really registered what that meant. His older brother, childhood idol, sexual awakening, part of the glue that held this family together and folded him back into it after he tried to tear it all down. Jason braced himself for the impact but didn't move away like he usually did, he let Dick hit him full force and accepted the affection.   
  
Even though Jason had focused on getting Roy and Lian to safety he _never_ stopped thinking about his family. Jason had made brief contact with Tim and Alfred before running off with them, wanting to know if it was okay, like he was asking permission for the first time in his life. Tim told him that they would be okay, and that Jason would just be distracted worrying about them. It was a very Timbot response. Alfred however? He'd looked him dead in the eye and said he'd be disappointed if Jason were to have made any other decision. It was the last push Jason needed, that definitive answer from the person's opinion who mattered most to protect what he had built with Roy and Lian. The BatClan could all individually take care of themselves. Lian was tiny, vulnerable, and couldn't be a part of this fight even on the sidelines. Roy was more than capable, but his daughter needed him, and Roy needed support after everything he'd suffered through ... He and Jason both did.   
  
Jason's surprise was evident on his face, and he seemed to fall into a quiet stupor as he tried to process everything going on around him. Two seconds ago he was afraid for his family, now he was being squeezed to death by his carebear of a brother. What a flip flop.

  
 "Yo Jaybird! You're not going to believe this but it's Dick and Sl-Oh.... I guess you already found out." Roy had run around the corner though he skid to a stop after he looked up from his phone.

 

Rubbing the back of his neck watching as Dick squeezed the life out of Jason. His  emerald eyes studied the suit Dick wore before they shifted to Slade, a pit blooming in his stomach. He didn't know of he could trust him but Dick seemed to be in good healt- wait a minute! Hickies, bites, bruises. It was hard to see with Dick's garb but Roy saw it and within seconds his gaze shifted to a glare, landing right on Slade. He opened his mouth to speak however his little princess interrupted him.   
  
"Uncle Dick!" Lian practically screamed before she ran up, arms out, Dick stood and hugged the girl tightly, picking her up and throwing her in the air some.

 

"There's my little princess! Look at you! You've gotten so big!"

  
"So have you!" Lian beamed back. "What happened to your face? And don't tell me you fell down the stairs." She asked, poking at one of the bruises making Dick hiss. Roy clearly raised his princess well.   
  
"Yeah Dick..." Roy said crossing his arms, "What did Slade the Lame-inator do to you?"

  
"He saved me." Dick said almost too defensively before sighing and rolling his eyes, "Look... It's a long story but I'm fine and I'm safe. Honestly the worst Slade is doing to me is..." Dick paused and shifted, supporting Lian with his leg as he covered her ears, "He's making me eat vegetables."

  
"WHAT!? Those are good for you though!" Lian shrieked, squirming away from the hero’s hand which only made Dick chuckle. "Maybe he should be more... adda-mada-ment about it." Lian fumbled on the word which only made Dick chuckle and rock her softly.

  
Roy pout and cleared his throat, speaking in Russian, <And I wouldn't suppose chewing up your neck was part of that evil, unless you've made a habit of sucking his->

  
"ROY!" Dick interrupted, face flushing, "It's not like that.... We had to make things look believable so that Luthor would think I'm Slades personal... plaything..."

 

Slade slowly approached the scene but was careful to keep his distance. Jason still held a lot of tension in his shoulders, and Roy didn't look entirely trusting either. Lian though? Precious. He'd never actually seen Roy's daughter, only heard that she existed and what her parentage was. He couldn't help but smile a little bit at the sight of Dick holding the girl as though she were his own. Roy's statements weren't nearly as sweet, but he was wholly expecting them. Dick did look ... Abused.

 

"But ‘are you his plaything?’ is the question." Lian chimed in making Dick snort.

 

"You don't even know what that means.... We can trust Slade, he's on our Side... Now if you're done interrogating me..... We have Damian... He's in rough shape, we need to get him to the medical bay." Dick's face shifted into concern as Roy glanced at Jason before nodding.

 

"Alright. I'll go grab a gurney.. You guys wait here. Come on princess, Daddy needs help." Roy said taking Lian from Dick, this was his way of telling Jason he wanted him to talk to Dick and Slade about what the hell is going on.

  
"But I wanna stay with 'wing."

  
"You will, after we help his demon spawn." Roy said, his voice fading as he headed towards the medbay.

 

Dick sighed and turned to Slade, "You alright?"  
  
Slade was taking the bullet out of his own chest when Dick turned around. "I'm fine. Glad it was me instead of you." He admit, pocketing the bullet and tsking at the hole. It could all be repaired later.   


Dick's eyes fell to the bullet hole in Slades armor, if he were going to be honest? He was glad Slade took the bullet too, if it hit him he would've been dead and Damian would've been alone. Dick's seen Damian when he's grieving and just like his father, the gremlins pain turns to anger. He could just see Damian trying to launch a one man assault on not only Jason but Roy and Slade and soon even the High Court. It would be a trail of death that's completely unnecessary and even worse Dick feared it would end in Damian's demise. The thought broke Dick's heart.

 

He opened his mouth to speak to Slade but the next thing he knew Jason was pulling him, making him turn around.

 

"You dumb son of bitch. I could have _shot you_. What the hell were you thinking coming in here without signaling first?" Jason scolded him like a worried, but very pissed off mother. He let out an angry huff, then suddenly hugged Dick, just about crushing him for a moment before letting go, holding Dick by his forearms. "You're lucky we are in the middle of an apocalypse or I'd..." Jason wanted to say something mean, sassy and sarcastic, but he just wasn't feeling it. He was too damn relieved. "I'm glad you're alright." Jason admitted finally, and Slade finally saw the tension drop out of the younger brother's shoulders.

  
"I didn't think you were here... I thought this place was empty... Honestly Jay I had no idea where you were." There was almost remorse in the golden boys voice as he stared into his brothers eyes. He spent so many nights worried about his family, after his capture.   
  
He'd have awful nightmares and hallucinations in his solitude, never sure if his family was captured or dead. The only person Dick could account for was Bruce but even then he'd have nightmares that the High Court would find him and literally tear him apart. The damn nightmares still got to him sometimes when he was in Slades home, sleeping in his dark empty room. Sometimes he'd dream about moments like this, finding Jason only to discover that the court was using him to snuff out the rest of the bats.

  
  
Jason let go of Dick, but closely examined the trail of bruises running along his neck and on his face.

 

"This was all for show?" Jason asked skeptically, shooting Slade another healthy glare.  
  
"For the most part." Slade regretted saying it that way the moment it came out. "Dick's right though, Damian needs to be a priority at the moment. We can spend time swapping horror stories and crucifying me later."

 

"What happened to him? Is he okay?"

 

Sure the gremlin wasn't as close to Jason as he was to Dick, but Jason still cared deeply about him. He was one of the pack now and had built a unique relationship with Jason on a foundation of frustrating Bruce and being a rebel rouser.  
  
"Luthor and his men got ahold of him. His injuries are very extensive, he's going to need long term treatment. I can go over the laundry list for you when ... Well go right in, make yourself at home." Slade switched subjects as Jason boarded his plane like he owned the damn place.

 

"Welcome home." Dick teased and elbowed Slade before heading to the jet.

  
Damian was sat up on the bed, in clothes entirely too large for him. His hair standing up in various directions looking an absolute fucking pale mess. Jason could feel his momma heart breaking.

 

"Jeez squirt, they did a number on you." Was he on oxygen? What the hell happened?  
  
Damian blinked as Jason approached, eyes studying the body in front of him. "...I'm dead." He said suddenly. "And this is hell."   
  
"Wow, fucking hello to you too, little shit." Jason couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Hate to break it to you, but we are very much alive ... Jury's still out on the rest."

 

Jason explained as he combed a hand through Damian's hair, entirely surprised when the monster boy leaned into it.the older brother couldn't deny how sweet it was watching as Damian pressed his forehead onto Jason's stomach.

 

"What the hell did you give to him? He's... cuddly." Something was definitely wrong.  
  
Dick had followed Jason shortly after, coming in close and sitting on the other side of Damian, "He's on painkillers... Jason it was terrible what they did to him.. he was already in bad shape but... Lex had him beaten in front of Tim, Ra's and I... I could hear his bones breaking." The male winced softly, reaching out to take Damians hand squeezing it reassuringly. "He was injected with something, it... Changes how he responds to outside stimuli.. It's supposed to make him more obedient." Obviously Dick was heartbroken at all this, disgusted even, and the way his eyes were facing away signaled that he still partly blamed himself. "We wanna get a better look at him, X-rays, ultrasounds.. The works."

 

"You're fucking kidding." Jason nearly growled, supporting Damian's head as he almost fell over looking toward Dick. "That's... sick. Even for Luthor, Damian is a _kid_. What the hell was he trying to prove??"

 

Jason was glad the swear words had slipped out before Lian's arrival because he was having a hard time controlling himself at the moment. You didn't hurt kids. Period. Most villains even subscribed to those rules. Knocking Robin out was one thing, but torturing him to near death in front of his family for fun? That was an entire level of sick that made Jason want to go target hunting for that big, bald head. Dick nodded in confirmation of Jason's disbelief, he himself found it to be disgusting and repulsive that Lex tortured Damian the way he did. Not even most the sickos in _Arkham_ would do that, in fact Dick knew a small handful that would kick Luthor's ass for it.   
  
Roy and Lian were climbing onto the jet, Lian sitting on the gurney as Roy pushed it in having heard some of the conversation.

 

"About that..." He started, moving the gurney to the side of the bed Dick was on seeing that Dick moved to give Roy room. "Bizzaro’s sweet little pet weasels ate a shit ton of the medical-oops..."

  
"Daddy! That's a bad word!" Lian called Roy out.

  
Dick smiled and reached over, plucking the girl off the gurney to hold her close, letting her legs wrap around his hip.   
  
Roy rolled his eyes, "Any hooter, the X-ray machine doesn't work... And neither does most the medbay's electrical components."

  
"And the great Roy Harper can't fix it?" Dick asked as Roy just shrugrew.

 

"Help me move him." Roy said to Jason, moving around the bed to grab Damian's legs. "I haven't inspected the damage."  
  
"He's been really lazy, I guess." Lian shrugged, God she was so fucking precious.

  
"We'll cut him some slack." Dick winked at the girl who's gaze had fallen on Slade.

 

Little Lian was just staring at him before she finally whispered to Dick, "Is that a pirate?"

  
The raven haired male glanced back with a smile before looking at the girl nodding, "Yes but he's a nice pirate and he's going to help us take down the bad guys."

  
Lian wrinkled her nose, “Oh... So he doesn't want any booty?"   
  
Roy almost dropped Damian, his hand going over his mouth as he had to stop himself from laughing. Jason on the other hand couldn't help but shamelessly laugh at Lian.

 

"Pay attention Todd." Damian snapped, seeing that Dumb and Dumber nearly dropped him.

 

"Lets try the word 'gold' next time, pumpkin. Dick has an unfair amount of booty."

 

"I prefer booty honestly." It was Jason's turn to be a bad parent, they both had their moments. Damian groaned nearly immediately.  


"Alright, alright Ms. Daisy..." Jason replied flippantly, turning back into the cabin for a second afterword. "Roy will get the x-ray fixed-" He was fine with making promises for Roy he might not be able to keep. "- And ... All narcotics stay on this jet. In and out for Damian only. Got it?"

 

With that Jason was off with Damian and Roy to get him set up in the medical bay.

Roy didn't doubt he could fix the machine, he just hoped he had all the right parts lying around. What really got to him was Jason snapping at the two about whatever painkillers Damian was on staying on the ship, part of him appreciated it because well.... That's how it all started. Popping a pill every now and then to numb the pain, popping more pills until _he_ was numb... He remembered the craving, the need to take more and more, hell even crush them up and snort them. He still had that craving and he felt it burning in his veins but he grounded himself, taking a deep long breath as they entered the medbay He was more than his addictions though,Jason's determination to keep all of it away made him slightly doubt that. Could he slip down that road again?

  


Nightwing glanced at Slade speaking directly to him while Roy and Jason grew out of earshot.

 

"I don't think we should move Damian around too much, I'll call Doctor S and we'll escort him here.

 

"You can make the call over the jet's com system, it'll scramble the message back to a safe house first ... No one needs to know where we are." Slade explained.

 

"Can I touch your mustache?" Lian interrupted.

  
Slade was fully amused, this child was not only was adorable, but she was witty and hilarious. She reminded him of a young Rose in a way ... Before the world and himself got to her anyway.

  
"Can you ...?" Slade chuckled. "Kid has gall." Deathstroke said back to Dick before leaning over a little. "Sure. Knock yourself out."

 

Lian gasped loudly as Slade let her investigate his pirate facial hair,  "Woah! It's so soft!!" She exclaimed, pure happiness in her voice.

 

The merc kept still for a second before straightening back up. Kids were a weak point of his, what could he say? Though, he really only entertained Lian because he was comfortable with Dick's company. Otherwise things would have remained much more serious.

 

"Why don't I show you the controls to my ship while Uncle Dick makes a phone call?" Slade offered to distract the child while Dick worked, he'd be nearby, and Lian could smash all the buttons she wanted on the control panel since the jet was off.  
  
Dick couldn't help but to smile a little at Slade, the big bad terminator, being so sweet and kind to little Lian. He didn't grow distant, he didn't shoot her a glare, he leaned in and let the sweet little girl touch his facial hair. As if Slade’s act of kindness wasn't enough he offered to entertain her and Dick swore he just about swooned.   
  
Yes... Slade killed people... Yes he _liked_ it, but damn it was he good with kids. It almost made Dick wonder what it would be like to have kids with him. He couldn't help but smile widely at the thought of Slade holding a tiny baby, rocking it and feeling it from a bottle. The image was far too precious and Dick was completely lost in it, a dumb smile plastered on his face until Lian knocked on his head.

 

"Anyone home?" She asked making Dick blink and come to, "Can I play with the pirates control panel? Pleeeaaasse."  
  
Dick's smile remained as he looked up to Slade,  “Yeah... Yeah of course, just don't hit the self destruct button. It's the big red one."   
"Pft, _everyone_ knows not to hit the red button! It's common sense!" The girl chided back.

 

Slade gladly took the little girl over from Dick, who booped the girls nose before he headed to the coms area. Lian only rolled her eyes before looking at Slade as he took her over to the co-pilot's seat and let her sit on his lap so she could get a full view of the instruments available for her to play with. He kept a careful eye on any knobs she moved around so he could return them to their original positions before he left.

 

"It is fun to fly, if it's okay with your Dad I'll let you come with on a ride while we are here."

 

Slade would need to go pick up the doctor, which would probably be an easy ride, bringing along Lian wouldn't be a problem. At least not for him.

 

“For serious!?” Lian beamed with hope and joy.

 

She was all too precious.

  
  
Meanwhile, Dick had began putting in a call to the doctor. Speaking in German once he got the man on the line.

 

<Hello, is this Viktor Van Schreckengost?>

 

<Speaking, may I ask who's inquiring?>

 

<Hey, uncle Vik...> Dick dropped the formality quiet immediately, <... It's Robin! Except much older and cooler, I uh... Was hoping you could help me out, my little brother got hurt pretty bad...>

 

Dick went on to explain the situation being sure to properly highlight everything little Damian went through. Viktor on the other end had taken to taking notes and compiling a list of things he would need in order to treat the boy. Dick answered a few questions around Damian's health and from there they arranged a meeting place. Once the time and location were set he ended the call and approached Slade and Lian, watching as the girl flicked and played with the buttons making little sound effects.

 

“Do you have a ship and a crew? And wears your hat?" She asked cutely, she admires pirates thanks to Jack Sparrow, her favorite pirate of all. "This must be really fun to fly! I bet you're good at it too, old people are good at everything.... No offense... But hey it's okay, being old only means you're wiser."

 

Dick leaned over the back of the seat, a hand resting between Slades neck and shoulder.

 

“That's right isn't it?" He asked, "It's why he's a good friend to have "

  
"Cuz he's smarter than you? I thought you just liked him because he makes you smile." The girl said coolly as she twisted more knobs.

 

Dick was still for a moment before he took the girl from Slade, “Let's go find your pop."  
  
Slade fixed the control panel quickly before standing up himself. "You're an observant little one ... Your Dad better watch himself around you."   
  
"I know, daddy says I get my brains from him but... I think he only says that to make himself feel better."

 

The girl whispered in response to Slade, her arms wrapping tightly around Dick as he carried her off the jet and down towards the medbay. He kept silent, just holding the girl, listening to her talk about all the art her and Bizzaro made. Before long they came to pass Bizzaro, Dick paused and smiled at him.

 

"Hey there big guy." He greeted with that naturally kind and caring voice of his.

  


  
Down in the medical suite Damian was sleeping again and Jason had begun setting up the different equipment.

 

"I'm sorry." Jason said suddenly, looking over readings on a computer rather than looking at Roy. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that, or scare Lian I just ... You know if something happens you _have_ to stay with her right? You can't leave her. She doesn't have anyone else, Roy."   
  
"Jay... I.... I hear you and.. I don't disagree. We're all Lian has and one of us has to make it out alive to be with her I just.."

 

The red head paused, transferring Damian onto the medical table before he started gathering the medical supplies needed to get an IV set up.

 

"Jason, it hurt losing you the first time and as much as I love Lian? I'd fall apart without you."

 

Roy's voice held a lot of honesty and shame. He worked on pulled the old IV out of Damian so he could change out the bag, silent a moment.

 

"I'll always choose Lian over you. I'll hate myself for it but... Like you said, she needs me.. Even if I'm a devilishly handsome fuck up." Roy joked before looking at Jason, watching him quietly.   
  
The red head finished setting up the IV bag and took Jason's wrist before he pulled him into a tight hug, "Just don't scare me like that again? I almost soiled my pants." His joking was his defense of hiding his pain, his fear of Jason slipping out of his arms and out of Lian's life. "And Fyi-" He pronounced it 'Ffwhy' as opposed to saying the actual letters, "Lian needs her Lord of sarcasm too."

 

Jason just hugged Roy back, enjoying the closeness there. He could smell him, feel him, it cemented the reality of Roy and Lian still being alive and there. Everything started to calm a little, he hadn't even realized before that moment how anxious he had felt.

 

"You'd be alright without me, you both would ... You'd have to be." Jason responded once Roy pulled away to work on the x-ray machine.

 

Jason was chewing on the inside of his cheek a little bit at the thought of Roy broken and lost with little Lian upset and crying. When Jason came back to life, he never expected to live more than a year more. He'd been so hell-bent on destroying Bruce and the underbelly of Gotham he _expected_ to die doing it. Everything after that wasn't planned, this life he was living with Roy, parenting Lian, feeling so stable and whole with them by him. Jason wouldn't trade it in for the world, but he never thought about the fact that Roy and Lian might be just as lost without him. After a while even Bruce replaced him with someone else to fill the hole Jason left... He just kind of always assumed that Roy would do the same.

 

"You'll find someone else to play Mom for Lian ... Hopefully someone more patient than I am." He talked about it like an eventuality, not a what if. "I'm replaceable, you aren't Roy."

 

Roy couldn't help but to frown at Jason's words, after all this time he _still_ thought he was replaceable. He believed that Roy would just move on like he never met Jason, that he could be happy. It shattered him because he was starting to see how deep Jason's scars ran, it started with his father who was never there. Getting arrested certainly didn't help keep him in Jason's life but he should've thought about that before beating his sons mom … His sons mom who couldn't pull herself together for her little one, her pain and addictions being more important. Then there was Bruce who failed to save him. Jason _never_ had any one he could count on, growing up it was only him and when he finally let someone else in they let him down.

 

"Jay..." Roy started before shaking his head and grabbing Jason's shoulders, "First of all, asshole, you _aren't_ leaving us... Second? I'm not leaving _you_... Jaybird, you've been the one thing I've had in my life constantly. Even if you're mad at me I can tell you I'm hurting and you'll be there. Everyone else distanced themselves when I started using and most of them haven't seen me the same since. But you? You don't see all that stuff, you see passed it because..." God this was a first, "Your mom was an addict.. You know what kind of pain pushes someone to it... But what you don't know is how healing you are... How supportive you, Jason Peter Todd, are... You may think you're interchangeable, Jason but you aren't."

 

With that Roy grabbed Jason and kissed him deeply and if Roy hadn't kissed him first, then Jason would have definitely taken the lead. Roy was saying what Jason needed to hear, and probably would continue needing to hear over and over again until it sank in. He was wanted, and irreplaceable to Roy. With him Jason really felt for the first time that he offered something to another human being that they cherished. He couldn't find the words to express this to Roy, someday he would. When his vulnerability masquerading  as pride allows him to. Jason didn't hesitate to kiss Roy back, feeling his body wanting to respond and show more affections. One hand cupped the side of Roy's neck, the other moving to the small of his back and slowly moving-

 

"Guys! we have guests." Lian interrupted.

  
Dick had just come around the corner and Lian had taken to covering Dick's eyes.   
Jason pulled away from Roy when he heard Lian, facing away from their guests to hide the redness in his face. Jason couldn't tell if it was more from embarrassment or anger. Regardless he wasn't happy about his alone time with Roy being interrupted _again_. Sure Damian was in the room but the damn kid was snoring, he wouldn't have known if Jason made out with his boyfriend a few feet away. At this point Jason would take what he could get, he had no goddamn dignity anymore.

Slade couldn't honestly say he was surprised. Maybe that the Red Hood was letting his partner be so openly affectionate with guests around, but not that he was into men or with Roy. The first part he could have known watching the young Robin practically drool over Dick's ass (though who wasn't?) The second part? They acted like an old married couple already, and trust him, he would know.

 

Roy rolled his eyes before walking over to take his daughter from the other hero,  though Dick actually stepped back.

  
"Woah... She's still mine you know. " the redhead said making Dick smirk.

 

"Well... I mean... For now she is." Dick taunted his friend, “So... How long have you and Red Riding Hood..?"  
  
"Since things went south." Roy said, moving back to the X-ray machine, getting down on the ground where he grabbed the chewed up wires, "This'll take a while."

  
"We have an hour before we need to leave to get the doctor." Dick commented, rocking Lian as he moved to stand by Damian, brushing his fingers through his hair.   
  
"Are you gonna be boring and do grown up stuffs?" Lian pout.

 

Dick looked to her and set her down, “Why don't you go set up some legos or something and I'll come play with you after I talk to Jason for a bit, sound good?"

  
"Yeah!" Lian beamed before running off, "Zarro! We're getting a late bedtime! Uncle says!" The girl shouted as her voice grew more distant.

  
Bizzaro made an excited sound, jumping up from his spot, "Blue man is best!" He announced with a goofy smile. "Lili let's make paintings."   
  
"No, B thats too messy for-" Bizarro accidentally smashed a bottle of paint in his hand, Jason sighed. "... tonight. Why do I even bother?" He muttered to himself, pushing a hand back through his hair.

 

“How long have you been holding out here?"  
  
With the kids gone, and Damian unconscious to the world he could finally ask Dick some tough questions, "A few months. I came out of hiding just when they starting rounding up heroes. I bagged up Roy and Lian back in the States, the big guy was already with me ... We came straight to the cave. Been here ever since."

 

Jason explained quickly before turning to his brother, arms crossed as he leaned against the medbay wall. "Now that you're all caught up... Tell me why one eye over here had to cover you in bruises to convince Lex he was using you as a ... Whatever. " It was clear in Jason's tone he wasn't buying any of it. "I'm guessing you didn't just decide to team up on your own call ... Slade made that decision _for you_."

 

There were a lot of accusations in Jason's tone, he didn't like this situation. It wouldn't be the first time Slade had tricked someone into working 'with' him when they were actually being controlled by him. This whole thing smelled fishy, and Alfred always told Jason never to trust a smelly old fish.

 

Dick couldn't help but to frown some, of course Jason was skeptical.. Deathstroke had a long rap sheet filled of God awful things he had done ranging from murder to betrayal. He's heard countless stories of how Deathstroke used people, he's seen it first hand after all, how he's betrayed them, all just to make a buck. Honestly it was a shock that Dick was trusting someone who seemed so cold, it wouldn't be the first time. But now that he's seen Slade's softer side? He couldn't help but to trust him. Sure his head was spinning trying to wrap around not only his emotional conflictions but the conflicts in Slades personality.   
  
"I've been talking to Slade here and there for a while and he told me to turn myself into the High Court, as you should know I got captured. And Slade... Won me like a prize. Lex was hosting a Gala... Getting all kinds of baddies together to relish in their false accomplishments.. And as you know, Slade has a reputation... I couldn't just walk into the gala without a scratch, it wouldn't have taken a bald psychopath to sniff us out. So we agreed that I needed to look the part of an abused pet." Dick had explained, looking off for a moment, "And believe it or not, Slade had the decency to stop when I said so." No... Dick didn't actually tell him to stop, but Slade _did_ say that he didn't care about making it look real enough to _actually_ assault him. The anger in Slades voice let Dick know that was true.   
  
Still, Dick didn't feel as though he convinced Jason enough so he went ahead and added, "Plus Slade wasn't the only one who put his hands on me.... Turns out when you're in a room full of villains they don't appreciate a wise mouth"

 

Dick shrugged, glancing over as Roy returned with some wires and his hat returned to his head, he was actually getting a little frustrated he couldn't have his boyfriend to himself but he was better at hiding it... With silence. He climbed down and under the X-ray machine and worked on pulling out the damaged wires so he could replace them.   
  
Dick watched a moment or two before his eyes turned back to his younger brother, " If that's not enough for you to trust gramps, then remember the enemy of my enemy is my friend... Slades too controlling to live under the High Court, even if they're filling his bank account. Getting hired by scum allows him to still have some sort of power because it allows him the freedom to up his price, walk away, kill whoever hired him, ECT and so forth.. But with the Court? He'd be more like an old dog sent to kill whoever they told him to and trust me, a collar would not look good on him." Dick teased, that smirk spreading on his lips.

 

"Implying I'm old and also only work for scum. Your comments are so flattering today, Dick." Slade responded, though his tone held no malice. "He's right though, I'm just as unhappy about this predicament as the rest of you. Believe it or not, I have a moral compass, and the way this High Court wants to take away the freedom of choice and squash any semblance of resistance rubs me entirely the wrong way."

 

Slade believed wholeheartedly that people were allowed to choose their own paths, for better or worse. The government was there to make sure those choices didn't harm others and were done appropriately. That wasn't to say that it was perfect, governments of all types had their pitfalls. However, this type of totalitarianism was entirely unacceptable.   
  
"Hang on a second, back up," Jason demanded, putting a hand up after Dick got finished with his speel. "Slade wasn't the _only_ one who put his hands on you? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

 

Jason was instantly defensive of Dick. The way his brother talked about the second incident sounded a lot less like a mutual agreement to make markings that looked like an assault … It sounded like an actual fucking assault.

 

"Did you let people touch him?" Yeah, he was blaming Slade, how else would Dick have been put in a position where he could have been touched unless Slade allowed it?   
  
"Watch your tone brat," Slade replied in a warning manner. "I didn't let anyone touch him." Hands unfolding at his side's, noticing the shift in Jason's demeanor.   
  
"Then what happened? Did you fall and break a hip or something? Where was the great 'unbeatable' Douchestroke while my brother was fucking assaulted?"

 

Jason's tone started out sarcastic, but it quickly turned dangerous and angry. His hands clenched so tightly into fists at his sides they were turning white. He could even feel green flooding into the corners of his vision.

 

"What the fuck did you let them do to him?!"

  



	7. Running Blind

Slade wasn't expecting Jason to react so violently, and while he was more than willing to push back at the younger man to prove he wasn't going to take his shit, he definitely wasn't trying to push him over the edge. Jason used to be explosive, the littlest thing would set him off and make him get trigger happy. Slade remembered that behavior from when Jason had been hired by his daughter's kidnappers to slow him down, and then helped him rescue Rose. His attitude improved considerably whenever he got away from Gotham, like when he was working with the Outlaws. Gotham was like poison to Jason Todd, it seeped into his system and made him crazy.

 

Dick, just as quickly as Slade, noticed Jason's anger the second he let on that someone else touched him.”Woah woah hold on Jay it's not like that!"

The last thing he needed was for Jason to black out and go Hulk mode on everyone.... On Slade.... He wasn't so much as concerned about Slade since he had the healing factor and all but he knew Slade wasn't going to let the Hood pummel the shit out of him. Fortunately Roy had crawled out from under the machine and hooked his arms around Jason's waist.

"Hold on there big Bird, deep breathes, we don't need you shooting someone while the kids are here." Roy soothed.

Jason began to relax when he felt arms wrapping around his midsection, along with a gentle reminder that the kids were just in the other room and Damian was right there next to them. He needed to calm down, this was getting out of hand already. Family, chiefly Dick and Bruce, could always so easily bring out this brand of anger in him. It was like his time in the pit just flipped a trigger that activated whenever they were around, and after being away for so long it was like he was learning to control himself all over again. Thank God Roy was there.

 

"Slade was with me for most the night but... Luthor called him to a private meeting and, unannounced to Slade, sent guards to make sure I didn't try to bolt. Slade had absolutely nothing to do with what happened. If I didn't have him the situation would've gotten significantly worse." God the last thing he wanted right now was to talk about what happened only days ago, he could still taste it.

Unfortunately Roy's concern seemed to grow as he stiffened, "Wait... Hold up.... What do you mean? How far did it go? What exactly-"

"Will you guys just drop it!" Dick snapped, his temper getting the best of him It was almost like a wounded dog nipping and biting to keep itself from getting hurt further, "Nothing happened. Roman and his men got rough, Slade intervened and it was done."

The amount of defensiveness only made Roy pout some, his arms still around Jason as though he was ready to hold him back which.... If he were being honest here he was. He didn't want his baby girl to see an angry and unstable Jason. Dick met Roy's gaze with a frown before stepping back and crossing his arms, building up his own defensive walls, yes he wore his emotions on his sleeve but he felt too much shame and embarrassment to openly share how he got mouth raped by Black Mask of all people. It was bad enough Slade knew about it, especially given the fact he was a former enemy that Dick would've never wanted to see him in that fragile, vulnerable and broken state.. Despite the fact Slades presence helped him get through it... Despite Dick feeling a slight need for Slades comfort. Maybe that's why he shifted towards the mercenary when Roy gave him a far from trusting look.

"I'm not a dits... If I didn't trust Slade I wouldn't have brought him here, and I wouldn't have trusted him unless he gave me a reason to do so. So get off his back...... We came here because we need to set up communications with Tim, so if you're done being up my ass I have work to do."

"Dick, relax..." Slade said almost in a whisper when moved closer to his person.

Dick was looking for support, and he didn't blame him. No hero wanted to admit when they'd been beat, least of all in the way Dick had been. Though, Slade was beginning to see that they needed to have a conversation about why that kind of thought process could be so toxic for the hero and actually prevent him from healing from the ordeal.

"We.... Already got a message from Tim and responded.... I'll send a follow up so he knows you're here and I'll make a relay device so you can access the messages outside the cave." Roy grumbled, hesitantly letting the subject change. He didn't want to start a fight right now... Not with the kids around.

Slade placed a hand on Dick's shoulder, getting ready to continue the subject change to defuse the situation. Unfortunately, the bomb that was Jason Todd was ready to explode.

"Roman?!" Jason nearly barked out, the white of his teeth showing. "You don't get to do this Dick! Stop being a condescending prick about this, we are worried about you. I was worried about you!"

"Jason!" Roy exclaimed.

He knew the batboys had a way with words when it came to tearing each other apart, honestly it seemed like their defense. 'I'm hurt so I'll make you hurt more.' Jason and Dick used words while Damian used violent force.

"You and Bruce have always fucking done this ... You have no problem dragging up all of our shit for the gritty details. Then, when anyone shows genuine interest in helping your brooding asses you act like it's a personal attack, like we are the ones being unfair to you!" Jason was yelling at this point, Bizzaro even turned his head in the other room, standing up to look over at the commotion. Jason was so gone that he didn't realize how loud and aggressive he sounded. He pulled at Roy's grasp a little bit, wanting so badly to hit Dick in the face right now.

Roy tightened his grip, one arm around his waist while the other hand moved to rest on Jason's bicep. "Baby-" He tried once more to intervene but things were too far gone, Jason wasn't going to stop.

"You had no problem making me tell you about clawing out of my own goddamn grave, begged me to explain how I could have possibly survived bumbling around brain dead for a year and a half. Then you let Bruce force me to explain every horrendous moment of being dipped into the pit, making me relive that sick fuck beating me to death all over again." He was seeing green. When that happened, it was like his personal goal was to emotionally wound whoever his target was. He wanted to make Dick hurt, even if he wasn't entirely himself at the moment. "Don't you dare sit here and play the victim like we are unfairly pushing you!"

"Excuse you!?" Dick snarled, his fist tightening into a fist.

"Alright, enough. Break time." Slade announced, grabbing Dick's shoulders and nearly forcing him to turn away from Jason and to leave the medical bay.

If there was one thing he knew about arguing siblings, the best thing to do sometimes was to separate them and let them cool down in a safe space away from the other. He connected a glance with Roy as if to communicate that idea. Slade could try and handle Dick ... He just felt bad for the archer being left with Jason. Roy was relieved that the other intervened because he knew this would've spiraled into a fist fight. The red head shifted in front of Jason, hands moving to his shoulders giving them a soft squeeze.

"Why don't you breathe with me? Take a walk." It wasn't the best suggestion Roy could've thought of but it was definitely a start.

Bizzaro was standing outside the medical bay door, looking like a child who was caught listening to his parents fight when he was supposed to be in bed. His eyes looked at Dick almost sympathetically.

"Red man's mad." Pointing out the obvious, looking inside the medical bay before moving away with Slade and Dick. "He no means it ... Red be sorry when he calms down." It was at that moment that Bizzaro, who probably had an IQ that was lower than anyone else there, had better emotional awareness about Jason Todd's condition than the man himself did.

 

Dick tore away from Slades grip, marching passed Bizzaro at least moving forward. "Well 'Red' is a prick that should learn boundaries." He snapped, not particularly meaning to. The poor grey oaf was just trying to be helpful and right now, Dick was being the jerk who was pushing everyone away.

He was shaking, anger and pain boiling inside him and he just didn't know what to do, the wounds were still fresh and he didn't want to think about it. It wasn't fair that Jason was pushing.... Ugh Dick didn't even want to think about that, especially since Jason pointed out the fact Dick did that to him. Within moments Dick had gone to what looked to be the gym area, with a hop he grabbed onto one of the pull up bars and pulled himself up on top of it. Once he was on top he stood and grabbed onto the the pieces that had the bar suspended from the ceiling and from there the young acrobat climbed up.

Slade tried to remain focused on his own bat boy in front of him, though it would appear that Dick wanted absolutely nothing to do with anyone. "Dick where are you..." Slade's words trailed off when the acrobat started expertly climbing up the damn ceiling like the spider monkey he was.

If this wasn't such a tense situation he would have spent much more time appreciating the way Dick's muscles moved under Slade's suit as he climbed upward ... Alright, so maybe he did anyway. There was a small platform built at the top of the cave that filtered all the electrical wires and beams that support each thing in the cave, but for Dick? Those rafters were always the perfect hideaway spot. After climbing up and into the rafters, Dick sat with his knees pulled to his chest and his arms around them, his anger drifting into pure pain. Jason was right, he was being selfish... He let his fear of being vulnerable, of admitting that he was sexually abused, get in the way of his relationship with Jason... Hell he didn't even open up to Alfred about the other times it had happened.  
Slade could see that the other was in pain and for a second he considered following Dick up there to talk it out, but if he was going to such lengths to be alone, then he wanted to be alone. Besides, Slade didn't want to embarrass himself by missing a grip and tumbling back down to the ground floor. He was strong, but didn’t have the same amount of body control and balance Dick did ... Hell, no one did.

 

Meanwhile, down in the cave Roy had pulled Jason into a tight hug, he was willing to let Jason take his anger out on him because he knew how important it was to get that anger and hatred out. He knew the pit left remnants of insanity in Jason's head. Poor thing couldn't control it. Even Ra's Al Ghul was crazy because of those waters and Jason was just a child when he experienced that psychosis.

"Breathe with me Jaybird, you're here. I'm here with you... You're safe." The redhead continued to try and at least ground his boyfriend.

"Don't patronize me!" Jason yelled at Roy, turning his anger toward his lover on the turn of a dime.

He sharply tried to shrug Roy's hands off his shoulders and even made an attempt to physically push him away. Jason, like Dick, wanted to push everyone away and destroy everything around him. Including the relationships with the people he loved. There was this sick minded voice in his head at moments like these that told him everyone was against him, no one could be trusted, they'd all abandon and fail him too. Right now it was whispering that Roy was only trying to calm him down because Jason was attacking Dick ... That Roy always liked Dick more than Jason. If Roy could? He'd be with Dick. It was a sick cycle of Pit rage that was hard to break out of once it started, his anger fed the green fog that clouded any sanity left in his mind.

Roy frowned, he didn't want Jason to push him away. To start spiraling out of control. He didn't want Lian or Bizzaro to be afraid of him, though judging by the fact Lian ran off to seek company from Bizzaro may have said otherwise.

"B...Can... We go somewhere else?" The girl asked her larger, less sharp friend. He could at least keep her company while she hid away, she didn't know Slade well enough to feel comfortable asking him though he didn't leave her gaze. She didn't like it when Jason yelled.

Her hand moved up to grip onto Bizzaros before her slightly teary eyes turned back towards him, eventually she bit the bullet and moved away, seeking Slade. Not because she didn't feel safe with Bizzaro but because she knew Bizzaro was just as upset as she was.

 

Slade heard Jason yell again, his eye still fixed on Dick as he contemplated how the hell he would get up there, if even possible. His focus shifted down when he felt a tiny hand tug on his sleeve.

"Mr. Pirate? Can.... Can B and I go to your jet?" Her voice trembled as she tried keeping her composure but with the tense atmosphere and yelling? It wasn't easy.

Slade's heart instantly broke for the little girl, she looked absolutely wrecked by the outburst she had just witnessed. Violence was hard on everyone, but it affected children the most. Slade had seen that with his own children, but even more so on the faces of the unknowing youth when he served his time with the military in Vietnam.

"Sure sweetheart." Slade's tone and face softened instantly, he knelt down enough to pick her up off the ground and held her against his chest. A soothing hand stroking her back. "Come on, I have some treats inside."

Slade suggested, motioning for Bizzaro to come as well, the guy looked just as teary as Lian, clutching a Superman plushie to his chest like it was his lifeline. Slade took them both to his jet, letting Bizzaro and Lian occupy the bed while he started up his tablet putting on the first kid's movie he could find online, Trolls: the Russian version. From there he handed the device to Lian. He left for a moment only to come back with one of Dick's boxes of cereal that he soon poured into a bowl, setting between the two of them. Okay, it wasn't candy, but it might as well be. Besides, Jason didn't seem like the type that was feeding them refined sugar constantly. Bizzaro's eyes lit up instantly, stuffing a large handful of Lucky Charms into his mouth.

"Zarro likes pirate man."

Slade sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back against the headboard as the opening number started on the tablet screen. God he didn't miss suffering through children's movies at all. Lian took a handful of cereal and happily ate it, the food crushing under her tiny teeth as she glanced at Slade.

"He's really nice, huh? Told you pirates were cool. " She said to Bizzaro sticking out her tongue.

Bizzaro stuck his tongue out at Lian back causing Slade to chuckle a bit at the behavior. "Behave you two." He said in a non serious manner, unclipping his belt and various other equipment from himself so he could actually relax.

Once that was done he fully got onto the bed with the two 'kids' leaning up against the cushioned headboard, even throwing a couple piece of cereal in his mouth. Alright, it was good, but he couldn't imagine eating an entire bowl of it. He brought the lights down a little bit to create a soothing atmosphere, moving Lian onto his lap and pulling a blanket over her and Bizzaro. The big oaf was knocked out sleeping hard by the time the Trolls reach Burgon Town.  
Lian couldn't help but to relax, she felt safe and warm in the others lap all her worries seeming to drain from her as she munched on cereal and watched the movie. Perhaps she was picking up on the fatherly vibes Slade was giving off, after all despite the pain he's put his own children through he had his moments of truly being a dad. Moments of wiping his children's tears, moments of cuddling with them, moments like this... Within minutes Lian was fully slumped into Slade, completely asleep and snoring softly. It was serene considering the chaos that was now the world.

 

While there was peace in the jet a storm raged just outside, Jason had tried to fight Roy off, just pushing for space that would have made his condition that much worse. Roy was doing what was best for Jason, even if Jason didn't agree with it at the moment.

"Let go of me Roy! FUCKING LET GO!" Jason yelled at first, desperately trying to get his hands between the two of them to shove Roy off.

Roy wasn't at all surprised that Jason was fighting him so hard, anyone would. Right now Jason wasn't even fully present, he blacked out and was in whatever reality his mind was creating around him. Roy had to stay consistent to bring him back, to prove all of Jason's voices wrong.

"Jaybird I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. I need you, Lian needs you, even Bizarro needs you. Deep breathes."

He continued even as Jason tried pushing him off. Roy's calming voice came breaking through the green fog like a lighthouse beacon on the water. It gave Jason enough clarity to hear himself, to see how he was acting and his stomach dropped clear into his feet. He stopped resisting Roy and stared forward for a moment right through Roy like he was coming back to himself. Then, his head fell onto the other's shoulder, breathing hard like he'd just ran ten miles along the rooftops of Gotham. His muscles still incredibly tense under his boyfriend's touch. He pulled himself out of the Pit in his mind, but he was struggling to keep himself from falling back into it again. Arms wrapped around Roy's then, holding onto him like a lifeline to ground him. Roy didn't hesitate to hug Jason tighter as he closed the space between them speaking into Jason's ear.

One hand was on the back of his head while the other was around his body. "You're okay baby, I've got you. You're safe, you're here. Think of Lian." He whispered, letting his green eyes close. "Just stay with me, baby." God he could only imagine what it must feel like to have to fight for sanity. It made Roy's heart hurt. The red head soon planted a kiss along Jason's cheek bone, "Just stay with me."

Jason held onto Roy for what seemed like eternity in his head as the fog receded in his mind. That familiar voice soothing him further, grounding him, reassuring him.  
He remembered what this was like before Roy. It could have been hours of wrestling with himself, even blacking out and coming to hours later with only a whisper of an idea what had happened while he was out. It was dangerous and terrifying, it made him want to seclude himself in fear of what he might do. Roy was the first person to really sit with him and take on his anger without giving up. That's why his boyfriend scared Jason so much ... He was afraid of what he might be like without him now, without that soothing voice pulling him back into sane waters. Jason liked the person Roy helped him to be… He was scared that if he lost Roy, he'd lose himself.

"I'm sorry." Jason nearly whispered, his shoulder's shaking at the pure energy he'd spent in his rage. His muscles felt exhausted, and his mind even more so. "I'm so sorry, Roy." His voice was absolutely genuine. Within seconds Jason was pressing his face into the side of Roy's neck, hands lightly grabbing the back of his shirt. "... I didn't- ... God Roy. I fucked up, I fucked up."

This happened sometimes after his outbursts, and right now he felt especially guilty and full of regret. He'd lost it in front of everyone, including Lian. Lian had seen him screaming, completely gone. He wanted to throw up thinking about it.

"She's going to hate me." They both knew exactly who he was talking about. "I should have kept it together for her ... I can't stop it though Roy ... Fuck."

"Oh baby.." Roy couldn't help but to mutter, hand on the back of Jason's head with his fingers running through his hair.

No doubt Jason scared Lian, hell he even scared Roy a little bit because he knew what damage could be done if Jason completely lost it.

" She won't hate you, she'll just be a little scared of making you mad is all." He tried to joke however that joke was just too... Honest. "Baby you can't help it, your anger got the best of you... You... Can't blame yourself for your flare ups, Jason. You just have to celebrate each moment you calm yourself, each time you come back from it faster..."

Roy pulled away just enough to hold Jason's head in his heads, "Look at me... you did good.. You didn't hurt anyone. Now, you hurt Dick's feelings but you didn't attack him, Lian didn't see you completely lose it. She still loves you. I swear Jason you're... Probably a better father than I am. You're definitely hotter."

 

Jason really listened to Roy, letting himself try and internalize what Roy was saying. He hadn't lost it completely, no one got physically hurt and the only casualty was Dick's emotions. He needed to be proud of what he'd prevented rather than what had transpired. There was no possible way he could have calmed down without Roy, if the redhead hadn't been there Jason would have ended up in a fist fight with his brother and Slade, Jason didn't doubt that. Jason couldn't help but to cry, but only enough for a few spare tears to fall down his cheeks. More in relief than anything else. He quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand.

"Don't be stupid, Roy." Jason let out a short chuckle in response to his self deprecating comments.

Roy was a different type of parent than Jason was, but that didn't make either one of them better, it just meant they worked best as a team. As far as the debate over who was hottest? Jason would have to disagree, Roy was ... so, so attractive.

Roy leaned in slowly to plant a delicate and gentle kiss to Jason's lips. The best description for it was a kiss filled to the brim with love and affection.  
Jason kissed Roy back without hesitation his hands finding the back of Roy's neck, pulling him and his lips closer. Jason enjoyed the sweet affectionate kiss but, like everything, Jason took it a step further. He poured passion into it, a hint of lust and want despite what had just happened. When he finally pulled back from Roy, his teal eyes met green with absolute clarity.

"You deserve an award for putting up with all this Roy Harper." Jason said at his own expense, letting his hands slowly slide off Roy's neck and down his back. "I'm going to go to the bedroom and decompress. Once your done with the X-ray-" Jason's hands landed on Roy's lower back, one sliding a few fingers into the back of the other's waistband on his hip. "-Come join me."

His hands left Roy after the suggestive hint was made, moving away toward their shared bedroom.

 

"You do that, I don't know how long I'll take so feel free to fantasize." Roy smirked and moved away kneeling back down and slipping under the X ray machine getting to work, damn those rodents took their toll. Roy was determined to get this thing fixed sooner rather than later.

 

Jason noticed the missing ship and lack of children. He started to panic, that voice telling him Dick took Lian, but he shook it off. Dick brought Lian with him to go see the Doctor. Slade had promised she could go, and it was probably a break they all needed. He breathed slowed as he walked into the washroom, taking a shower and changing into sweats and a tank top before flopping onto their bed.

 

-

~ten minutes earlier~  
Dick had cried into himself softly, he felt awful. He always demanded emotional authenticity of his brothers and while he's gotten better at it, he used to push and push until feelings were spilled. When Jason came back Dick pried and forced him to spill his guts and yet here he was completely locking himself up, literally hiding. With a heavy sigh Dick let himself slip off the rafters, holding himself upside down with his leg as he grabbed hold of the same beams he used to get up there. Once the beams were in his hands he let his legs slip off the rafters and let his body slide down the beams until his hands were on the pull up bars where he swung around and landed gracefully on the ground. He swore he heard what sounded like Jason crying or... Talking but he didn't focus on that right now.

He wasn't ready to talk to him about what happened and he felt too guilty about clamming up to go see Jason so... For now he turned his focus back to the mission at hand. Getting Damian medical attention and contacting Tim. Since Tim's been contacted Damian was the only thing for Dick to worry about. He completely evaded Jason and Roy heading straight to the jet, he saw Slade take the kids here so when he climbed on and heard one of the familiar songs from Trolls he wasn't surprised, yes he was even familiar with the songs in other languages.

"I told the doctor we would meet with him, we're already running 5 minutes late. I don't-" Dick stopped as he stepped into the back room, his cold heart instantly warming up at the sight of Bizarro and Lian not only sleeping but sleeping with Slade.

Old man must've conked out with the kids. Right now Dick wished he had a camera because the sight of Lian snuggled against Slade was so. Damn. Precious.

"Tsk.... Just have to steal the show don't you." He mumbled and approached, fixing the blanket to make sure it covered everyone before he kissed each of their heads. "You make me want kids again."

Dick sighed, a hand running along Slades beard, jaw and cheek before he planted a second kiss to his forehead. Slade felt Dick's kisses on his person. The man wasn't tired enough not to notice, but he wouldn't embarrass Dick by calling him out either. Let the kid think he was saying all that cheesy stuff to a unconscious room. With that Dick moved towards the front of the jet, glancing back one last time to get a mental picture saved in his head before he went to the pilots seat starting to turn the jet on and heat it up... Would he kidnap the kids for a while? Maybe. Will he be responsible and ask Roy first? Doubtful.  
Once the jet turned on, Slade decided it was time to get up, despite his parental heart telling him to stay. Slade carefully moved Lian off his chest and lap, down onto the bed with expert precision that only came after years of experience. He made sure both kiddo were tucked in tight before heading to the front of the ship.

"Didn't want to join the cuddle puddle on the bed? Surprised you passed up the chance." Slade announced himself, sleep still in his voice. He leaned against the back of Dick's chair, his arms resting over Dick's shoulders on either side of the head rest.

"If we didn't need to get the doctor I would've joined you guys in a heartbeat, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to steal them." Dick teased, a smirk spreading across his lips.

"Want to talk about it yet or still need some time?"

Slades question made Dick's smirk fade entirely. It was vague but he knew exactly what the older male was talking about. He went still a while, eyes forward and silence spilling over them before finally sighing and flicking the jet on autopilot.

"Slade... I know I spill my guts over everything but..... This has always been the one thing I've never been able to bring myself to talk about." That clearly meant it happened more than once.

Dick's hands ran up Slades arms taking a moment to just feel them, his body soon turning sideways in the chair so he could look up at the Merc. The heroes back was against the arm of the chair and his legs were brought to his chest crossed at the ankles. He reached up to take Slades hand starting to fiddle with it, his blue eyes locked on it as he avoided eye contact. He knew this was going to be hard to talk about but right now.... Slade was the only person who actually knew about it, Jason not really counting cuz he didn't know the extent. Slade was there, he saw what happened.

"You're the only one who really knows it's happened to me... I mean by parents know about the first time but...We didn't talk about it." Dick's eyes glanced up to meet Slade's before he sighed, already hating the pit in his stomach, "...Back at Haylys."

Dick stopped with a groan, this wasn't even the time Slade was asking about. Baby steps, maybe talking about the other times would make talking about Roman easier.

"We had a lion tamer, he was only there for a few weeks. He liked..... Kids.... When he first took me back to see the lions I had a feeling something was off but I ignored it and… It was the first time he..." Dick squeezed Slades hand and let his eyes close, "He had a whip he liked to use if we didn't listen... I found some marks on Reya, a girl from the circus she's a close friend, and I tried to negotiate with him... I told him he could have me if he left her alone, that I wouldn't fight it...." Dick fell silent, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to give out the details, he didn't know if he could. "I saw him taking Reya to his tent a few days after we made the deal.... I got so mad, Slade I... I don't know what happened... I blacked out and the next thing I knew I was sitting there with his whip wrapped around his neck.. I wanted to kill him but... I couldn't.. I let him go and Reya and I went to my parents... They knew some of what happened but... They didn't ask too much about it."

Dick was just a child, it was almost surprising he could remember the details so clearly but then again trauma could have that effect.

A shaky breath escaped Dick as he opened his eyes, fingers running up Slades arm, "The second time.... I honestly don't think I can tell you much, I don't really remember it.. It was when I was Robin. Bruce was looking for these children traffickers. He benched me but I didn't listen and went out to find them myself. I found their compound and I was so close to finding the kids but they saw me and flooded the room with... Something. My head was foggy and I felt dizzy. I was in and out when they dragged me to the office of whoever was in charge, apparently she was excited about having Robin at her dispense." Dick was quiet as he began massaging Slades hand, squeezing and rubbing it for his own comfort. "Honestly I only have bits and pieces of what happened, I just remember struggling and feeling her… Her perfume.." He shuttered, "When she was done she left me in there and Bruce found me. When the drugs wore off he asked me what happened and.... I just told him that she drugged me and tied me up... That she told me not to interfere.... I lied to him because I knew he'd blame himself, that he'd take robin away from me.. It was only my second year, I didn't want him to be disappointed so.... He never found out."

That one was a little easier but honestly it's because the memory was so foggy he didn't really remember everything that happened and he was grateful.

"The third time.....I….It was....."

Dick's brows furrowed, his breath shifted. His body reacted so strongly as if he were reliving the event and it filled him with not only fear but the impulse to run. Within seconds Dick was standing moving towards the back of the ship like he was actually trying to run away from what happened.

"I can't do this, Slade." He snapped, anger being his first defense to hide his fear and vulnerability.

"Hey kid-" Slade had started when Dick went to get up, moving toward the back of the jet.

Slade didn't even ask him to talk about the other times, Dick knew it wasn't fair to get angry with him because ultimately Dick chose to open up. The raven haired male stopped in the kitchen area, holding onto the counter as he tried to catch his breath, his body trembling.

"I can't..."

Slade counted to five slowly in his head, wanting to give Dick just enough space that he could settle himself somewhere. The kitchen seemed to be that spot.  
He crossed the jet silently, flicking his hand over the doorway to the bedroom to shut the door and keep the kids from having to overhear or see anything Dick didn't want them to. The last thing his pretty bird needed was to feel guilt about that on top of everything else clearly spiraling through Dick's mind. Slade finally found his way to Dick again, positioning himself at his side, a hand coming to rest down on top of one of the other's that was gripping the counter top.

"You don't have to Dick." Slade soothed, his other hand finding the dip between the hero's shoulder blades where he rubbed purposeful half circles into the muscle there. "As a hero you're expected to shoulder the world. People expect you, especially you Dick, to be the one who can pull it all together for everyone so you can stop the bad guys, save people, kiss babies ..." Okay, so even if he was being serious Dick was still wearing off on him. It was becoming a problem. "You're taught to push down your traumas so you can keep fighting or performing."

The hand on Dick's back moved to his shoulder causing Dick's body to naturally ease slightly into Slade and the physical comfort he brought. He didn't force the hero into a hug and he didn't keep too much distance, he provided the perfect combination of space and comfort, the combination Dick needed.

"I remember when you were a Titan you broke your ankle. You kept wearing this brace under your suit, but kept going... You kids were up my ass. I noticed because your balance was just slightly off, you favored the other leg, and even though you still put up one hell of a fight, you were held back by that injury." He had a point in here, he swore he did. "Someone benched you, I don't know who, but it was for a few weeks. You had to focus on healing that injury, acknowledging that it existed and dealing with it finally so you didn't continue hurting yourself." Slade's hand slipped onto the side of Dick's chin, lightly turning his head so those baby blues would look at him.

"Everytime someone assaulted you, it left an emotional wound. You kept going, ignoring them, just hoping with time they'd go away because that's what you thought you needed to do to be good enough. You think if your family, your friends see you hurting or actually dealing with what happened they'll think your weak, less than, because you couldn't push through." Slade brushed his thumb along Dick's cheekbone, wiping away some of the tears that began to fall. "I'm telling you that you have to give yourself permission to process what's happened to you so that you can finally start healing from it. Like with your ankle, you need to stop holding yourself up to everyone else's expectations of how to handle things. Be real and genuine about how this has affected you over the years."

Slade couldn't imagine the emotional turmoil Dick had to be in. Rape was absolutely the worst thing you could do to another human being in terms of destroying their self worth, their sense of safety. Watching Dick tremble just from talking about it was evidence enough of that.

"I'm not a hero though. I don't expect you, or anyone, to be that destructively selfless. What I'm saying is-" Slade emphasized this point by leaning in a little and speaking lower. "-that you can break down in front of me, fall apart, spill your guts and bare your soul to all the ugly parts you've wanted to hide and I won't shame you. I don't expect you to be perfect Richard Grayson."

The hero listened closely to Slades words though closed his eyes once more, he almost wanted to cry.. No.. He  
was crying because he felt like his enemy knew him better than his own family did. Time and time again he's been told he is the one who just keeps moving forward. That he doesn't get entangled in his grief like everyone else… This wasn't untrue but there were things that took a toll on the hero. Dick was truly a martyr at heart, he'd endure endless suffering so others didn't have to so much as dream of it. He was used to it, what was challenging was having someone tell him to hold on a little. To accept the pain before brushing it off. He didn't even realise how badly he wanted someone in his life to hold him to that standard. To not only offer the freedom of breaking down, of sharing, but not forcing him to and to give him the freedom to do so in a safe place. Bruce would try to control him somehow, Jason would get angry, Tim would pity him... Things he didn't want. He just wanted to be heard.

His eyes opened as his own hand reached up to hold onto Slades. Their eyes locked and Dick got completely lost in Slades gaze, he bit his lip and nodded before his eyes closed again.

"You've already watched me fall apart." Or at least it felt like it, surly there wasn't anywhere lower than rock bottom.

The young hero barely had time to control himself before his arms wrapped around Slades body in a tight hug, Slade may not have been the perfect lover... The perfect partner even.. But Slade was exactly what Dick needed.

"You're right though." He finally whispered before looking up at Slade, wiping some lose tears, "I'm so concerned about upsetting them... About failing them or... Losing my freedom that I bite my lip and.... It builds and builds. I have nightmares and triggers." Dick's hands moved down Slades arms to take his hands, holding them tightly to keep himself grounded. "If I open up to you this way, Slade, it changes everything... It's... Like sex except instead of it being a deep physical connection it's emotional." He didn't know if it was a warning, if maybe he expected Slade to change his mind about listening, "I don't know what it'll mean Slade but.... You'll be the only person I've opened up to this way.." The male pulled back, leaning against the counter but he pulled Slade with him so the older man was in front of him.

With A heavy sigh Dick closed his eyes again and opened up, "I don't want to talk about it, Slade... I don't want to go back there but... I need to get it out."

He didn't know if Slade would understand what that meant… Needing to release those emotions, that memory, but he was betting all his cards on what Slade had already said... He could talk about this... He could finally heal.. The way he l needed to.. With someone else.

"I guess I should start at the beginning... I was on a mission with Bruce, we were learning about a new player in Gotham. Bruce had us split up and I was responsible for surveying the more low key areas, I was pissed about it and being my passive aggressive self took to the alleyways instead of the rooftops. If I'm going to be honest here I was mocking Bruce the whole time..." He tried joked to steady himself but it didn't seem to work, his grip tightened on Slade and his brows furrowed. "Out of nowhere this van pulled up behind me and the next thing I knew there was a bag over my head, I managed to knock someone out but it wasn't long after that someone slammed my head into the ground. When I woke up I was chained to one of those metal spring frames..."

Despite having Slade there, despite holding his hands like a python, Dick couldn't help but to start shaking again.

"He was behind me and I could feel his hand running over my leg... 'You must've been waiting for a long time for this.'" The heroes voice trembled as he shook his head taking a moment to steady himself, "The Joker." The name came out in barely a whisper and Dick swore he threw up in his mouth. His blue eyes opened and locked onto Slade's, his voice trembling as tears slowly pooled in his eyes, "Je... started touching me... Said that I was asking for it..." Clearly in reference to the green shorts, "Anytime I struggled I'd get electrocuted.. He had something rigged to my wrists and ankles so that when I moved it'd activate a current that'd run through the springs.... He... He asked me to beg for him." His mind couldn't help but to take him back there, his head shaking as his grip moved up to Slades forearms. Now it was clear why he pinned himself between Slade and the counter, he could barely stand. "He.."

Dick couldn't even say it, he couldn't explain how The Joker took advantage of him. His forehead moved to rest against Slades chest, he had to shift the conversation to the other details so he could continue talking about it… Despite Dick's incredibly visceral reaction to his memories Slade didn't dare tell Dick to stop. He didn't want to discourage this because the hero needed to confide in someone. While Slade may not have been the choice of any other vigilantes, he took the responsibility here seriously. Dick was asking him to listen and support, even if those weren't conscious thoughts. Dick was trusting Slade to hear about his weaknesses, to look at his scars and not run away from it or worse ... Use them against him. It was a level of trust that Slade wasn't even sure he'd be able to return, but was entirely humbled by it nonetheless. Slade wanted blood though. While on the outside he stood like a rock, solidly, supportive and listening, he couldn't help the raw anger boiling in his gut.

"We were on some kind of...Stage. I couldn't see the seats but it looked like people were in them and there were cameras.." Dick backtracked some, "He said he wanted a.... Memento.." He shuttered, trembling hands moving to grip the front of Slades costume, "After....He finished..... He injected me with some of the scarecrow's fear toxin, smacked me around a bit.. Said He wanted the bat to see how toxic I was.. Wanted him to hurt... The second time he was a lot rougher and I...I kept seeing things and hearing things... I...I don't know what was real. "

There was a slight tense to Slades jaw as Dick went through the details of the Joker's assault on him. That man was an absolutely sick individual who had earned a bullet to the skull more times over than any other villain he could think of. For Slade? He just earned one from Deathstroke. Especially when Dick finally broke starting to sob into the mercenary. But he kept talking.

"There were so many people watching, taking turns. I could hear Bruce telling me how disappointed he was. I could hear my parents screaming and calling me a whore. I..." Dick began sinking, he couldn't stand, he couldn't breathe, he felt dizzy… For a moment he wondered if he was dying.

Slade's anger was shattered when Dick started to actually lose control of his shaking legs, beginning to sink toward the ground between Slade and the kitchen counter.

"You're alright, Kid."

Slade nearly whispered, hands moving to support the other's weight like it was second nature to him. He pulled Dick close to his person, then slowly flipped their positions against the counter before Slade actually let them sink onto the floor. Trying to keep Dick upward would have been uncomfortable for both of them, plus Dick looked ready to fully pass out so getting him to lay down would help even the blood flow. Dick wasn't even fully aware of the shift in positions, he could feel the ground beneath him which made him feel less like he was falling through an empty space. It pulled him out of the room he remembered, but the kitchen was still spinning around him. He could still hear all those voices and whispers. It was either the criminals talking about how much he deserved it or must've liked it or were the heroes saying how disappointed they were. Dick felt like he couldn’t breathe, the air around him growing thin and his vision fading in and out. He was having a panic attack.

 

"I'm going to help you get comfortable."

Slade was careful to explain his next steps, not wanting to trigger Dick further during his episode. Strong arms lifted Dick onto Slade’s lap, one side of his chest and arm becoming a back/head rest for the young hero.

"Here." Slade took one of Dick's poor shaking hands in his own and pressed it against his own chest. "Breathe with me."

He began mimicking slow, controlled breathing, letting Dick feel the rise and fall of his chest with his palm rather than repeatedly tell him 'in and out' like a birthing instructor. That wasn't comforting, it was annoying. Dick heard Slade’s words break through the chatter, felt his warm body against his own making him realize how cold he felt, and while he personally felt like he was freezing, his body temperature was burning up. The only exception was the hero’s hands, which were as cold as ice.

"I....I..C-can't." Dick stuttered, fighting to copy Slade’s breathing.

Each of Dick’s deep exhales was interrupted by a quick gasp. His breathing still erratic. Slade knew it was hard to come off of a PTSD attack and while Slade wanted to help Dick, he did not want to tell Dick he didn't have to continue or start to reassure him about the situation. Dick didn't want pity, he didn't need Slade to tell him how immensely fucked up the Joker’s actions had been because they both already were painfully aware of that fact. Restating the obvious was redundant. What Dick's mind needed was reassurance and grounding.

"You're safe. You're here with me."

When Slade slipped into his own PTSD moments he tended to get so lost in the memory that he relieved it. He forgot his own true environment and went back to that moment in time, truly feeling every part of it as if he was actually there. Slade needed a reminder of reality to bring him back. If Dick needed that then Slade was more than ready to provide it. Telling Slade about his trauma and reliving it was two very different things, and he wasn't going to let Dick suffer. It took a couple of minutes but Slade noticed that Dick’s breathing had finally started to catch up with his rhythm or... More of slow down.

 

The pressure and fog around the hero’s head slowly cleared with every deepened breath, the sight of spotlights behind his eyes fading with the Joker's laugh. His trembling eased some though, it wasn't completely gone. Dick still felt cold and moved in closer to Slade with his head finding it's was against Slade’s chest, focusing on his heartbeat. After several minutes of silence the hero finally spoke up.

"...I never told Bruce about that." He whispered before letting his eyes close, listening to Slades heart a moment longer, "The Joker let me go after that.. I was still messed up on fear toxin when Bruce found me and I just... Couldn't talk to him.. Rumors began to spread through the city.. Everyone was talking about how someone got to me, only a few said it was the Joker, others used different names... Funny enough, you were one of those names." Dick chuckled softly, "Bruce kept asking me if it was true and.. Part of me wanted to tell him but... Then I realized something. I realized that's what the Joker wanted because he knew Bruce would go after him... And I knew Bruce might try to kill him. I know what would happen to Bruce if that ever happened so.. I just smiled at him and told him someone started those rumors to get to him and that I was fine. I promised him I’d tell him if anyone ever touched me like that."

 

Slade wondered if Dick would have made the same choice to keep Bruce in the dark had he known what would happen to Jason Todd later on. That the Joker would murder his little brother and Bruce still would let the clown live. Part of him almost wondered if that's why Dick killed the Joker himself after Jason's death ... Only for Bruce to bring the psychopath back. Slade wondered what that asshole was doing at the end of the world. He didn't fall into Luthor or Ra's graces, and being the King of Chaos he wouldn't charm the order rigid High Court either. Maybe he finally was dead. Slade only hoped his demise was painful and without audience. The clown didn't fear anything, but to die without purpose, without one last show, not by Batman's hand... That would break the Joker.

A heavy breath escaped the vigilante as his closed his eyes again, his trembling finally having stopped. He felt opened up and vulnerable, scared of how easily Slade could use it against him but at the same time he felt relieved to have finally gotten that all out. He felt free. Now it still hurt, it wasn't something he wanted to think about but every healing wound hurts a little. The heroes gaze shifted up to Slade, a hand moving to rest on his cheek and moving along his jaw.

"You're really good at this you know..."

He started before the automated voice of the jet interrupted them.

"Approaching destination."

"I guess we should land.."

 

Dick sighed and retracted his hand from Slade’s face. It wouldn't be easy for the young hero, even if he pulled through now he'd likely be exhausted afterward. The entire body threw itself into those attacks, shadowing the mind's chaotic state in a tense, personally destructive fashion. Slade knew what this felt like, he's experience these a time or two himself.

"We will land."

Slade promised, lifting Dick up like a weightless bride and taking them both to the pilot's chair. He kept Dick in his lap but used his spare hand to mess with the flight controls. His grip showed no intent on letting Dick go anywhere at the moment. Dick felt better knowing Slade wasn't going to just leave him... That he wasn't going to just drop the conversation and act like nothing happened, that's what he'd expect of most people especially since he changed the subject. He shifted in Slade's lap slightly, his legs over one arm of the seat while one of Slade's arms was over Dick’s legs. At his back he used Slade's arm to help support him. His eyes were in his own lap as he fiddled with his own gloved hands just letting the silence sink in before Slade broke it.

"You should tell Jason."

Dick couldn't help but to immediately tense and look to the other opening his mouth to speak but Slade kept going.

"You don't have to give him every detail, you don't have to put yourself through that. However ... He'd understand, better than anyone what kind of trauma that monster leaves people to suffer with. From what I've heard, and you won't repeat this either, he's not exactly a stranger to sexual assault either." The way it rolled off his tongue sounded crass and too 'factual' for his own liking, but getting too emotional about things could be retriggering as well. "You two are family, and we both know Bruce's policies of bottling things up tend to rip everything apart, it doesn't create bridges." Slade let out a small sigh. "Take it from someone who knows ... Secrets and trying to be 'strong' won't help you in the long run. If the people closest to you can't understand your pain they will accidently hurt you without knowing, which causes distance. Jason has enough of his own trauma to cause a rift a mile wide, but everyone knows that so they can act accordingly. Dick ... You have to let people experience your trauma with you so they can understand you. Truly understand you."

Dick claimed to wear his heart on his sleeve, and in some instances that was true. He had no problem telling people how he felt or showing his emotions however, Slade was quickly learning that Nightwing was also extremely guarded to his own personal trauma. He'd cry for Jason easily, worry for Tim, be furious at what happened to Damian ... But if those things happened to himself? Slade was entirely convinced he'd rather bury them down than even so much as begin to feel them for himself.

"You need to let your family in. They come to you for support, endlessly, because you love to give it to them, right?" Slade asked, but it wasn't really a question. "Don't you think they want to do the same for you?"

A deep frown spread across Nightwing’s lips, he didn't like hearing this whatsoever and even more so just because Slade was right. He didn't let his family in when it came to his deep emotional scars. While Slade was the first to know about these kinds of trauma's, he wasn't the first person who told him he wasn't being completely authentic. Sure Slade was using different words but the message was the same. Dick was hiding a part of himself that he felt ashamed of, a part of him that he didn't like to think he even had. His own vulnerability. His inability to move on. Yes, he could move on, he wasn't one who dwelled on the past but that didn't mean he always healed or recovered from it, because sometimes he didn't. Who would his family have if they saw him crumble? He wasn't sure if they'd be able to trust him to catch them when they fall if he himself were falling without a rope.. Though here... In this moment he could see how his own analogy for his relationship with his family was flawed because a trapeze artist didn't only catch the other person who was falling through the air, but they let that person catch them as well and that was something Dick never did... Or if he did it was rare.

He'd swing out and distance himself from his family to test if they'd catch him but he never truly fell in front of him for he always held onto the trapeze just swinging back and forth between his own independence and dependence... Maybe he was scared to depend on them, scared he wouldn't have the freedom to fly... Or maybe he was scared he'd let go and instead of being caught he'd hit the bottom, that he would lose everything.

"Slade..... It.... It doesn't work that way." He said with a sigh before looking down, "They know I need them but.... If I can't hold it together for them then who do they have? Bruce is too controlling to support everyone in the way they need and it's not Jason or Tim's responsibility... They..."

Despite Dick trying to argue that last sentence, Slade’s words kept getting to him. 'Don't you think they want to do the same for you?'..... Of course they did... God.... Dick knew they wanted so badly for him to have the freedom to come to them, to open up.. Even at his friends funeral he didn't open up. Not to Barbara. Not to Bruce... Damian tried to drag it out of him and while he offered grand advice Dick didn't open up.. He didn't talk about his feelings around that event. He completely shut himself off from his family who wanted nothing more than for Dick to feel safe enough to talk to them.

A heavy sigh escaped Dick's lips as he sunk in Slade's lap, "What's with me and falling for men who have great insight? Sometimes I like to act like I can't do anything to change my circumstances..." His eyes were on the floor before they shifted to meet Slade's, his hand moving to brush through his beard.

"I don't necessarily have good insights just ... Great hindsight. I'm a million years old, you experience enough in that time to just know what works and what doesn't." Slade joked at his own expense, bringing down the jet for a smooth landing at the small, private airport. He began ferrying into the inner runway ports.

"I don't want Jason to feel anymore resentment towards Bruce when it comes to the Joker... He'll be pissed that Bruce didn't see through my lies.. That Bruce didn't kill the Joker..." He looked away, he was so good at making up excuses though the guilt he felt was so overbearing,

"There isn't any reason to protect a ghost, Kid." Slade almost didn't say it. Bruce's death was still fresh, or at least his assumed death. "It's fair if it's honest. You'll give Jason the truth and he'll do what he wants with it. Given Bruce's... Status ... I don't think Jason is going chasing after ghosts. Seems like he has more current responsibilities to worry about." Slade said, motioning his head to the back of the jet where the two kids were, no doubt, still sleeping.

"Bruce trusted me to be honest with him... I could see in his eyes that he didn't really believe me but... He trusted me enough to take me at my word… God I am such a hypocrite." He mumbled and sighed, "I'll talk to Jason... Eventually... He's going to want to know about Roman before anything else... And I have to figure out how to bring it up in a way that won't make Jason explode."

Dick knew how Jason felt about the Joker, the hatred he had for him... He felt that hatred when he killed him. He felt it completely take over everything, blocking out all the things he believe in, he was absolutely disgusted with himself for letting it happen. For crossing that line. He wasn't sure he'd ever really forgive himself for it, wasn't even sure if he trusted himself. He did let Blockbuster die... And he almost let Slade kill people for Damian. Dick shuttered and let out a noise of disgust, shifting in Slades lap again, that was a whole nother conversation.

"Thanks.... For being here Slade..."

"Hey ..." Slade finally stopped the jet inside of a small hanger. "You don't have to thank me. This is just what people do for others who ..." They care about? What kind of 'care' was it? Certainly it was something but ... There was such thing as too much too soon. "... Anyway." Slade shook his head as he tried to take the pressure off of his words.

 

Dick rolled his eyes, "Still.... It's appreciated and not everyone does it." He stated as his fingers brushed through Slade’s soft beard more before softly pulling it, "I'll take your hindsight... I think that's why I have a thing for older men, they're usually intelligent... I don't always wanna hear it and I don't always listen but.. I always come around."

Dick kissed Slades cheek before he was moved off the others lap. He had to ignore Slades words at the moment because him returning feelings didn't help, he was already walking a thin line between friend and lover, crossing certain boundaries that he promised himself he wouldn’t cross. Dick sighed and began walking out of the jet, his legs feeling light beneath him. He was calm now, Slades voice and soothing words having brought him back from his trauma, right now he couldn't be more grateful for having Slade in his life.

"You're right though... Jason thinks Bruce is dead and right now he has bigger concerns.... I'll tell him when the timings right, maybe after Roman.. Just... be with me when I do? I know it's stupid but... I don't know.. You know what I need to stop me from falling into it."

As they moved to step off the jet Dick almost reached for Slades hand but caught himself and retracted it, meanwhile Slade had noticed a man standing with a large bag and a rather small stature. He had somewhat wild salt and pepper hair, pushed back with a pair of reading glasses and a mustache thick enough to use as a push broom. He had an easy, kind smile though, confidently approaching them with his bag in tow.

"You were not joking when you mentioned getting bigger." The man spoke in English but it was heavily accented with German flair. "It's been a while boy. You look ... Rather well." The doctor eyed the bruises, but didn't make further mention of them. "Ah ... Is this your actual father?"

Slade all of a sudden didn't like this guy anymore."No. Slade Wilson, unrelated."

Slade offered his hand to the old man, the shorter shaking it excitedly, looking more than ready to go. When Dick saw Viktor he almost became a completely different person, his frown shifting into a large smile, his eyes lighting up. He rushed forward and threw his arms around the other hugging him tightly.

"You haven't changed a bit! You must've found the fountain of youth up here, maybe you can share some with Slade." Dick winked,

“Ah, you still have the energy of a puppy.” Viktor smiled, “ Let’s get to the child then? No time to waste."

Dick guided Viktor to the jet, "Let me get you a drink." He offered the second they were on board.

Dick poured both the men a glass of bourbon before passing it out, nodding to Slade to commence take off.

"From what we know, Damian was severely beaten. He seems to have some broken bones but he's also had surgery.. We just want to know what damage he's sustained and what we need to do to take care of him, you were the first person to come to mind." Dick admitted freely and openly.

 

-

 

Jason both loved and hated taking time to himself after his episodes. It allowed him much needed space and quiet to recenter his psyche, but also insured he wasn't going to fall into another while surrounded by the people he cared about. Why he hated it? Well ... Jason was never kind to himself. Never had been. Jason held himself to higher standards than anyone else ever did. Even Bruce's impossible 'standards' that the man supposedly held Jason to were mostly configurations of his own mind. Jason set himself up for failure, because achieving when the bar just kept getting higher was impossible, especially when he was the one raising it.

Right now he was grappling with the fact that he had not only gotten into a fight with his brother within an hour of seeing him, but that he'd also beaten up his boyfriend and scared the hell out of Lian. Within the span of a few minutes he'd punctured holes in every level of his family and relationships. He'd been a terrible brother, friend, lover, and father/caregiver all because he couldn't control himself. Dick didn't need Jason's anger, he needed his support and understanding. Jason's need to know what happened shouldn't have affected his ability to give that ... But it had.

Roy worked on the x ray machine while Jason took his shower and decompressed, he knew how important it was for Jason to get that calmed mental space. No not everyone needed that, some needed it desperately, some didn't need it at all and some needed it to an extent. Roy was one of those people who would choose destructive habits if he was alone, he needed someone to help ground him and keep him from absolutely destroying himself. Roy didn't handle emotional pain well, he had to numb it and drown it out.

After only a few minutes longer Roy had finished the x ray machine having all the cords replaced and put away. He got up, dusted himself off and got started on testing it taking basic x ray shots of Damian's abdomen and chest. Once the images printed out the redhead smirked.

"Bingo and was his name Oh!"

 

The redhead looked over the x rays and couldn't help but to frown at the damage he was seeing, "Poor bastard.... I hope Dick's doctor is good."

He sighed before setting the images down and walking out of the room towards his and Jason’s bedroom where he paused in the doorway, staring at his boyfriend with a smirk.

An hour after getting out of the shower Jason had flipped around and tossed in the bed enough to completely unmake it. He was laid out across the surface like a starfish, a claimed stuffed bear (turned pillow) of Lian's under his head, and the comforter half covering his legs. He was staring up at the ceiling wondering if Slade had any hard liquor on that plane ... A drink sounded amazing. Yet, his index and middle fingers twitched, that craving for a cigarette tapping at the back of his head. Usually, Jason wouldn't dare smoke in the bedroom because he'd be too afraid of Lian catching him and the lingering odor. Right now? He'd change the sheets and shit afterward, he was doing as he pleased. Jason lit a cigarette, taking a long satisfying drag before letting his arm, and cigarette, hang off the edge. He knew Roy had entered the room, but didn't move to put the contraband out. Roy was well aware of Jason's vices.

"I know. I know ... I'm breaking my own rule. I'll spank myself later for it." Jason joked flatly, his eyes not leaving their fixed spot on the ceiling. "How does the x-ray machine look? Is it Gremlin ready?"

Roy snatched the cigarette before chuckling and crawling onto the bed. He took a puff before giving it back to Jason, shifting so he was between the others legs with his hands resting on Jason’s knees.

"The machine is up and running... I noticed Dick and the kids were gone, I'm guessing they're getting the doctor... I'm just hoping the guy can help. Damian's in rough shape." He sighed happily and reached out running fingers through Jays hair. "When they get back I can handle the kids while you talk to Dick... If they're asleep then Slade and I can handle the doctor and Damian... You.. Need to talk to Dick."

The redhead said almost hesitantly before leaning in to kiss Jason delicately.

"I know you didn't mean to explode on him, he just... Ya know... Needs to know it too." He smiled and snatched the cigarette again before puffing it, green eyes scanning the other, "I can't help but to notice you're still wearing pants... Sad day."

Jason wrapped his legs around Roy, strong thighs squeezing his waist as if to get his attention before relaxing them a little. "You know, I thought about going pantless, but you bringing up my severely injured younger brother and my latest outburst with Dick-head isn't exactly getting me in the mood." Jason responded, finally drawing his eyes away from the ceiling to look at Roy.

"Thief."

Jason muttered next, watching his stolen cigarette between Roy's lips. So, maybe he had said something about not being in the mood, but that was mostly a bluff it would seem. Roy's face in general just put him in the mood. The fact that the redhead insisted that Jason was more attractive than himself was complete nonsense. Didn't he own a mirror? ... God he had it bad.  
Jason reached up and stole the cigarette back, putting it out in a water glass next to the bed, turning back to face Roy after. Resting back on his elbows and forearms for support, Jason continued speaking.

"Besides, I was expecting a full Varsity Blues ensemble." Jason was fine with taking the conversation away from the two subjects he had mentioned above.

He had Damian's vitals viewable on the TV screen behind them, and thinking about how he completely blew up on Dick was just a boner killer.

"Honestly ... If you can't seduce me with whipped cream and cherry nipples, Roy, then what are we even doing here?"

Roy couldn't help but to roll his eyes at his boyfriend, "Hey! You mentioned that I was older so I'm just trying to be the older and more responsible guy in this relationship."

Arsenal winked and grabbed Jason's chin softly, he loved the feeling of those strong legs around him. It's been too long. Way too long. The red head pushed his own hair back and out of the way before leaning in and kissing Jason slowly and passionately. His hand moved off his chin and down to his shoulders softly pushing his Jaybird down so he was on his back. Jason felt his heart like his body was already expecting what was to come ... Literally and figuratively. Jason couldn't help but run through the different distractions that could happen, because they always happened. It had been too long because of those interruptions, not for a lack of trying on their part.

The first kiss was easy, bringing Jason out of the last hanging tendrils of worry and obsessive negativity in his mind. He could just focus on the way Roy's lips felt, actually focus on the man above him as his shoulders hit the back of the bed again, freeing his hands to do as they pleased. One found the back of Roy's neck, the other stopping just short of the bottom of Roy's shirt.

"Hear that?" Roy asked suddenly, pulling back.

Jason actually tensed a little bit , he was sure that his nightmares had come true, and that they once again would be stopped before they could even get started.

"That's the grand ol' sound of no kids, I wonder if you can fill the silence with your pretty voice, Jaybird."

When Roy mentioned the kids and blew out some cheesy line about Jason's notoriously 'less than quiet' pleasure, he about smacked the shit out of him. Jason brought it down to a hard glare.

"I swear to God Roy if you don't-"

Roy began kissing and sucking on Jason's neck, his hand running down Jason's body and down to his crotch where he gave it a soft squeeze. Jason's words stuck in his throat, an airy sigh following them. Fuck, okay, he was hopeless against Roy's attack even at the cost of his own pride. Though if any of this was about his 'pride' it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

The hand on Roy's neck wove into the shorter hairs at the base of his neck, gripping tightly encouraging him further by pressing down and arching his neck to the side for better access. His paused hand slipped under Roy's shirt and ran calloused fingers up the hardened muscles underneath them, letting out a more throaty moan when Roy touched him, thighs gripping around Roy tighter still.

Roy couldn't help but to let out a soft chuckle, he loved Jason's reactions. The way Jason's body moved against him, the way Jason's breath shifted... It drove the redhead crazy. He just wanted to hear more and more. Jason needed this, this mental space and freedom, this time to relax. The red head sucked Jason's neck somewhat harder, Roy knew how to please Jason, after years of being his friend and light boundary crossing touches he was ready to be the perfect lover.

 

Jason already was a moaning mess, letting out deep sighs and hitched breaths while Roy worked him over. He thought for sure he was going to lose it entirely and force some more connection between himself and the redhead, but those sweet lips connected with his just in time. It also effectively had Jason swallowing any comeback he had been formulating, lost completely as the primal part of his brain began taking over. He pressed back with the same lust and vigor Roy did in the kiss. Moving his tongue with purpose, not for a moment playing coy or submissive in his actions.

Meanwhile, Roy’s hand began softly groping Jason's crotch, gently letting go before squeezing him again. Before Jason knew it, his boyfriend’s fingers were creeping into his pants. Jason moaned fully into their kiss, bucking up into the touch and scratching red lines down Roy's abdomen under his shirt.The redhead was starving for his Jaybird, it's like all that pent up lust hit him all at once. Roy's tongue danced in Jason's mouth, swirling around the others before softly thrusting in and out. The redhead paused his stroking and licking to pull back, spit connecting their lips soon licked off as Roy began to pull Jason's pants down. God he missed being able to just completely be free with Jason and go at him with everything he had. No stolen kisses or feathery touches. He was finally allowed to make Jason scream.

Jason was already breathing heavy, pupils blown, face slightly flushed. He felt amazing and they hadn't even gotten to the best part yet. He lifted his hips to help Roy remove his pants and was nearly ripping Roy's shirt over his head. He wanted to see more, touch more. The red head was quick to help Jason rip off his shirt.

Jason nearly latched onto the bare expanse of Roy's collarbone, not even hesitating to work the area until he formed a noticeable hickey. Jason tended to be a marker, he liked to claim what was his, Roy was very much his and he wanted everyone to know. He swirled his tongue and worked his mouth up Roy's neck until he reached the base of his ear.

"I really want you to fuck me Roy."

Jason breathed into Roy’s ear before biting on the lobe there. Roy bit back a moan as he pushed Jason back hard.

"Request heard and soon to be granted."

"Don't keep me waiting."

As Roy stripped them down Jason was just as helpful, tossing off his own clothes, along with Roy's hastily away from them. Usually, Jason would have scolded Roy for leaving clothes out. Right now? He literally couldn’t care less about any type of mess they made. He would clean anything up after this was done as long as it got Roy inside him. It didn’t take long before Roy was forcing his fingers into Jason's mouth.

"First I need to stretch you out."Roy didn't want it to hurt, not too bad at least, a little bit of pain was always fun.

Roy moved down to lick Jason's nipples while his other hand began stroking his lover more, he adored how hard he got the mighty Red Hood. Jason would have retorted to the comment about being stretched, something flippant about not caring and just wanting it now. However, the fingers in his mouth completely inhibited that. Jason didn't hesitate to take them in, making absolutely pornographic noises as he sucked on the digits up to Roy's knuckles, then let his tongue wrap around and lick between them. Part of Jason wished it was Roy's cock instead. He could pretend at least.

"Roy-"

He swallowed around the fingers, a strangled moan bursting out from around the archer's fingers. Roy's touch on him felt incredible, he was already hard and leaking precum, bucking up into Roy's hand. Jason had absolutely turned the red head on, it was almost as rich as when Jason sucked on his cock but honestly right now he wanted to get inside of the other as fast as possible without hurting him.

Jason reached down with his grabbing Roy’s hand, moving it away from his cock and pressing his hips up. Thighs locking around the red head again, so Jason could rub their hardened erections against each other's. It was enough to make Roy’s own member leak precum.

"That's right pretty bird... get me nice and wet." Roy purred, slowly rolling his hips against Jason's cock, his hand reaching down to help Jason stroke the both of them.

Once Roy felt his fingers were wet enough he pulled them from Jason's mouth, replacing the lack of them with his own lips and tongue which quickly invaded Jason's space, their teeth crashing together a time or two as Roy got a bit too rowdy. His wet fingers moved down softly brushing between Jason's cheeks before breaching the space, he pulled away from the kiss looking into Jason's eyes just as he pushed the first finger in wanting to hear him moan and see that look in his eyes.

"God, I love you so much baby."

Roy panted out, two fingers easing their way in and softly thrusting inwards before he spread his fingers slowly. Roy began sucking and kissing Jason's neck, eager to hear him sing. The fingers began bending and twisting inside of Jason, hitting every nerve lined along his inner walls before he brushed them upwards to tease Jason's prostate. Finally he withdrew the fingers and slowly added a third, his mouth working on a dark hickey on the side of Jason's neck, his heart racing. He was so lost in Jason's body, in his smell and taste. He could stay here forever, get lost in his addictions and completely forget the world.

Jason's cheeks were flushed red, chest heaving between sharp breaths and unrelenting moans. The lack of consistent breathing left him feeling slightly light headed, just further adding to the pulsing pleasure Roy was giving him. He remembered a time before Roy when sex wasn't so absolutely freeing for Jason, when he used to stifle his moans and wants in a ridiculous attempt to appear more 'masculine'. Years of living on the street telling him that bending over for another man was a sign of weakness, not something 'real' men enjoyed. Jason, however, loved it. Roy's insistence and patience with him taught him that positions meant little, that Jason's moaning and writhing meant he felt good, and that was all that mattered. That they felt good.

Sex with Roy was, hands down, the best sex Jason ever had in his life.

"R-Roy,"

Jason stuttered out as his breathing hitched at the introduction of Roy's fingers inside of him. There was always that initial bit of uncomfortable stretch, stinging. Once Roy got past the tight ring of muscles and began stretching him though? Jason sang him a melody comprised of lewd moaning. He felt his dick pulsing at the intrusion against his prostate ... God he could cum just like this. That's not what he wanted though, no he wanted Roy now.

"Fuck, Roy, you- ..." Trying to put words together would be easier if he was drunk an concussed. "God fuck me already... Please." It started out demanding, absolutely authoritative, and trailed to a near begging whine at the end as the mixture of Roy's mouth on his neck and his fingers soothed his inner beast. His hands found Roy's shoulders, pushing him up enough to look onto those stunning green eyes. "Now." Jason wasn't going to stand waiting a moment longer.

Roy's mouth slowly pulled away from Jason's neck as Jason pushed him back, his green eyes locking onto Jason's beautiful teal-blue ones. He loved this man so much and was absolutely honored that Jason was willing to let him in.. Not just inside of his body but inside of his heart, that Jason was willing to let Roy hear his voice.

"I liked the please."

"You just like to hear me beg. Only 'cus it's-" ... 'the only time you know I will'.

Arsenal smirked, removing his fingers as he shifted, moving his hips slightly lower to position himself with Jason's hole before slowly starting to push in. A moan escaped Roy as he felt the heat and tightness surrounding his cock, it felt absolutely amazing. He was surprised every time at how tight Jason was and he no doubt loved it. Jason entirely forgot how to breathe when Roy began pushing inside of him.

"Oh Jaybird." The redhead had breathed out as he locked lips with Jason, hips slowly rolling forward as he pushed himself deeper.

Roy's hands trailed up Jason's legs before finally moving to rest on each side of Jason's head, his kiss shifting from lust filled to absolutely loving and admiring. His lips moved against the others softly and fluidly as he pushed himself deeper keeping his thrusts slow until Jason had a chance to get used to it, only then did he pick up the pace. He hit Jason's prostate, massaged his inner nerves with each roll of his hips which gradually picked up speed with each thrust, Roy couldn't help but to moan into Jason's mouth, he hated how close he already was but at the very least hoped he'd last long enough for his Jaybird.

Jason’s brain was just screaming 'finally' under a wave of satisfaction. Jason could feel that he rushed Roy, his body stretching to accommodate the full length and thickness of Roy with every inch. He wouldn't want it any other way though, the pain pricking along with pleasure, sending waves up his spine that had him arching into Roy and throwing his head back. The hands he had on the redheads shoulders gripped hard into the muscle, blunt nails slowly dragging red lines to his biceps. Each thrust grew in intensity, speed and force. He made sure to make it a point in slamming into Jason's prostate and the lewd screams he got from the other only encouraged him, he thrust in faster and harder with each drip of his name, his own cock leaking precum. If there was a heaven this was it, here with Jason, feeling his body flexing against his own and listening to the sound of his lustful moans. Roy loved it.

"F-Fuck babe-!"

Jason said between kisses, rolling his hips into Roy with nearly everything he had once he became accustomed enough to the stretch. He was so entirely consumed by the feeling that his kisses with Roy became lazy, breathing hard between moans and nearly singing Roy's name like a mantra. He was already feeling the climb in pleasure pooling in his gut.

"Roy, fuck ... harder I'm going to cum." Jason announced without a lick of shame. He loved the passion, the concentrated effort Roy was giving him, but he also didn't mind being fucking plowed and used either. It was a dual dynamic he was still getting used to.

When Jason said he was going to cum the redhead reached down and began desperately pumping the other, "Me too baby."

Jason stayed true to his word, strong legs gripping Roy close to him while hands pulled him closer still. He nearly screamed out Roy's name as he came between them, teeth digging into the other's poor abused shoulder before tipping back again. His vision was spotted and head fuzzy. Jason was in absolute bliss and never wanted to come down from it. Roy's thrusts grew slower but still had enough force to shake the bed, a loud moan escaping him as he came only seconds after Jason. The redhead swore Jason was overflowing with his seed, it's been so long since he's had a release like that he'd be shocked if it wasn't already dripping out. Roy kissed Jason, his breathes heavy against the other as he slowly broke the kiss.

"Oh god.... You are heaven my sweet little demon bird."

He huffed, forehead instantly slipping into Jason's shoulder as he stayed there panting. He could feel himself sinking and rather than crush Jason he decided to sit up, on his knees pushing Jason's apart so he could watch the cum drip from him with a wide smile, his hair an absolute mess.

“You know... You're picture worthy"

Jason groaned a little,. "You should see yourself ... Makes me wish I had energy for round two."

Jaybird could feel the cum that had been filling him moments ago slowly leaving him, becoming aware of his own across his stomach. Why had he even bothered to take a shower before all this? Thank god for baby wipes. Though right now? He was fine with being filthy with Roy.  
He slowly moved Roy up so he could shift under him. His thighs and arms quivered with the effort. Jason stayed flushed, lips red and swollen, and his hair curling at the edges of his hairline where he'd broken out in small beads of sweat.

"That was ... Roy we can't wait that long ever again. I'm dead serious."

Jason grabbed said baby wipes and quickly, wordlessly got them cleaned up of most their mess.

Roy couldn't help but to smile at all of Jason's little comments, god he was so precious. "Well babe... Considering the fact we're parents we might have to wait again, unless we higher Babythief and Too-old-to-be-alive to babysit for us."

"Come here." Jason grabbed Roy, pulling him down next to himself, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. He remembered only then that Roy was shorter than him, it was easy to forget in these moments. Earlier though ...? Oh fuck.

 

Roy’s arms instantly wrapped around the other as he nuzzled into his neck. It was almost strange switching from being 'dominant' to 'submissive' but Roy loved it every time. He didn't necessarily like having to be macho man all the time so being able to be the one who was held was amazing. Most people assumed he was submissive since he was smaller than Jason and because Jason had a very type A personality however he loved taking turns with him.

Jason pressed a kiss to Roy's forehead, keeping his lips there afterword as he closed his eyes. "I love you. You know that right?"

"Of course babe.... Honestly of allllll the souls who say that to me, you're the one I believe the most because you've shown me time and time again." Roy spoke softly, relaxing in Jason's arms as his fingers ran up and down Jason's side lovingly, "You mean the world to me Jaybird.... If I lost you I'd lose everything."

Jason wanted to continue the playful banter, make some return joke about grandpa pirate and the blue booty. He did, but it made him think about Lian, about Roy ... How he completely lost his shit earlier. It wasn't exactly the best cuddle talk, but Jason always needed to reaffirm his relationship after stuff like that. Roy wasn't going to leave him. He knew that, but the Pit? That swallowing fear of abandonment he had since he was a kid? They didn't.  
He wrapped his arm a bit more tightly around Roy like something he was afraid to lose, because he was. Wasn't that the whole reason they were here in middle of nowhere in Europe in the first place? Because no matter how messed up he'd been, how afraid he was of commitment and being hurt, Roy meant more than all that. The one man on this planet that saw Jason for who he was, and not what the Pit, Bruce, the Joker, or anyone else made him be at times.

"Yeah." He almost whispered before taking a breath. "Earlier, before we knew it was Dick and Slade in that jet ... I was terrified Roy. All I could think about was you and Lian getting hurt or worse. Separating from you two, telling you to go ahead ... I shouldn't have put that pressure on you. I could never leave you behind like that ... Even for Lian, I don't think ... No. I know I can't do this without you."

Jason hated the way that sounded, but hoped Roy understood the sentiments in what he was saying. Lian meant everything to him and Roy, they both knew that. She was always going to be the first priority when it came to anything, he didn't want it any other way, especially not for Roy.

"I was afraid of letting you go because I knew I was ready to die to protect you two. I wouldn't even hesitate. Then ... Dick just ... Set me off. I was so filled up with this leftover adrenaline and fear I just lost control and let the Pit take over. I hit you, I scared the hell out of Lian ... I yelled at Dick for being raped ... It's fucked up Roy."

Roy couldn't help but to frown as he listened to Jason, a soft sigh escaping him. "Babe.... We all make mistakes, what matters is what we're willing to do to fix them.. Beating myself up about being an addict didn't and would never have changed things and neither will beating yourself up about having lost it... Jay, the only way to fix what happened is to be responsible for it, apologize. Let Dick and Lian know you understand how it made them feel." He started, sitting up slightly so he could look at Jason, "I know the pit still affects you. I'm never going to hate you for it especially when I see the strides you're making... Especially when I see the dedication you have for this family. It may be soon to say this but you're going to be my lifelong partner and you are Lian's father, all of us know that and all of us know that you'll go through every length you can to keep us safe..... I don't like it... The thought of raising her alone but if it happens it happens.." The red head gave a deep heavy sigh before slumping back down in the bed pulling Jason against him, "I'll never give up on you."

"I know ... I will." Cheesus and rice, what did Jason ever do to deserve someone like Roy? It was beyond Jason how anyone could see the archer as anything but a kind and amazing soul. Sure, he made mistakes, they all had, but Roy wouldn't be who he was today if he didn't overcome those same missteps. Jason was sure of it. So, when Roy said he wouldn't hate him for losing control of his anger, for acting out like he did, Jason believed him. Not because he told him, or stayed with him, but because he could see how hard Jason worked to try and stop them. Roy could see the progress and control Jason was trying to achieve over the pit and his own natural anger.

The fact of that matter was the Pit was not fully to blame for every one of Jason's outbursts. The Pit acted more like a catalyst, it hung onto strong emotions that drove people towards hatred and blood. For Ra's? It was his Pride, a delusional sense of righteousness even in the face of alternate facts. For Jason, it was his anger, his need for revenge against the streets of Gotham for raising him, and then putting him in his grave. The Pit fueled that fire whenever Jason lit a spark for it. It took a tremendous amount of self control to take the reins back once the Pit's haze took over. People like Bruce, Dick, even Tim ... They didn't understand that, they didn't know what it was like to be under the influence of something you could barely control, that begged you to lean back on it and just let it take over. However, Roy did.

"I don't want that to happen. I never want that to happen." Jason would die for Roy and Lian, wouldn't even hesitate if it had to happen, but only if it had to. "Next time, I'm going with you. I won't stay behind. If I have to ... I will, but ... Let's be honest Roy, you can barely take care of yourself sometimes. You kind of need me around." He joked, carding his fingers through the back of Roy's hair. This was perfect, god they needed to do this more.

"Besides, I think I made my position on being with you pretty clear when I came and kidnapped the two." Jason paused, thinking about the alternative ... Fuck wouldn't that have been the wrong decision. "I didn't come get you and Lian because of some fucked up sense of heroism, I didn't do it because I thought 'it's the right thing to do'. I did it because I ... Fuck I couldn't even think about my life without you in it anymore. Lian too ... But you get what I mean. You two are a packaged deal, and honestly? I wouldn't want it any other way. I love you, and I love Lian like she's my own because she is."

Seriously, Jade could go skip rocks. Roy might be on okay terms with her, but Jason? No, he'd never forgive her for dropping Lian off on Roy like she did. Sure, it was for Lian's best interest in the end, but the fact she'd rather keep up her line of work than stop and do what was best for her daughter is what ticked Jason off.

"I've completely killed the after sex mood." Jason announced a second later, then went to roll Roy on his back. "You know we could-"

“Douchestroke's jet requesting landing.” A computer voice spoke over the coms.

Jason fully out laughed, yeah he changed it in the computer, so what? It was fucking hilarious. "... I want to be mad about it, but I just can't."

Roy laughed, "Oh my god I love you." He stated, planting a kiss on Jason's lips before he got up,

"Let's get dressed."


	8. Heart

"We'll be landing shortly."

Slade announced from the cockpit, allowing the plane to manually chart the course back to the cave. He was up and moving back to the kitchenette, taking care of the snacks from earlier and cleaning up in general.

The doctor was sitting on the four person seating bench across from Slade, pouring over the discharge instructions with a focused interest. Slade wasn't even sure the guy heard him. He was a weird character, but genuinely nice and caring. The doctor barely seemed perturbed by any of the weirdness going on, whether it was their child and superman experiment stowaways or the fact they were taking him to examine another child that was beat within an inch of his life. He just seemed eager to help. Slade could easily admit that he already liked the man.

Slade moved to the back cabin, slowly opening the door to check on the kiddos. Both still fast asleep, the next movie already playing on the tablet that Slade left on the bedside table. Good. Poor little thing needed rest ... Well and the big thing too. He slid the door shut quietly and turned back to the open area of the plane, finding Dick where he last left him in the co-pilot's chair. They hadn't talked much, most of it had been updating the Doctor on Damian's condition and explaining the general situation.

Dick was still deep in thought, his mind racing and just ultimately bouncing from place to place. He couldn't help but to think about Damian and how hurt he was. He couldn't help but to wonder how much pain and torture he was put through before Lex got his hands on him, he felt awful. He shouldn't have left, he felt responsible for each and every injury the poor boy had. The other thoughts plaguing his mind were how he'd confront Jason, he kept rehearsing how he'd open up to him, how he'd apologize and how he'd explain that he was raped. Each word made his stomach twist and he couldn't seem to find the right set, he was never good at making speeches when he wasn't in the moment.

 

"So..." Slade let slip, sitting back next to Dick. "You going to be able to handle being back at the cave right now?"

Slade's voice snapped Dick from his thoughts and his blue eyes shifted to the older male soon shrugging, "I can't exactly run away from my problems... I don't have a choice but to be ready." He sighed and stood up, stretching. "I just feel bad... He was just trying to care and I wouldn't let him..."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that Jason was just trying to care ... You both made pretty piss poor attempts at communicating with each other." It was like they both were raised by an emotionally constipated parental figure ... Oh wait ... "Give yourself some slack and don't expect to go in there and fix everything tonight, for Jason or yourself. That's too much pressure."

Slade worked on landing the plane on the landing strip, the jet barely jumping as it landed. God he loved this thing.

Dick couldn't help but to agree with Slade on the fact that he and Jason somewhat exploded on each other instantly, neither one of them had any chance to so much as say 'hello' before things began spiraling out of control. If Dick were being honest he'd say that he felt overwhelmed, the last thing he wanted to think about was himself because his brothers needed him more. He let his hand rest on the back of the co-pilot's chair as he stood.

Silence filled the space for a short while as Dick seemed to drift back into thought, torn between whether or not he wanted to watch the doctor work on his brother or if he wanted to have a conversation with his other brother.... He knew he didn't want to talk in front of everyone, sure he loved Roy and Viktor but he didn't feel comfortable boasting about how awful it was having Roman force himself in his face. Given Slades conversation with him earlier he knew he couldn't just clam up either.

"I feel sick." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "At this rate I'll be skin and bone." He hadn't eaten much these passed couple days, he wasn't sure he could with how jumbled his nerves were between the emotional drama and flutter of butterflies in his chest.

"Honestly? You look sick, Dick."

Slade wasn't going to pull any punches there, he looked pale and down. Dick just didn't have that same glow that he usually did. He had expected that at some point all of this would get under Dick's skin, he just didn't think it would happen so soon. Then again, Dick did undergo an undetermined amount of torture before Slade even got him.

"You need to eat, get rest, take care of yourself. I get it ... You're worried about Damian, Tim, everyone else. On top of that you're running emotionally ragged from what's happened ... Rightfully so. However, doing this to yourself is only going to make it worse, not better." Slade leaned back, allowing the conveyor to take care of the rest.

"It's not that easy.... I need to be there for Damian.. I need to talk to Jason... Even if it doesn't get fixed tonight I have to start the process. I'll show Viktor to Damian, let him get settled and go talk to Jason, you can make sure Damian doesn't try to stab anyone." He stated though in this case it honestly wasn't even a joke...

"When we get back, I'll help the doctor get set up with Damian. You need to eat something.”

"You know, you remind me of my grandma.." A small smirk spread across the hero's lips though it was slightly labored even as he mocked a thick Romanian accent, "Eat, eat, Richard. I know you've had four plates but I don't want you to starve." Despite his joking it didn't carry the same spirit, bottom line was he was too tired. " I'm fine, Slade, I'll nibble on one of your old people snacks later." His attention turned to the door as the jet came to a complete stop.

 

By now Roy had finished getting dressed and cleaning up the sheets, he wanted to make sure the room showed no evidence of his and Jason's sexual encounter since he had no idea whether or not the kids would be awake. Regardless they needed to get into bed.

"Like I offered earlier, I'll help the doctor with Damian while you talk to your brother.... Just remember, deep breaths and patience. I know you wanna pull everything out of him but when it comes to trauma,like the good ol' Frank Sinatra says." Roy paused to sing. 🎶 Nice and easy does it, everytime. 🎶 Roy smiled, approaching the jet.

 

When Roy went to greet their 'guests' at the docking port Jason was turning on a fan in the bedroom to waft out any lingering smoke smell and disposed of any evidence left behind from either of their activities. He wasn't ashamed that he had sex with Roy while everyone had been out of the cave, frankly, he didn't give a fuck if anyone knew. However, he didn't need questions from Lian later on ... She was more observant than Dick when it came to those kinds of things anyway.

Slade was pretty much quiet as they left the jet and made their way to the medical bay. Himself and the Doctor chatting lightly in a mixture of broken German and English about the town in Germany Victor was from. Coincidentally, Slade had been there years ago as part of a job. They'd soon started a conversation about their favorite places, they were stuck on a particular pub now that served the best beer selection, however, they couldn't seem to agree on their favorite Pilsner. It was definitely old man talk.

Dick interrupted the conversation to direct Viktor to where Damian was, He spoke fluent German and had begun his descent into the cave.

"Looks like the lover boys are back." Roy greet.

Dick couldn't help but to roll his eyes, "It's not like that."

"You know you said the same thing about Babs... and Kori... Oh and that girl from yale... What about Bruce's ex but not really ex girlfriend?"

Dick's expression shifted to a more confused one as Roy blinked, "You know the tall redhead Bruce was seeing that told you she broke up with him, but didn't cuz she was a cheater and you were a weirdo who liked to date 40 year old girls that hooked up with your father."

"Oh... Her.. First off, it was complicated and second she wasn't 40.. She was like... 27."

"Damn Bruce likes them young." Roy shrugged and turned his hat backwards missing the way Dick had just completely stopped and stared at him.

"Roy.... How old do you think Bruce is?"

"That was what? 5 years ago? So... Like... 46?"

"...Roy.... Bruce is only 13 years older than me."

"No fucking way! He has to be older, he doesn't look a day under 40."

Dick couldn't help but to laugh at that, "Maybe it's all the late nights and brooding, he's only 38."

"Shit... He needs his beauty sleep, maybe Slade can share his fountain of youth with him...... anyhooter where are my kids?"

"In the jet, sleeping. We can move them later or if you want we can leave them."

Dick stated somewhat making an executive decision of Slades sleeping space, and to think they weren't dating. Dick soon lead the doctor down to where Damian was laying, his hand running over the boys cheek before he leaned down and kissed his forehead, he shifted to sit on the edge of the table but it wasn't long after that his eyes turned to the monitor making him frown deeply.

 

Damian was barely awake when Dick came into the room, he seemed much more cranky than he had been earlier. He let out an annoyed groan when the older touched his cheek, but upon discovering it was Dick, Damian turned onto his side as much as he could in order to get closer to him. His breathing seemed a little more labored, oxygen wasn't dangerously low, but it was sitting in the high eighties rather than a healthy high nineties. Considering the fact they were giving him oxygen through a cannula, that could only mean his lungs were having a hard time processing what it was receiving. His blood pressure was low, and his heart rate still a little high. He wasn't coding by any means, but they were all signs the young Robin just wasn't comfortable.  
The Doctor moved into the room with confidence, seeming completely in his element among the medical equipment.

"Ah ... Low O2, not surprising." He announced with a click of his tongue. "You must be the littlest Robin, yah?" Viktor asked, then put out his hand. "I'm Viktor, I'll be taking care of you."

Damian gave the doctor a glare through paper thin slits and then immediately tucked his head into Dick's thigh, muttering in Romani.

_Obviously rejecting any kind of greeting the doctor was offering him._

_Slade had taken up leaning his back against the wall in the medical bay, arms crossed, giving Dick and Damian plenty of space with Viktor. He'd let Dick try and reign his demon child in before he would even attempt to intervene. The kid had been hissing at him earlier, he wasn't going to delude himself into thinking Damian wanted him within inches of his person at the moment. Roy was beside Slade, watching quietly before he glanced up at the older male._

_"Hey gramps, mind if I call you that? Gucci, Gramps.."_

_Roy seemed more friendly than the demon brat, but Slade's eye didn't move from watching Dick and Damian. Slade was worried about the hero, at this rate Dick was due to go into a tailspin. He just wondered if he could see it as well as Slade could._

_"I think you still would, even if I told you I did mind." Slade replied flatly, he wasn't saying he did mind or didn't, just stating a fact._

_"I just wanted to say thanks for looking out for him and taking the kids with you... It's been.... Hard lately, I think it's good for Lian to see new faces.. To know there's still a world out there... And you know... I appreciate you making sure Dixie cup hasn't gotten himself killed... I don't know how well Jason's would've handled losing him." Roy continued, ignoring Slade's response all together._

_Deathstroke stayed quiet for a moment longer before letting out a small sigh. Sure, Slade could talk to Dick, or even children, pretty easily, but that didn't mean he was going to open up and become chatting buddies with Speedy here._

_"Don't mention it. Your daughter is sweet and polite, you're doing a good job with her."_

_Slade commented, letting his eye slip over to Roy briefly before returning to the medbay, silently watching the trio ahead. Roy listened to Slade and rolled his eyes, he didn't expect Slade to be nice to him honestly, he was surprised to see that Dick wasn't carrying contempt towards the other. Slade Wilson was an absolute asshole._

_"I didn't know you had a soft spot for kids, my understanding was that you were.... How do I say this without sounding like an ass?.."_

_Roy started though his thoughts were interrupted by Jason smacking his ass as he slipped into the room, making Roy flinch some before smirking._

_"That's my cue."_

_Roy winked and followed Jason though he kept some space between them so that Jason didn't feel crowded. He just wanted his lover to know that he was there to support him whenever he decided to finally talk to Dick. Jason cautiously approached the trio in the med bay where he noticed Damian's stats in the room. He felt bad that Damian may have started hurting and declining while he was busy with Roy. Jason was supposed to be watching him, and sure it wasn't anything deadly, but it could have been._

_Dick's hand never left Damian's body though it moved to began combing fingers through the boys hair, he wished he was here when he woke up but he had to get the doctor and since Slade didn't know him personally he didn't want to send Slade alone._

_He explained, hand moving to brush over Damian's cheek before he glanced up at the doctor though it was Jason who he saw in his sights causing him to look back down at the boy. Maybe he wasn't ready to see him right now but Dick didn't have a choice, he needed to be here for Damian and that meant riding it out with Jason._

_"Is he okay?" Jason asked, genuine worry in his voice._

_Damian nearly hissed still speaking in Romani, which Jason knew a little of, but not enough to carry an in depth conversation. Jason really hadn't gotten the personal 'one on one' training with Dick that the other Robins did, otherwise he probably could. Not to mention, Dick was a gypsy boy._

_Jason rolled his eyes, quick to quip back, "I was in the shower, you didn't die."_

_Damian started incredulously, lifting his head enough to get a look at Jason and lifting a shaking hand to point up to an intercom speaker in the ceiling._

__Jason was one hundred percent lost, and it looked like no one else in the room seemed to understand either._ _

__"I'm just going to assume that was some bratty response and pretend I understood.”_ _

__Dick's face was red by the time Damian finished ranting at Jason and he couldn't help but to roll his eyes and cover his mouth to stop a small chuckle from escaping his lips. No he didn't blame Jason for jumping Roy's bones but he wished he could've at least waited._ _

__"Damian!" Dick almost snorted before looking at Jason, "Trust me you don't want to know what he said, but it sounds like you enjoyed your alone time with Roy."_ _

__Jason looked at Dick bit confused, then watched as his older brother glanced up towards the speaker. Immediately his face flushed red when the implications of what was being said hit him. Oh shit. He left the overhead com on to listen for Damian ... And completely forgot about it up until this moment. He wished he could drop dead right now._ _

__Dick's attention went back to Damian,_ _

__The heroes eyes shifted up to the doctor, his smile fading. "So how's he looking?" He asked as_ _

__Roy moved to stand between Jason and Dick slinging an arm over each of their shoulders, "You don't need the doctor to tell you he doesn't look too hot, but you should let him inspect Dami-demon more closely. Let him look at the xrays and well... Work."_ _

__"But...I..." Dick started before he glanced at Jason and sighed heavily, looking down at Damian once more,_ _

__While Dick spoke to Damian Roy had shifted his attention to Jason, "Slade and I got this, go talk to him, kiss and make up, alright?"_ _

__Damian looked a little betrayed when Dick said he needed to leave and let the doctor examine him. Usually Damian would be throwing a fit because he was stubborn (like his father) and wanted to monopolize Dick's time. Right now? He genuinely felt anxious being away from his big brothers, especially Dick ... But he'd even welcome Todd's company at the moment. God, maybe even Drake... Gross.._ _

__"Come back soon." Damian muttered, leaning away from Dick and taking his position against the headboard._ _

__Dick couldn't help but to chuckle at Damian, he knew the poor thing didn't want to he away from him and if he were being honest, he didn't want to leave Damian. He just wanted to lay down on that little medical bed and curl up forgetting the outside world but unfortunately he needed to patch things up with Jason. It was already eating him alive not to._ _

__"I'll be back soon, I promise." With that Dick kissed Damian's forehead, while Jason was giving Roy a soft kiss._ _

__"I think that's our cue." Jason said with a click of his tongue and slipped out of Roy's grasp, "Come on big bird. I've got dinner in the kitchen, I haven't seen you eat since you got here."_ _

__

__"You don't come near me." Damian nearly growled, pointing to Slade, then pointed to Roy. "Go get me some water, Harper. Make yourself useful."_ _

__"You know, if you didn't look like you've been in a dumpster, I'd make you say please but since I'm oh so nice let me get you your water you royal pain in my ass."_ _

__The red head salute the boy and grabbed a water bottle from under the bed, he stashed it there before he finished setting up the X-ray machine. He could only imagine how the poor thing felt._ _

__"You hungry at all or did my face spoil your appetite?" The ginger teased oh so playfully._ _

__

__

__Jason had moved inside the kitchen before Dick even left the medical bay, pulling out what was leftover from dinner and plating it up for the microwave to reheat. After that he went to grab the protein powder from the top cabinet. They probably both needed it at this point. His attention was diverted instantly upon Dick's arrival. Jason turned his attention toward Dick, leaning against the countertop._ _

__"Hey, listen Jay... I want to say I'm sorry for blowing up on you, you were just worried and I pushed you away. I... I wish I could say it was just as simple as me being uncomfortable talking about it but it's not, really it's... I don't want you to think you can't count on me and I guess I have it somewhere in my head that if I can't handle my own stuff that I can't handle yours." Dick's eyes shifted to the ground as he let out a heavy sigh, "I'm willing to talk about it now... To let you in because that's what family does..."_ _

__The male shifted, his back against the counter as his hand moved behind him to hold onto it as though he were supporting himself, this wasn't going to be easy... It never was. Jason shifted silently when Dick joined him so they were actually standing closer together, shoulders nearly touching. He knew Dick needed that kind of support._ _

__“Roman.... Did take advantage of me… He didn't go as far as he could've, thanks to Slade, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen...... And.....He....." Four more words Dick.... He closed his eyes tightly as if he could just disappear, trying to mute the sound of his own voice, "Wasn't the only one..." He swore he just threw up in his mouth a little, his eyes reluctantly opening to land on Jason._ _

__

__"Wasn't the only one?" Jason had so much to say, do many questions, but he, once again, was hyper focused on what Roman did to Dick._ _

__Part of him felt responsible, and maybe that was why he reacted so badly in the first place. Jason had ruined Roman using his own game, he stole everything out from underneath him. Roman hated him, and Jason didn't doubt he used that hatred as fuel for what he did to Dick. Jason should have killed that motherfucker the moment he saw him._ _

__"Dickhead, listen ... I ... Fuck." Jason combed his fingers through his on hair. "You're right that you need to rely on us more ... All of us. As much as I've tried to run away from this, we are a family. So watching you struggle is tough for us, all of us. I get it though." Jason paused and crossed his arms across his chest, his own defense mechanism. "There are instances we don't want to talk about. Especially when it comes to being ... Fuck it. Raped." Saying that word was like lava to his ear drums, but it was the truth. "It's like you're reliving it, and you're not sure if you can hold it all together while you tell us. Afraid we'll judge you for breaking down or some shit because Bruce's toxic masculinity bullshit has told us that things like that don't happen to real men. Am I warm?" Jason was cussing a lot, but overall remaining relatively calm. God, it was embarrassing to admit, but this conversation would be going so much worse right now if he hadn't worked out his frustrations with Roy earlier. "All I'm saying is that I get it. Tim and Damian might not, but I do. So just talk to me, pretty bird, it's the end of the world we kinda need each other."_ _

__Dick couldn't help but to softly chuckle at Jason's sentiment though shortly afterwards he fell silent and just thought over the others words, Slade was right. His brothers had been kept out of the loop, pushed away.. They didn't get the benefit of being Dick's support because he was quite honestly scared to let them in and they knew that, it's why they never pushed.. It's why they didn't feel trusted._ _

__With a heavy sigh Dick let his head rest on Jason's shoulder, "You can't blame Bruce, Jason... Honestly, as men, we're conditioned to feel... Wrong when it happens to us.. Especially if we're raped by woman. Men aren't allowed to feel emotions or be abused because they're supposed to be strong but really we're all human. We're emotional, we can be abused and we should have the freedom to talk about it..... But that still doesn't make it easy." He pulled away and looked at Jason thinking over what Slade said, he didn't have to give every detail... "With Roman part of me wants to beat myself up for it.. Say that I should've been able to stop it from happening but.... He had other men with him who helped him tie me down." God Dick could feel his skin crawling as the memory of those men touching him filled his mind._ _

__"He had a gag that he used... And he gave his men permission to... 'Play' with the rest of me but they weren't really in as much of a rush as he was... Like they just wanted to enjoy watching him do it." Dick couldn't really bring himself to be more than vague, how the hell was he supposed to say Roman forced him to suck his dick? "They even took pictures.." Dick sighed and put a hand over his face before shaking his head, "Slade came back before his men had an opportunity to really get their hands on me...I.....I think he killed them.." there was a surprising amount of guilt in Dick's voice at that._ _

__"Holy shit ... Dick." Jason sounded heartbroken for his brother. It wasn't piteous, but just pure empathy and mutual hurt. "I would have killed them too ... Honestly. That's not on you though Dick, Slade made that decision."_ _

__Jason could tell just by the way Dick said the last part it was eating him up inside. Bats didn't kill, nor did they allow others to die on their watch. Jason loosely followed those guidelines. Sure, he didn't put up near the number of kills he used to, but sometimes his finger slipped on the trigger. What could he say?_ _

__Dick heard Jason's words, knew that he wasn't responsible for the deaths that Slade caused which, logically there was nothing he could've done even if he tried, he couldn't even stop himself from getting raped let alone stop Slade from killing the assholes that did it... He still felt guilty, he didn't understand why. The hero's mind spiraled into thought as he tried to articulate the guilt he was feeling, maybe it wasn't over the list lives but because he was in love with Slade... He was in love with a man who so easily killed others. Dick wanted to wrong himself for it but je couldn't… because if he did he'd have to hate Jason too… and Kate… Roy… his friends.. With a deep sigh Dick nodded and accepted Jason's comfort despite the fact he wanted to fly away and forget about all of this._ _

__After standing silently Dick finally spoke up, "I'll take questions now..."_ _

__"I'm not going to push you to tell me everything, Dickie, so relax a little." As Jason spoke he lightly tapped Dick with his shoulder but kept their sides pressed together. "You ... Said there were others though ... You didn't mean the other men there. You meant there have been other times ... Right?"_ _

__Dick eased visibly when Jason didn't pry, he didn't even flinch at Jason's question since it was to be expected and because Jason demonstrated not needing each and every detail. He nodded and let his cheek return to the younger males shoulder, that was always the nicest thing about tall people. Shoulder pillows._ _

__"Yeah... It's happened a few times.. The first time was when I was still in the circus, it was one of our lion tamers... He took advantage me and a couple other kids." Dick fell silent for a moment, "My parents found out because I... Attacked him... I blacked out and almost killed him actually. Mom always gave me the space to talk about it if I needed to... I didn't really talk to her but I'd talk to Reya about it because he did it to her too.. She understood."_ _

__Jason felt a sudden wave of guilt hit him as he listened to Dick. He was an absolute hypocrite telling Dick he needed to spill his guts to Jason, when he couldn't even do the same. This was hard for Dick, he could hear it in his older brother's voice and feel it in his stance._ _

__"You were just a kid ..." Jason muttered feeling his own anger rise again from the pit of his stomach, it took everything he had to push it back down._ _

__Meanwhile Dick just gave a nod, "The second time was as Robin.. It was some human trafficking lady that drugged me. I don't remember everything about it, mainly that it happened." The hero paused, he couldn't bring up the Joker again. Not right now. "Uh… Then there was Catalina…"_ _

__"She's the one that killed Blockbuster right?" Jason asked sending chills down Dicks spine._ _

__"Yeah… Actually… She did it while I was having a panic attack… I was… Disgusted and ashamed I let her kill him and she… Completely took advantage of it. I denied it for a long time… Told myself she was only trying to help but-"_ _

__"She raped you, Dick… Her intentions don't matter."_ _

__"No… I guess not…."_ _

__"Dick I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier for something you couldn't help, something I wouldn't... Haven't been able to do."_ _

__Dick heard Jason's apologies and couldn't help but to shake his head until he caught onto the others words… 'Haven't been able to do.' It got the older hero to shift back from Jason and look up at him. Shit, did Jason even want to have this conversation right now? No one knew. He liked it that way... But how could he lecture Dick for keeping secrets when he had been doing the same?_ _

__"When I said you and Bruce had forced every detail out of me about what happened the night I died ... I wasn't being honest." Jason gripped his arms tighter. "I never talked about it with anyone, not even Roy knows because I didn't want anyone's pity. I didn't want them to look at me different ... Probably a little of what you're feeling right now too." Jason shut his eyes and felt his nails digging into his forearms. "The night I died two of the Joker's henchmen raped me. I remember just hearing that sick fuck laughing about it the whole time, I could barely breathe because he'd broken all my ribs and yet I was ... Aroused, or my body was. I still feel sick about it, I hated every minute of it, wanted to just die. He kept telling me it was because I liked it, I wanted it, because I was sick like him." Jason felt blood trickling from his nails. Dick's arm slowly slinking around his back as he kept talking "When his guys were finished he beat me again. Then to top it off he … Put the crowbar inside... I've never felt pain like that since. He didn't care, he wanted me to die, he wanted to destroy me for Bruce. He ripped me up, left me bleeding on the floor." Jason could almost physically hear the laughing in his head like a nightmare come to life. "Like I said ... I never told anyone. Not even the psychiatrist Bruce sent me to. I didn't want to admit he took one more thing from me. Yet ... I was so quick to judge you for not letting us in. We all do it. It's just ... We need to stop the cycle of silent suffering Bruce has taught us. When I said it's his fault, I meant that exactly. We shouldn't hold things in until they kill us."_ _

__Hearing this confession from Jason completely broke Dick's heart and yet it was exactly the transparency he needed... He wasn't alone and him opening up made it so that Jason wasn't alone either. Tears began streaming down the older males cheek as his body started to shake, his reaction so strong as though he were experiencing Jason's story rather than just hearing it. Within seconds Dick's arms were wrapped tightly around Jason, squeezing him like a python as he just softly sobbed. Jason held onto his brother as soon as the contact was initiated. It was hard to talk about, but he'd done it. He wasn't going to let that part of what happened to him haunt his nightmares anymore. How many times had he woke up screaming from them? Unable to tell anyone what for ... Telling Roy he couldn't remember what he'd been dreaming about. Anything to just keep it hidden._ _

__"Oh my god Jason I am so. So. Sorry.... I.... I know what that's like..... The.... The Joker raped me... I know how it feels having him say you deserve it, having him say you like it. I shouldn't have hidden it from you.." That wasn't all Dick wanted to say, part of him wished he told Bruce because then maybe.... Maybe it wouldn't have happened to Jason... But he couldn't blame himself right now because what Jason was opening up to was so much bigger than that guilt._ _

__

__Jason just about went pit green all over again. The Joker had raped the golden boy? The eye of Bruce's affections? Did he know what happened to Dick? And if he did ... Why didn't he do anything? Why didn't Bruce protect them more? He had so many questions, prying and too real for the moment they were experiencing._ _

__Dick took a step back, hands holding Jason's arms tightly as he looked into his eyes, "Jason I know you... You didn't want that... You didn't like it... Having his hands on you made your skin crawl and burned like acid... And you are not any less because of it."_ _

__God he knew those feelings. Knew what it was like to be the 'batslut', hell the Joker highlighted that by making him hallucinate dozens of other people touching him._ _

__"You're not alone." He reassured, arms wrapping around the other again. "You don't have to suffer quietly anymore... I won't make you talk about it but if you need to then I want you to know I am here if you need to talk about it.. You're right, we shouldn't hold it in.. And sometimes it takes time to build that strength." Dick wiped his own tears before stepping back with a heavy exhale. He couldn't stop himself from reaching up and holding Jason's cheek, "Thank you for.. Telling me.. It means a lot"_ _

__"I should have told you sooner... Then maybe you could have understood why I was so bent on revenge before I did what I did. That's kind of the whole point though. Huh?" Jason pulled Dick in for another chest crushing hug, putting a hand on the back of his brother's head. "I love you Dick. I never said that enough before all this shit went down ... And fuck. You crying still gets me going." Jason let out a small chuckle, feeling his own eyes watering with tears that threatened to fall if he so much as blinked. "You're still always going to be our big brother, regardless of whether or not you have a bad day Dickie. We all have looked up to you, but we never expected you to be perfect. Trust me."_ _

__Hearing those words and knowing they were true from Slade was one thing but hearing Jason tell him? To feel Jason's arms around him, to know that Jason meant every single word he spoke... No.. They didn't expect Dick to be perfect but fuck was he so bent on trying to be. He knew it would take time to change that, but for now he was just going to breathe in that relief._ _

__"I needed to hear that Jay… Thank you."_ _

__He shifted back after a moment, sucking up as much love as he could from the hug. Finally he breathed out and chuckled before wiping his own tears._ _

__"I don't blame you for keeping it to yourself, I'm just as guilty... It's… different than admitting when you're hurt because it's more personal. Not everyone understands that and some people do but don't.. Get it.. Like Bruce.. I couldn't tell him. If I did he'd take Robin away from me and I just... It's not the life I wanted. I couldn't just sit back and watch people suffer or die so.. I hid it from him which... Was fucking hard because the Joker or.. someone started a rumor that even hit the press." Dick's eyes filled with a hint of guilt, "It took everything I had to bury it enough to make him believe me it's amazing not to be holding it in anymore.."_ _

__With that Dick's stomach let out a loud growl as everything hit him at once. The moment the knot was out of his stomach an overwhelming hunger hit him, his head growing a little light._ _

__"You don't have to explain the fear of being benched to me. Trust me, we all get that."_ _

__That had been half the reason he went to track down the Joker by himself without telling Bruce first. Once you became Robin it became part of who you were. For Jason it was the first time in his life he felt like people looked up to him, valued him. He wasn't just some dirty street kid, he was Robin, Batman's sidekick, the person every kid dreamed they could be. Dick smiled, a true authentic smile, his wounds had been buried but Romans intrusion drug it all up at once. He almost felt like the last couple of days were a blur. He couldn't deny that he had been depressed even if he faked a smile or cracked a joke, now though? He was light as a feather, free from his shackles, even his pale sickly skin regained some of the color it had lost.  
Dick was so grateful for Jason. Sure he wasn't necessarily considered the 'good' son but that didn't mean he was bad. He gave good advice, offered a shoulder to cry on, he did his best... Sure he had a temper and could be a grump but that didn't mean he didn't care, and Dick saw that... Really they weren't too different, Dick had a temper too he just had more patience and if he were honest… He thought that if he was taken by the Court of Owls he wouldn't be nearly as good of a person as Jason was._ _

__"Please tell me those left overs are either for me or that you're sharing."_ _

__"Have a seat pretty bird."_ _

__Jason motioned, pulling the large plate of leftovers out of the microwave, piling up some bread to go along with the meat and potatoes. He sat that down in front of Dick before going back to the protein/nutrient powder he'd been working on. He mixed a good amount with almond milk for himself, and of course, chocolate milk for Dickie._ _

__"Here ... Don't worry I made it how Alfred would." Jason promised, shaking an additional drink up for Damian that was, of course, vegan. The kid needed to eat something._ _

__Jason went to sit down but saw Bizarro floating by with a comforter, probably from Slade's jet, bundled up in his arms. It took two seconds to guess who was inside said bundle._ _

__"Hey, big guy come here."_ _

__Jason said in a soft tone bringing Bizarro over to him with eyes cast down. Lian was bundled in Bizzaro's arms, half awake and letting out a soft whine when she was transferred to Jason. The young girl rubbed her eyes and plopped her head into Jason's bicep almost violently as she seemed to drift back into a light sleep, poor thing was absolutely exhausted from this late night. After all she usually had a bedtime and like most children, going off schedule greatly impacted her, it could be expected of her to take a nap the next morning._ _

__"LiLi sleepy. Zarro sleepy too ... Red man mad?"_ _

__"No, buddy no. Everything is okay. I feel better now. I'm sorry I was angry earlier." Jason reassured him._ _

__"That's okay Red. Ready for bed." Bizarro went to leave however Jason stopped him to give him a fatherly kiss on the head before sending him on his way._ _

__Jason then sat across from Dick at the table, holding his little girl like he would have when she was a baby. He was going to seriously miss when she was too big to be held in his lap anymore, she was close to getting there already._ _

__The second the food was in front of Dick, he began eating letting out a happy hum, Jason was right... It tasted just like Alfred would made it, he couldn't help but to wonder if Alfred was still okay... Bruce mentioned placing him in a safe house when all this started and Alfred did go missing at the same time as Bruce. Dick knew Alfred wasn't with Bruce or if he was Bruce never told him that so... Dick Just had to trust that Alfred was in the safe house.. Dick was scarfing down food in a matter of minutes, he swore he never ate so fast in his life._ _

__

__"So, whats up with you and Slade? Seriously, no jokes." Jason asked brushing the hair out of Lian's face._ _

__Dick looked up from his plate, which was more than half way empty, having been completely distracted by eating. He'd smile if he didn't have food in his mouth, the sight of Jason holding a child was absolutely precious, Dick wondered how long they were sitting there. The question Jason asked made Dick shift some and he seemed to stay quiet as he thought over an answer. After taking a big drink of the chocolate milk he let out a hefty sigh._ _

__"It's.... Complicated.." Though... If anyone would understand 'complicated' it would be Jason. "Right now we're just working together to end this thing but..... I like him... A lot... And I'm learning that he's not who I thought he was but... He still conflicts with my morals.." He began to explain, "And I'm fairly sure he likes me back which doesn't make it any easier... But you know it's my problem to sort out."_ _

__Dick shrugged and picked at his food a bit, he opened his mouth to change the subject though quickly shut it knowing that wasn't the way to handle this. Taking a bite of food Dick went ahead and added._ _

__"You know me and my god awful tastes."_ _

__"You mean like Adam?"_ _

__Jason wasn't pulling any punches, but the way he said it wasn't antagonistic, just more so pointing out what they were both thinking. The guy wasn't Lord Voldemort, they could say his name out loud._ _

__"Yeah, we've all been exposed to your bad choices before."_ _

__

__Dick tensed when he heard Adams name, he hated how many butterflies he still got from hearing it.. He was head over heels with that man despite all the awful things that happened because of him and Jason mentioning it made him worried he was making the same mistake with Slade._ _

__Jason shifted the blanket over Lian a little more to cover her face from the over head lights and keep her warm. Mostly though? He just wanted to fret over her a little bit, gave him more of a reason to hold her and god did he just need to hold her right now._ _

__"With relationships though, things are never cut and dry like you want them to be. Even if they are that doesn't mean they'll work either ... Look at you and Babs, or Kori, for the most part you agreed on goals, morals, 'true justice' ... All that bullshit. You still didn't work out. Which … Is fucking ridiculous because they are the second and third best redheads I know." I think they could all guess who his choice for first was._ _

__

__"I cheated on Kori, Jason… That had nothing to do with the quality of the relationship." Dick interrupted while simultaneously changing the subject, what magic._ _

__"Uh.. You were tricked by a shape shifted… Technically you were raped." Jason didn't like being the one to point that out, in fact he tried staying out of it._ _

__"I gave my consent, Jay."_ _

__"Under false knowledge… I know you would've never done that if you know it was Mirage.." How did Jason even know all this? Oh right, Roy._ _

__Dick frowned and shifted, poking at his food, he knew Jason was right but he was still in denial. How couldn't he be? It was already hard living with the fact five people raped him, throw on top of that a girl who raped him and made his girlfriend break up with him because of that. It ate him up._ _

__"Anyway' s Dick, that's not the point here… I guess I'm just saying the world is ending and Slade isn't being a total Dick about it. Maybe stop trying to think about this relationship like Nightwing and think about it like Dick would. Or maybe just stop thinking about it too much in general ... For someone as ditzy as you can be, your still a chronic over analyzer ... Shit we all are."_ _

__How long had it taken Jason to fully accept he loved and wanted Roy? Actually, this entire conversation was hypocritical from his standpoint. Poor Roy had suffered at Jason's indecisiveness for a long time ... Still probably was in some sense._ _

__"Anyway, what do I know? I just picked up my own redhead that came with his own family starter pack and everything. Here I am now just ..." Jason looked down at Lian before he was going to make some flippant comment and sighed, a small smile on his face. " ... Happy. It's terrifying sometimes, but, it's worth it."_ _

__Dick just stayed silent and listened to Jason's words carefully and gave them deep thought, as much as he liked to believe Nightwing and Dick were one in the same, Nightwing was somewhat forced to think things out logically. Sure a lot of his decisions were based on feelings and intuition, like Dick, but he also inspected things from all angles like a detective. With a heavy sigh Dick held his head up in his hand._ _

__"Well Dick wants to give it a chance… Slade's proven to me that he is not like Adam, even if he makes bad choices, but he's human so I can't expect him to be perfect.... But I also don't see how I can justify my morals by being with him."_ _

__

__He paused and looked at Jason, saw that smile on his face as he held Lian... Shit it's not like he was in any different of a situation. Roy has killed... Roy was an addict... Bruce didn't approve. The heroes eyes settled on Lian who was bundled up and starting to softly snore in Jason's arms, it was absolutely precious... And to think her parents were considered screw ups... Maybe he could let go of his reservations... Like Jason said, it was the end of the world and if he could make it work out so well then maybe Dick could too._ _

__"Maybe I can give it a shot.... I'll have to talk to him later tonight.... It's funny because since I realized I have these feelings, I've been waiting for him to so something about it.. The sad thing about that is I want him to make the first move so that if it goes bad I can blame him. It's not fair and he's made it clear I have to make the choice."_ _

__"Just make sure Bruce is out of your head when you finally do make a decision. The bastard is noisy."_ _

__As far as Jason knew, Bruce was dead or 'missing'. Still it was hard to accept that or even start processing it, so talking about him in the present was just easier. He had too many people relying on him to hold it together right now, to actually believe Bruce was dead._ _

__Dick sighed and finished his food before he stood up and carried his plate to the sink, setting down. "Let's go see what the doc found."_ _

__Jason nodded for Dick to go ahead, he needed to go tuck Lian into bed before he did anything else. He just needed to resist laying down next to her in bed for more snuggles. God, it was disgusting how domestic he'd gotten, but who the hell could blame him? Had they seen Lian? She was the cutest sass monster he'd ever met._ _

__

__Dick headed back up to the medbay, he approached Slade just standing beside him while his eyes shifted down to Damian. Roy had seated himself on the floor and had began working on some kind of round bomb looking thing._ _

__"So how is he?"_ _

__Dick asked causing Roy to look up._ _

__"He's still a mini asshole, sounds just like his dad." He shrugged making Dick chuckle and sit on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through Damian's hair._ _

__Damian looked relieved, he was obviously trying to behave himself. His cheeks red, eyebrows drawn together in pure frustration, hands clenched at his sides, and a glare that Bruce would have been proud of. A little tension released from his features and shoulders, his eyes not leaving Dick._ _

__The doctor had just moved away from Damian and was using some of the testing equipment on the other side of the room, once again in his own little world._ _

__"I'll second Speedy. He did try and bite the doctor while you were gone too." Slade outed Damian, who shot a glare over at him._ _

__"I was trying to bite you, Wilson. I warned you twice not to come near me and you touched. My. Arm."_ _

__Damian was nearly seething about what happened, clearly not comfortable with Slade's presence at all. The fact of the matter was that Damian was a young kid in pain. Missing his family support system, feeling vulnerable, grieving his father and now quite possibly his mother. It was amazing Damian hadn't completely fallen apart, any other kid his age would be in a ball screaming by now._ _

__He was breathing hard with the confrontation, his vitals starting to beep in warning at his oxygen saturation dropping. Even if everyone else in the room was having a good chuckle at his expense Damian wasn't in the mood. He reached forward and grabbed onto Dick's wrist, holding it in a shaky grip._ _

__The doctor looked up from his testing, tsking. "I told the Knabchen he needed to calm himself or we will need to give him something to relax." He needed to get these tests finished without distractions._ _

__"You aren't drugging me!" Damian yelled back, face getting redder._ _

__"Your lungs cannot deal with the pressure of your anxiety. You must relax." The Doctor repeated, giving Dick a look that read 'control your child' all over it._ _

__Dick couldn't help but to sigh as he was brought up to speed, he couldn't blame Damian for being a little feisty, shit he probably would be too but it was still disappointing for Dick. He was hoping Damian would at least make it easy for the doctor to give a diagnoses._ _

__"Hey, one hard smack to the head and he'll be out, trust me I would know." Roy smirked making Dick kick him in the thigh, "Ow! Hey I'm joking! "_ _

__"You aren't helping." Dick snapped, eyes shifting to Damian before he leaned over him some speaking in Arabic,_ _

__Dick's eyes shifted into pained oceanic orbs peering into the depths of Damian's soul, was he trying to guilt trip him? Maybe... Okay definitely but hey if it worked it worked._ _

__"Why don't you just let Dr. V give you something to help you relax. Then after that he can finish looking you over and you won't have to deal with it anymore, not to mention it'll help him get better results which will help us get out of here faster."_ _

__Roy pout as he stared at his weapon, "Damn it.... I ruined it." With a heavy sigh he tossed it over his shoulder, a faint electrical sound being heard from wherever it landed as he stood. "Where's me wife?" Roy taunted making Dick shift his attention off Damian._ _

__"He was with Lian in the dining room, he's gonna put her in bed." Dick explained._ _

__"Sweet, then I may or may not see you guys later." The red head quite literally skipped off, slipping into the other room to find Jason._ _

__Honestly the idea of cuddling his kids with Jay was phenomenal and if it meant not seeing the others until morning then he was absolutely down. Nothing warmed his heart more than seeing Jason with his baby girl._ _

__Dick shifted on the bed, laying on his side as he wrapped his arm around Damian, "I'm here now... you can relax."_ _

__He whispered so only Damian could hear, he would have to talk to him about Slade later when Damian could at least breathe.  
Right now, Damian looked conflicted, staring between Dick and the doctor a few times before shutting his eyes tightly. _ _

__"F-Fine." He started, head resting on Dick's chest. Damian nearly begged in Arabic, anything so that Slade wouldn't hear him._ _

__He let out a 'tt' and coughed afterward, forcing a pained sound out of him and causing him to curl further into Dick. The doctor got up from his position at the table._ _

__"I promise, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Dick whispered reassuringly as he ran fingers through Damian's hair._ _

__If he were being honest, Dick would say that he somewhat saw Damian as his own kid, after Bruce died Dick took on the responsibility of raising him and in doing so Damian had begun to fulfill that deep want Dick had of wanting his own children. He knew the dynamic between him and Damian still shared those brotherly boundaries but at the same time they held the same father son qualities. Either way Dick was absolutely heartbroken at Damian's state, the poor boy filled with so much pain and discomfort._ _

__"Let's do some more pain medication with that too." Viktor suggested, taking a hold of Damian's IV tubing._ _

__Slade was silently moving around the bed, handing the doctor saline flushes and other simple needs he was forgetting in his haste to help. He couldn't believe the amount of patience and love Dick had for Damian. He always understood that Dick had bonded closely with his family, but he never expected this. Some super families were just 'family' in name, but Dick truly cared for them like they were his own flesh and blood. It was admirable, and oddly attractive._ _

__Once the doctor pushed through the medications Damian began to relax instantly. He laid close to Dick, arms loosely wrapped around him, eyes fluttering open and closing more slowly with each passing second. Usually, Damian wasn't so cuddly, Dick had to fight to gift Damian with physical affections. Right now? Damian was throttling between one world of pain and anxiety and another of weightless, drugged mush brain. In either state he didn't have the energy to try and pretend he didn't want Grayson's affections. Right now he just needed them like any kid needed from their papa._ _

__"I'll get you a change of clothes from the jet."_ _

__Slade announced softly, moving anyway to do so, leaving the doctor with the two of them. The man checked over Damian's vitals before telling Dick that he was finding all the same injuries the Turkish doctor's had, and while Damian needed supportive care until he was healed, there wasn't much else he could do. He could give Damian the medications he needed to be comfortable, but at the end of the day the human body took time to heal. This was disappointing but unsurprising to Dick. The Court had put Damian together for the most part and while Dick wished he could cast a magic spell to heal Damian, he knew Viktor was right. Damian just needed rest._ _

__The doctor was currently examining some of the nano tech under a microscope, mentioning that Slade asked him to collect a sample and tell him what he could about the device. They needed all the information they could get and while Viktor wasn't a scientist he was damn intelligent._ _

__As silence spilled over the small space, Dick had begun singing softly to his little Robin. It sounded like some kind of Romani lullaby, in fact it was the one Dick's mother used to sing to him and he usually had a hard time singing it without getting choked up but right now it was worth pushing through that to comfort Damian. It didn't take long with Dick melodious voice, soothing presence, and the influence of all sorts of fun drugs for Damian to fall asleep. His oxygen started to level out to a more acceptable number, and he even began making adorable tiny nose whistling snores. By the time Slade arrived back the doctor was back at his seat silently observing the specimen under technology that he raved was better than most of Germany had. Slade set the folded clothes next to the bed on a bedside table and took a seat behind Damian but in Dick's eyesight._ _

__"Get everything figured out with Jason?" Slade asked, voice low and even, probably for Damian's sake._ _

__Dick kept quiet, not wanting to shake Damian from whatever state he was in. The hero took a few minutes to study the boy until he decided that Damian was rested enough for him to speak though his voice was incredibly soft._ _

__"Yes... I actually wanted to thank you for suggesting that I talked to him about it... It helped both of us a lot."_ _

__Dick's eyes never left Damian as he leaned down and kissed the boys cheek, sitting up slowly a moment later. He kept his movements slow so that if Damian felt the need to stop him he could,_ _

__"I say that medication is better than a swift hit to the head." Slade joked lightly, harkening back to Roy's comment from before._ _

__He still kept his voice low, creating a bit of intimate space between the two of them. He even reached back and pulled around a privacy curtain to drown out the light and noise from the Doctor's work behind him._ _

__"Jason's a good kid. Or at least he tries, both of them are." Slade commented gesturing his head forward to the sleeping quarters where everyone else was at the moment. "You'll feel better talking to them about it than me. Family is good for that kind of thing."_ _

__Slade wasn't suggesting he didn't want to be a safe space for Dick to talk about his problems. However, the man wasn't giving himself enough credit for how he did and could help Dick. The fact of the matter was that Slade wasn't used to it ... That kind of intimacy. In his mind, there was no way it could last. Dick was infatuated, maybe it would give with time, who knew. Slade was just along for the ride._ _

__

__"I need to talk to you later."_ _

__Finally Dick's eyes pulled away from Damian landing on Slade, part of him wished the medical bed was big enough for the three of them... Even if it were though, Damian would probably find a way to stab Slade._ _

__Slade's sight locked on Dick's when he looked up from his comforting of Damian. It seemed almost odd to be in a room now where he wasn't the focus of Dick's attention, yet those stunning blues still took him a back every time._ _

__"But not tonight." Slade let out as a statement, not a question. "All of you brats need sleep. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow ... As much as I'd love to stay up all night gossiping with you I don't think Damian wouldn't appreciate it."_ _

__Dick smiled softly at Slade's words, rolling his eyes slightly. He didn't want to wait until the morning to have this conversation with Slade but clearly Slade just wanted him to get some rest. Dick knew he needed it, he felt tired and absolutely exhausted but he was also stubborn like Bruce._ _

__Slade got up from his seat and reached into a storage cupboard near the bed, pulling out a second pillow and blanket.  
He moved over to Dick's side of the bed behind him, throwing the blanket over the two of them. Slade even went so far as to lift Dick's head enough to slip the pillow under it, all without questions. He then brushed up Dick's hair again, starting from between his shoulders and moving up the back of Dick's neck. His thumb ran across the back of the suit, unlocking its mechanisms so the younger could remove it when he was ready. His hand stayed in Dick's hair though, Slade leaning closer until his breath could be felt on the acrobat's bare skin. _ _

__"One more thing."_ _

__Slade's hand ever so slightly tightened in those black locks, fingertips softly scraping against the other's scalp causing Dicks eyes to flutter closed. He loved the contact, he was craving it more than before._ _

__"You bats may rest like rocks, but I tend to be a light sleeper." Slade mentioned, placing a firm kiss on the back of Dick's neck. "Especially when you molest by beard enough to rouse me."_ _

__Slade was referring to the sneaky kiss Dick had given him on the forehead in the jet a few hours earlier when the hero thought Slade was asleep._ _

__"Get some sleep kid." Slade said with a smile, separating himself from Dick to go see if the doctor needed help beyond the privacy curtain._ _

__"Mmmmm you know most men don't have unnaturally soft beards so can you blame me?" Dick questioned._ _

__His skin was covered in goosebumps from the kiss to his neck, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears and he just knew he couldn't keep holding these feelings in. He wanted to be with Slade.. Maybe it was a short term lust or maybe it was something deeper. Regardless he wanted to try it out, see where things went. Dick let out a heavy sigh and laid still with Damian, his mind racing. Obviously Slade was awake in the jet, he almost wished the other reacted when he kissed him.. Of course that was him, again, waiting for Slade to make the first move. Five minutes went by and they felt like five hours to the hero who got up quietly. He slipped out of Slades suit and pulled on the change of clothes that Slade brought, making a knot in the waist of the pants making them tighter before he smelled the shirt and exhaled._ _

__"If this isn't love then I don't know what is..." He whispered to himself, a hand running through his hair where Slades hand just was, he missed it._ _

__With a shake of his head Dick got up and walked out of the medical area, slipping out the back of the curtain quietly heading to the work out room. He was too wired to rest right now, especially since his mood was brought up. Dick approached the pull up bars and grabbed a hold before swinging around. He swung until he was on top doing a handstand on the bar, if he practiced some of his acrobatics he'd wear himself out enough to rest._ _

__

__"Hey."_ _

__Jason whispered from the bed. He'd removed Slade's blanket from Lian and carefully tucked her into the fresh sheets. Teddy had been rescued from the floor and placed in Lian's arm. While Jason had promised himself he wouldn't climb into bed with Lian ... He ultimately had.  
Jason tucked his arm under her pillow and was using the other to gently brush Lian's hair back in smooth, relaxing motions to, hopefully, keep her asleep. He removed his hand from her head to pull the comforter open for Roy to join them. _ _

__"I didn't get to apologize to her yet ... But I just kind of wanted to hold her... I don't know. You know what I mean."_ _

__Jason didn't know why he bothered trying to explain parenthood to Roy like he didn't get it, of course he did, Lian was his biological daughter after all. Though with the black hair? He could probably claim her and people wouldn't question it._ _

__"Yeah... I totally getcha Jay."_ _

__The redhead chuckled, not hesitating to move and lay down with the two. First he crawled along the bed and paused by Jason planting kisses along his shoulder, neck and cheek. Then he moved to the other side of the sheets and crawled under, big, strong, tattooed arms wrapping around not only Lian but Jason as well._ _

__"Well won't you look at that... I have the world in my arms." The redhead couldn't help but to smile._ _

__"Oh my god you're a cheese monster."_ _

__Jason chuckled lightly still, moving his hand from Lian's hair to scratch down the side of Roy's jaw, his hand then falling to the pillow next to Roy's head as the Redhead changed topics._ _

__"How did things go with Dixie cup? You seem a lot more relaxed now."_ _

__"It went good ... We talked. He told me about what happened, other things too. I'm going to respect his privacy by letting him tell you if he wants to."_ _

__It was cryptic, but Roy would understand. Dick had trusted Jason with his secrets, he wasn't about to go tell the world. Even if that meant not telling Roy._ _

__"I um ..." He looked down at Lian, studying her breathing patterns to make sure she was still dead asleep before pressing the conversation further._ _

__"There's something I need to tell you too. I want to be more ... Open, transparent ... With you and-"_ _

__Shit why was this so hard? This was Roy the man who accepted him and all of his craziness. Why was it so hard to just open up and let Roy in closer? He proved time and time again he wasn't going to hurt Jason, that he genuinely cared for him. His mind still wanted to spring up doubts, but he did not want that anymore._ _

__"Remember when we first got together, or I guess messed around. I never wanted to be on bottom? I just kept saying I wasn't into it, didn't want to try it? Not until Kori kind of-"_ _

__Okay he didn't need to go too much into their threesome escapades in case Lian did wake up ... Or heaven forbid someone overheard. Did Dick even know Roy and Jason had sex with Kori? Probably not._ _

__"Anyway. I wasn't... Honest. The truth is-" Jason paused to shut his eyes, his hand finding space in Roy's hair. "The night I died, the Joker and his men did ... Fuck. They raped me."_ _

__Jason finally spit it out like acid on his tongue. This was so much harder than it had been with Dick._ _

__"Everytime you'd put me on my back, every time we tried back then and I just couldn't do it ... It wasn't because I hadn't bottomed before like I said it was because even though it was you I couldn't stop imagining what they did to me."_ _

__Jason's eyes started to water, he felt like he was betraying Roy somehow. That all those times he struggled not to go into those memories the first times they had sex, he'd been suffering in silence because he was afraid of the outcome, afraid of letting Roy in. Terrified Roy might see him as broken, used, and want to move on. All those same fucked up things the Joker told him when he violated him that night. Batman wouldn't want him, no one was ever going to want him after the Joker was done with him. He'd held onto that so tightly that even today he was still keeping secrets for that psychopath, because he believed him. Jason wasn't going to let it hold power over him anymore._ _

__"I'm so sorry Roy."_ _

__"Oh baby." Roy started, rolling to the other side of the bed so he could wrap his arms around Jason and hold him, "Listen... I don't want you to apologize for that, it takes a lot to talk about it and if I were being honest? I'd be a little bitch and not say anything, in fact I'd deny it so much so my dumb ass would believe it didn't happen...... I'm proud of you Jason.... I know the joker left a mark on you, scars, trauma, but you're pushing through them. Sure sometimes they get to ya but you're a human being.. Not even Super-boy-scout-man would walk away from something like that." Roy pointed out, his tone soft and comforting._ _

__Roy kissed Jason's cheek and hugged him tightly, "You're amazingly strong, Baby... You're not letting your traumas define you and you're getting through them. It's part of why I love you so much.. I've always envied how you could just… Get through things without letting the pain become so overbearing you feel the need to numb them, as an addict, that's one of the best traits to have. It's why I need you in my life... I'm glad you told me Jaybird and even though it took you a long time that's okay because it means that I've made progress in your heart.... It means you're starting to trust that I won't leave you because honestly? I'll #burnthewholeworlddownforyou. #notevenkidding."_ _

__Even now Roy couldn't be 100% serious, honestly he was overjoyed Jason opened his heart to him. He knew how hard it was for Jason which only made it mean more._ _

__"I think by now the Joker would be pissed that you've mostly walked off his damage… And the next time I see him I'll give him a good round of 'fronthand backhand'"_ _

__"You talk so much." Jason teased, letting Roy hold onto him because it just felt right. "But you're ... Right, my sweet idiot."_ _

__Red Hood leaned more into Roy so he could get in a better position to kiss him. It was gentle, but was conveying to Roy the amount of love he held for the other._ _

__"I don't know if the Pit will ever allow me to let go of my fears. They'll always be there ... But ... The part that is me? I don't think I've ever doubted it because every time I left, said I couldn't do it, refused to let you come closer ... When I came to my senses and dragged my ass back home you never refused me. You always wanted me back, open arms, like being with you and Lian is just where I belonged." Jason looked down at the snuggled bun at his front. "I've had Bruce, the batfamily, my mom ... But you are where I finally feel like I'm home Roy Harper."_ _

__Roy couldn't help but to smile that giant goofy smile of his, his face actually getting a little red as he listened to his lovers words. They resonated with him so well because he felt like Jason was the only one who wasn't judgemental towards him, didn't see him as just an idiot or just an addict. Jason had the kind of faith in him that made Roy actually believe in himself and finding out that Roy felt like home to him made the redheads night. Roy wouldn't trade this for the damn world and he meant it._ _

__Jason put his hand on Roy's hip and squeezed. "If you do ever try and leave me though ... I'm pretty sure Lian would kill you for me."_ _

__"I'd let her kill me cuz honestly I'd have to be an idiot to leave you."_ _

__Roy's hands found their way in Jason's hair, his smile not leaving his mouth for a single moment as his eyes locked onto Jason's, "I'm glad to hear you say all that, babe, because you are home with me... I will never turn you away. In fact the only thing that'll make me eject you out of my life is if you emotionally, mentally or physically hurt Lian... But I know you'd never do that."_ _

__Roy knew that Jason would tear anyone apart before they could even think about hurting that sweet little princess. "You'll always have me Jason... You and I go hand in hand. It's like... Bonnie and Clyde but gayer.."_ _

__"Much, much gayer." Jason replied, flushing a little himself at Roy's reaction._ _

__That stupid smile of Roy's was honestly one of his favorite things in the world, it meant his babe was happy but it was also damn cute ... Didn't help that Lian did the same one too._ _

__Roy chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Yes but still bad ass." He said as he began drawing small circles on Jason's stomach._ _

__"If anyone ever hurts Lian I'll make sure they are never heard from again ... She's going to hate me when she starts dating … At thirty or something. She's not allowed to before then." Jason wanted her to stay little forever, could anyone blame him?_ _

__"oh I totally agree, you can be good cop and I'll be bad cop. She's going to grow up and be the crazy cat lady who lives in our basement unless she manages to find a man we both like." The redhead chuckled at the thought, reaching over to brush Lian's hair out of her face before his attention shifted back at Jason._ _

__"I love you, Roy." Jason said after a second, relaxing into the bed. "I can't wait for all this shit to be over with. First thing I'm looking for is a damn babysitter." Jason muttered, keeping his arms on Roy, but closing his eyes to fall asleep._ _

__"You can get an Amen to that, I need to have the freedom to be inside you every now and then." Roy chuckled leaning back "Maybe Dick and Slade will take that on." He said giving a loud yawn, "But we can go over that more in the morning.... I love you babe." Roy whispered the last part, noticing that Jason was dozing off, hell he was getting there too._ _

__

__Slade conversed with the doctor briefly when he left Dick and Damian's side. Viktor seem pleased by the lack of infection from all the samples he took. Now he was just trying to find a way to stabilize the mechanism inside Damian's blood stream from outside the body. Needless to say the doctor had a puzzle on his hands. Slade suggested that Roy could help problem solve in the morning, and with that suggestion he'd left for his own quarters._ _

__He took off his armor, kevlar, and the like. He was standing nearly naked in his cabin when out of the side window he saw a figure slipping by in the darkness toward the back training space. He barely got a good enough look to see which of the older boys it was, but he had a hunch. Deathstroke went to lay back in his bed, but found himself sitting on the edge, mind running wild with many of the same thoughts Dick was having. Wondering if he should just throw his own words to the side and take things further. Slade wanted that, he wanted Dick under him, moaning for him ... But he also enjoyed that idiotic smile, his stupid jokes, and kind nature. Oh right- that's why he was letting Dick decide if he wanted to move forward, because Slade wasn't going to let Dick's indecision crush them both._ _

__Shit._ _

__Next thing he knew, Slade was outside the jet, dressed in a tight, ribbed, light grey tank top and black sweats. An outfit of choice for resting or training. He padded barefoot back to the conditioning area Dick had snuck into moments ago. Slade was at Dick's back, leaning against the natural coal black walls surrounding the training equipment. Damn the Bat knew how to create some dramatic looking hideouts ... But Slade wasn't spending his time admiring the architecture design. At the moment he had a much more appealing figure to watch. Dick had been upside down only for a short while before Slades shirt slipped down his body and encased his head. He almost lost his balance but with a deep breath easily regained it and slowly lowered his feet to the bar standing up straight and pulling the shirt off. Dick let it drop to the cave floor taking a step back off the bars as he did so. The young acrobat quickly caught himself on the bar and swung around it a couple times before he stopped in the same hand stand as before only this time he began doing the splits._ _

__At first he stretched his legs so that one was behind him and one was in front, moving them almost unnaturally low. After keeping the hold for a moment Dick straightened his legs perfectly and slowly began spreading them so that that would land on each side of him horizontally, a soft groan escaping him as he stretched. His hip let out a soft pop as his feet touched the bar below, every muscle in his arms and abdomen flexed._ _

__Dick was like watching art in motion. The way he swung, the arch of his body, the tension of perfectly trained muscle with almost effortless ease. It was a damn shame Bruce took Richard away from the performance circuit, Slade would have paid good money to watch this if he needed to. Luckily tonight's show was free._ _

__"I thought you were going to get some sleep with the demon spawn." Slade announced himself after a moment of drooling, picking himself up from it like he hadn't just been ogling at the acrobat moments ago. "Guess we both couldn't get comfortable."_ _

__Dick fell backwards, catching himself with his legs as he hung upside down, letting the blood rush to his head as he head._ _

__"Well I guess you fired me up." He smirked, pulling himself up so he sat on top of the bar, looking down at Slade._ _

__Dick's eyes slowly scanned down Slade's chest and stomach, he wanted to jump down there and just feel his abs, touch his pecks, feel him flex. God he looked so hot._ _

__Clearing his throat, Dick stood and spun around one of the supporting poles that held the bar up, his leg hooking around it as he let his upper body slip down so it was upside down. Slade supposed this was a bats version of pole dancing._ _

__"I just can't stop thinking... You know?" Dick finally said._ _

__Sure he was planning on bringing up his feelings for Slade again but... Right now he was stalling._ _

__"I miss it.... Falling... Rooftop chases... The fighting... I mean I'm sure I can talk someone into throwing me into a wall but.. It just doesn't have the same rush as it does when you're on patrol."_ _

__Slade was trying to be a good active listener, but honestly that was a lot easier said than done. Dick's shirtless form on the bars was more erotic than most strip shows. Slade heard rumors before of the mass of young heros and agents that would come to Dick's training classes literally just to watch the acrobat at work. The mercenary wasn't embarrassed to admit he probably would have been there for the same reasons. Who wouldn't? His eye studied different parts of Dick's flexing muscles and arching figure giving an agreeable 'hm' to Dick's first statement._ _

__Dick's legs let go of the pole and he did a flip landing on his feet. He looked as graceful as a cat. "I think I even miss the steakouts.."_ _

__Slade’s eye finally met Dick's when his feet were back on the ground. He was still and silent before moved closing the distance between them, keeping a couple meager feet between them. Dick watched Slade carefully, he didn't miss the way the others eye scanned over his body. He didn't miss the slight dilation of Slade's pupil, the shift in his breath. He loved it, he wanted so badly to climb back onto the bars and put on a show for the male but he knew he couldn't just do that. He promised himself he would talk to Slade first, after all he said that he didn't do one night stands, said he didn't want anything serious but had also said to enjoy it for what it was... The pent up tension was not enjoyable but Dick couldn't relieve those tensions without talking to Slade first just so he was clear on what this was. Which meant no more late night strip shows._ _

__"You miss the anticipation, the adrenaline, and that sense of unpredictability ... That's why giving up all this was never an option for me ... At least, at your age it wasn't." Slade commented, taking a second to think about it fully. He was about 5 years older than Dick was when Rose was born wasn't he? God ... He was feeling old all of a sudden._ _

__Slade started to stretch his long, muscular arms across his chest, alternating to pull one over with the opposite arm folding over and pulling at the bicep._ _

__"Come on..." Slade gestured to the mats with his head. "I think we both need get some of this energy out." Slade shook his arms out and began walking over there himself. "Don't think I'll go easy on you because of your bad day either."_ _

__A smirk spread across the heroes lips, "Go easy on me? Please you're the one who might break a hip." Dick taunted, following the other to the mats._ _

__He was excited, nearly bouncing in place at the idea of sparring someone. He wanted the fight, the pain, the adrenaline. He wanted to feel Slade's hands on him. Dick rolled his shoulders and paused to roll the pants up so they went up to his thighs, help keep him from tripping over them. Dick didn't even wait for Slade before he ran forward and did a spinning jump, aiming a kick right at Slades chest._ _

__Slade took the first hit square in the chest, but it wasn't because he didn't see it coming. In fact, Slade turned his shoulders and tightened his pectoral muscles just enough to make Dick slide slightly off kilter at the hard, uneven kick. Slade knew Dick could easily adjust his movements to land perfectly, but it would take a millisecond more, tweak his footing just enough Slade might be able to find an easy opening._ _

__He stood his ground, feeling the sting on his chest from Dick's hit, but had a wicked smirk on his face. Slade let Dick come to him again, this time though Slade fully pivoted to the left, letting Dick's foot barely miss him as the hero went in for another kick. With an open palm he pushed hard down on the acrobat's leg sending it toward the mat, at the same time he rotated his hips and sent a sweeping kick to try and take Dick's other leg out from underneath him. Dick moved swiftly to get his toes on the ground before lifting his other foot, spinning just in time to miss the sweeping kick. Dick felt the air from Slades blow and it made the young hero smile, a rush of adrenaline hitting him as he planted his other foot down and went in for a punch._ _

__One thing Dick learned from Bruce was that sometimes quick repeated blows helped prevent the other person from getting the upper hand. Just as quickly as Dick had thrown the first punch his body had dropped into a boxing stance letting more rapid blows go towards the other. He seemed to be aiming at Slades pressure points, he wasn't holding back whatsoever for two reasons. The first one being that he didn't want Slade to hold back and the second reason was because he knew damn well Slade could handle it._ _

__Slade could handle it, and to some extent he would. He knew three thing about fighting with Dick from their past run ins. One, he couldn't let the hero get too much distance or he'd flip and twist his way out of nearly anything. Two, he had more stamina and going power than even Bruce. Finally, Slade knew if he could get Dick on the ground or in a tight enough hold, he could take him down._ _

__Slade tried to keep rooted to the mat as much as possible, forcing Dick to move around him if he wanted to get in a decent shot. He spent most of his time blocking the barrage of blows and giving counter attacks of his own. What did land helped him map out what Dick was aiming for and predict which pressure point he'd be aiming for next._ _

__In a split second he saw it, he was targeting his own punch toward Dick's shoulder, when he correctly predicted the next placement. His other hand shot forward to grab Dick's wrist and use the hero's forward motion to try spinning him around and pinning the arm tight to the middle of his back. Dick let out a grunt, body only tensing as his arm was forced behind his back and pinned between his and Slade's body.. It hurt and it was going to hurt a lot more._ _

__"Oh no, whatever shall I do?"_ _

__Dick quipped before he quickly moved his foot back between Slades ankles, slipping behind one and kicking it forward as he rolled his body straight ahead. If he didn't roll forward then Slade wouldn't have fallen. The force and gravity pulled the two and Dick made sure to tuck and roll throwing both of them over his shoulder._ _

__Slade had figured Dick would weasel his way out of the hold, however, he hadn't expected for him to haul off and launch Slade over the top of him like he did. In the field that would have probably been too risky of a move to try, because if Slade had been able to resist the throw Dick would have likely dislocated every bone in his arm and shoulder. Here on the mats though? There wasn't any real danger and the kid was giving him everything he had. Good. Dick was a force of nature, even with twenty or more years on Dick in pure training alone the hero could easily give Slade a run for his money. If he was honest? He found it extremely attractive. It must be some sort of kink of his, considering his ex-wife was his combat mentor before they got together._ _

__Nightwing successfully got Slade on his back, and while his back and arm were against Slades chest it didn't take Dick much to spin around so he was straddling Slade soon pinning him down. His breathing was heavy, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead as he just stared down at the other male. Any other time and he would've given one of his little jokes or puns but right now? His mind was focused elsewhere, starting with Slade's tight stomach muscles. His eyes slowly slid up Slade's body wishing he didn't have that shirt on, meeting his eye, he didn't even notice how he himself leaned in closer until he felt the others breath._ _

__Slade had promised to give Dick everything he had, but right now he was practically useless. Dick was an absolute shirtless vision from above, toned chest and abs heaving with heavy breaths, just that bit of redness to his body. God how did Bruce justify putting this kid in a speedo for patrols??_ _

__Dick shook his head pulling himself out of his lust filled thoughts before sitting up fully, letting Slades hands go, "Looks like I win." He smirked._ _

__"Win is a pretty strong term."_ _

__Slade smirked back, catching his own breath. Once his hands were free, he smoothed them up Dick's thighs to rest on either side of his hips. He counted on it distracting Dick, and it was a dirty trick, but Slade wasn't a hero ... He didn't have to play fair. Fortunately for Slade, his trick was working, Dick was completely distracted by the hands on his thighs and hips completely buying into Slades game. He just loved the feeling of having the other on his body so much his mind had no room for anything else and the way he bit his own lip practically screamed that. Slade locked his hands on Dick's waist and used a single upward motion to flip the two of them over and pin Dick under himself. He used his longer legs to pin down the length of Dick's, leaving practically every part of themselves against one another except for their upper chests and faces of course. Slade instead let his head fall to the side of Dick's ear, strong hands pinning the man's wrists above their heads._ _

__"See what I mean?" Slade's lips were so close to Dick's ear that they brushed the lobe with each syllable he spoke, his hands tightening down even more onto Dick's wrists._ _

__A shameful groan escaped the hero as he shivered. His skin breaking out in goosebumps from the way Slade whispered in his ear. It was such a powerful effect Slade had on Dick and he knew he couldn't hide it._ _

__"Oh... So.. You think you win now?" Dick asked through heavy pants, "The problem is.." He paused, softly biting Slades earlobe, "You're leaving yourself completely.." With another pause his teeth scraped against Slades jaw, "Open for me to steal your victory."_ _

__It was all flirtatious, but dangerously so. Slade knew he was skirting across a thin line with Dick, he also must have known the outcome of such actions. His brain had warred with two decisions; either let Dick come to him, or make the first move. Even if he'd resolved to let the younger make the final call his indecision was killing Slade. Watching Dick just do acrobatics alone made Slade pin him to the mats then and there, it took his years of fine tuned self control not to._ _

__He wanted let loose of that control and just do what he wanted, what he was absolutely certain they both wanted. It was in that two seconds he took to think it over when Dick finally stepped over that line. Dick had pressed his lips against Slade's._ _

__Dick didn't expect the spark it sent through his body, the dull heat of desire quickly transforming into an intense fire that he felt run through his entire body. Dick's chest and stomach grew warm and that heat along with static ran through his limbs making his fingers grow numb. It didn't take long after that for Dick to deepen the kiss, pressing against the other male harder as his lips moved passionately. He completely let loose, his body easing with the exception of him pressing it into Slade._ _

__Slade wasn't surprised that Dick had kissed him, he was however, taken back by the intensity in it. Slade was shifting on autopilot just to get closer, a better angle, to feel Dick pressing into him. Slade's hips moved forward so he was in between Dick's legs. Sure, it left Dick's legs completely free, but Slade didn't think he was going anywhere right now. He then shifted both of Dick's smaller wrists in the grasp of one hand, the now free fingers dragging through dark hair. He could tell that Dick enjoyed being pinned under him._ _

__As the kiss deepened so did Slade's desire to have more, the young man was laid out under him like a feast after a week of famine, and Slade was inclined to gorge himself. Dick meanwhile, felt between high and absolutely blissful. He loved the intensity at which Slade kissed him back and honestly at this point his mind was set. The heat burning inside him, the ecstasy that filled every inch of his body was too amazing for him to let this be a one time thing. He wanted.. He needed more and he was determined to get as much of it as often as he could. At this point he had his mind set on capturing Slade and keeping him for his own whether it was through Slades own free will or Dick sleeping with him enough times to convince him to stay._ _

__Slade kissed Dick for a moment before pausing entirely, his teeth pulling on Dick's bottom lip making Dick shiver.._ _

__"Hm. Feels like a victory to me."_ _

__Slade breathed out as his hand tightened in Dick's hair and arched the smaller's head back with just enough force to expose Dick's neck to him. His mouth found purchase there, teasing the skin under Dick's chin, all the way down to the bite mark he'd left there days before._ _

__"A tie then?"_ _

__Dick asked having to bite back the moan that threatened to come out from Slades hand in his hair alone. Slade's mouth on his neck only made him squirm for two reasons, first being the fact he wanted to feel every inch of Slade's toned body, wanted to break free of his hold so he could tear his damn shirt off and feel his skin. The second was because that damn beard fucking tickled, Dick loved it all the same. The sensation of the soft tickle followed by the pleasure of Slade's mouth, he wondered how it'd feel on his... Dick let out a soft moan, face flushing slightly, between his thoughts and Slade he was already getting himself excited. In his defense it's been a long time since he's been this kind of intimate with someone._ _

__"You should stop being a tease and take your shirt off already."_ _

__"I don't know if you have any room to talk about being a tease, Dick."_ _

__Slade nearly chuckled over him. Honestly? After the way Dick had been throwing himself around on those bars? Or even before at the gala, in the jet, at his house? All those soft touches, suggestive tones with equally lewd contexts ... Dick didn't even have one leg to stand on at this point. Slade fought back the urge to bring them all up, only because he actually wanted to continue messing around with Dick and not being kicked off onto the mats next to them prematurely. Despite his rebuttal, he wasn't going to refuse the request. Slowly Slade released the grip on Dick's wrists, his fingers smoothing up the sensitive underside of Dick's left arm making the hero shiver. Slade loved that hungry look in Dick's eyes. Loved seeing how hot and bothered these little touches got Nightwing._ _

__"Does seem unfair, I've had such a great view so far."_ _

__Slade crossed his arms over one another, grasping at the base hem of his shirt and pulling it up and over his head, his muscles flexing beautifully with the reveal. Dick's hands wasted no time moving to touch Slade's skin as it grew exposed. His hands started on Slades hips and ran up his body as though he were chasing the shirt right off Slade's body. God Slade was so beautiful, the young hero was just glad that he got to actually touch those gorgeous muscles that he barely got to touch earlier. Dick's hands began moving along Slades back, shoulders and chest before he arched up into the male in attempts to get there bodies to touch._ _

__Unlike most men his age, Slade wasn't in the least bit dissatisfied with his body. He knew he looked good, he'd be stupid not to. Why the hell else would he think he even had a chance with a twenty-something bombshell like Dick?_ _

__Speaking of Dick ..._ _

__Slade could already feel the hero's Richard rubbing against his own between them, he was getting hard too, which shouldn't have been a surprise to either of them. Hell, Slade might have started getting aroused before they started sparring, either way, he wasn't going to tell._ _

__"If I agree to the tie ..."_ _

__Slade started, smoothing a hand up Dick's outer thigh and the side of that world famous ass. "...Does that mean I still get to have a prize?"_ _

__Slade was flirting like such a cheese, but it was intentional, Dick just brought it out in him to be a complete idiot. Who knew. His fingers splayed out on Dick's stomach muscles, thumb hooking under Dick's waistband. He wanted to travel farther but, unlike Dick, had some older wisdom holding him back. Slade wanted Dick to have a moment to pause and really think about if this is what he wanted. He wouldn't outright ask him if he really wanted to do this, Dick should have known by now that if he had any doubts Slade would want Dick to tell him. Sure they were aroused, half-naked, and laying on top of each other and, yes Slade wanted to touch and kiss every part of Dick Grayson's body until they were both satisfied. However, that wasn't worth it if the other party regretted it after the hormones winded down and reality set back in. He himself had done that a few times ... Almost everyone had. The difference was that Slade liked Dick enough, cared about Dick enough, that he didn't want to be associated with that type of regret. Slade much rather walk off the mats blue balled and frustrated. Though Slade would be lying if he said he didn't hope the hero gave him the green light to continue forward._ _

__Dick knew what Slade was asking for when everything came to a pause.  
He couldn't help but to let out a soft snort before he sat up and began kissing along Slades stomach and chest, stopping to softly bite his collar bone. He'd lean in to whisper into Slades ear but the other was too tall, and with how much Slade was pulling on his hair Dick decided to get a little creative. His hand ran along Slades perfect muscles, settling on his neck before he pulled him down just enough to whisper into his ear._ _

__"If I was going to say no, you asking just changed my mind." He admit, "I want to feel you inside of me." The last statement was far more lewd and he sealed it off with a soft bite to the earlobe._ _

__Dick let his body fall back onto the mat, his eyes holding nothing but admiration and lust._ _

__Slade felt a deep, satisfactory moan roll up from the center of his chest when Dick told him he wanted the mercenary inside of him. Dick needed to hear that again._ _

__"Perks of being a gentleman."_ _

__Slade leaned down and kissed Dick again, pushing it deeper immediately as his tongue dominantly swirled along Dick's. He could do this all night. Dick welcomed Slades tongue with enthusiasm, softly biting the wet muscle and sucking on it before his own tongue began wrestling with Slades, fighting to get into the mercenaries mouth._ _

__His heart rate picked up as he felt Slades hand moving lower, towards his boxers. His member twitched with the excitement and anticipation of having the other touching him. Just as Slade's hand found its way into Dick's boxers there was a loud metal clattering sound heard from the medical bay. Slade hesitated a bit, breaking the kiss, but didn't intend to investigate quite yet._ _

__"What was-"_ _

__Another crash was heard, then a loud near blood curdling scream that sounded like it could only have come from Damian. Slade was sitting up a second later, the hairs standing up on the back of his neck when frantic, and heavy heavily accented English followed. It was too far away to make out the words exactly, but it was clear their priorities had shifted. Dick's face nearly paled, any erection he had instantly fading as his heart dropped into his stomach. Damian… The hero practically pushed Slade out of the way and quickly rushed out of the workout room and back into the medical bay where Damian was out of bed, eyes glazed over and face blank. Viktor was standing with his hands up, a fresh bruise already blooming over his left eye._ _

__"Little one, get in bed. You're hurt you-"_ _

__Before he could even finish Damian grabbed the base of a nearby and unused IV pole. He used it like a bow staff and hit the doctor across the chest, sending him back into a wall and slumping to the floor coughing madly. Dick had arrived just in time to see Damian hit the doctor in the chest. His eyes didn't rest on the doctor long for the moment he saw blood on Damian's clothing he was rushing over to him._ _

__"Damian!" He called out._ _

__Damian's stitches were open and bleeding. Regardless it didn't stop him from going over to where the doctor had been running tests on the micro technology and begin destroying everything with the IV pole, sending glass and liquid flying in every direction. Dick moved swiftly to grab the pole from behind, twisting it out of Damian's hand in a way to hopefully force him to let go. Damian's grip on the pole was tight, but Dick was able to rip it out of his hands, making the younger's attention turn toward him._ _

__The raven haired male knew it was risky if Damian was sleep walking or having a nightmare but he was willing to take those risks and softly yet firmly grabbed ahold of Damian's shoulder. Dick didn't even notice his feet were bleeding from stepping on the broken glass but right now it was the least of his worries._ _

__"Hey, it's okay I'm right here."_ _

__His voice holding nothing but sincerity and compassion in it though there was a hidden layer of fear and panic. Damian's face didn't hold any fear, but looked more analytical like Tim's when he was looking over a new data set on the computer. It was as if Damian was predicting if Dick was a threat, or rather if he knew Dick. Apparently, whatever was going on inside the younger's brain had decided the hero wasn't a friend, but a foe instead._ _

__"Come on, Dami, let's sit you down. Breathe it's okay." Dick slowly pulled Damian into his arms, moving cautiously so Damian wouldn't feel trapped._ _

__Damian fought against Dick trying to pull him in, jerking his shoulders and arms like a caged animal. He was still bleeding, but his face showed no pain, he didn't say anything. Damian was silently just doing everything he could to get away from his eldest brother._ _

__Slade came into the room a second after Dick had, but could already tell something was wrong. Damian was trying to rip away from Dick, and poor Viktor was on the floor looking dumbfounded._ _

__"What happened?" Slade asked, looking toward the doctor._ _

__"I was running some tests on the bugs-" He was referring to the micro technology in Damian's blood stream. "-I went to put on the ring you left me and he started going into a fit. When I touched him … Well you can see the rest."_ _

__Slade went to help Viktor off the floor, and turned back to Dick and Damian just in time to see the younger brat slap Dick across the face with surprising force._ _

__"Viktor where is the ring?"_ _

__Dick took the slap, his face burning, and yet he still tried to fight for Damian._ _

__Speaking in Arabic,_ _

__Dick shouted, his fear of Damian hurting himself making him feel desperate. Damian wasn't listening wasn't stopping, if Dick didn't get control over this then Damian could severely injure himself._ _

__"I'm sorry."_ _

__Dick finally muttered before swiftly hitting Damian's forehead with enough force to paralyze him, he always hated using the non lethal version of the Tonga Death Strike simply because if it was to be executed incorrectly or if the pressure was off just faintly it could be fatal and Dick hated pushing those limits, however, at the moment he didn't trust Damian's tantrum enough not to tear the boy apart. The strike was executed successfully and Dick quickly caught the boy and carried him over to the medical table laying him down._ _

__He spoke softly, continuing in Arabic though he was in the process of removing Damian's bloody shirt so he could tend to the wounds._ _

__He swiftly grabbed gauze pads and began cleaning the wound, his own hands getting covered in the sticky crimson fluid before he stopped to put pressure on the injury._ _

__"I needs the sutures."_ _

__"The ring was over with the samples ... Let me see if-"_ _

__"No. Go help Dick with Damian ... I'll find the ring."_ _

__Slade ordered trying to get some semblance of order in this field of chaos. It seemed like Dick had Damian handled and thankfully stopped the rampage, but the underlying problem still existed ... Something had gone wrong with the experimental technology inside of Damian's body._ _

__Viktor went to stand with Dick, pulling out the necessary supplies as they went along. Dick was an extra pair of hands he needed right now, so he was glad the brother was eager to help._ _

__"He ripped the stitches from his spleen removal. Hopefully the damage is just on the surface." The doctor muttered, giving a short sigh. "I'm sorry about this, I shouldn't have been messing around with those things. I never thought this would be the outcome."_ _

__Viktor seemed genuinely sorry about his mistake, especially seeing how much it affected both boys. He was able to start suturing Damian's abdomin closed again while he instructed Dick to start removing the old, ripped sutures from the lung puncture on his chest. He was really hoping not to have to cut this kid back open again ... But his lungs sounded worse than before ... He might need a drainage tube inserted into his collapsed lung.  
Dick was quick to begin removing the stiches on Damian's chest as he was instructed, while he didn't have extensive medical knowledge he did know how to give sutures and remove them. He also knew basics on how to give medication and hook up IV's and oxygen. _ _

__"Its okay Viktor, I know you wouldn't do this on purpose. Let's just get him fixed up." Dick responded to the doctors apologies though his eyes didn't leave Damian for a single moment._ _

__It took Slade a few minutes of searching but he found the ring wedged under the cabinets of the area Viktor had been working at. The usually plain silver band had a red ring lighting through the center of the metal. From what Slade understood from Luthor's instructions that as long as he was wearing the ring, many commands could be given verbally to 'activate' Damian's internal programing. So, the logical step was to put on the ring. Right?_ _

__As soon as Slade slipped the band onto his middle finger the color changed from red to blue, and Damian let out another scream. This time, it sounded like it was purely because the boy was in pain. Dick flinched and Slade moved to the foot of the bed and saw the fog that had been over Damian's features had lifted, tears streaming down his face quickly. In turning off the micro technology it seemed Slade had made things worse, but in fact, he had just removed the filter that was holding Damian back from expressing his discomfort. The kid looked miserable, labored sobs started to wrack his body, his arms and legs trembling under what had to be excruciating pain. The poor thing seemed to have finally snapped, just crying pitifully in hopes it would just stop._ _

__"Isn't there something you can give him for pain?" Slade was surprised by how desperate his voice sounded for the younger, it was a hard scene to watch._ _

__"Not while I'm suturing, also he could bottom out with his blood pressure this low. Can't risk another dose so soon either." Apparently luck was not on Damian's side tonight._ _

__The pain medication was eight times stronger than morphine and packed one hell of a punch. The only downside was that 'bottoming out' could be an issue. Patients like Damian that were struggling to breathe could slip into respiratory distress or have their blood pressure drop dramatically. That's why it was so important to stabilize him first before offering pain management._ _

__Dick spoke to Damian, Fuck.. He wished he could trade places with Damian, take all that pain away from him._ _

__The young man put pressure on the wound that was on Damian's chest, "Deep breaths, I know it hurts Damian just work with me here okay? I want you to close your eyes and focus on the pain while you inhale." He paused to give Damian time to not only process how to attempt to breath, but to actually do it. "Now when your breathe out imagine that pain fading slowly." It wouldn't take the pain away but it should help, Dick's been stuck in situations where all he had were breathing exercises to get him through._ _

__"It hurts!" Damian choked out, grabbing onto whatever part of Dick's clothes his little hands could get ahold of, bunching it up and gripping it tightly._ _

__At first he seemed too gone to listen to Dick's instructions, but with the continued soothing of his voice Damian started to silently follow them. His sobbing starting to smooth out more as he tried to control his breathing and focus on Dick's voice as if his older brother was the only thing keeping his pain at bay enough so he didn't fall over the edge. His breathing started to sound wet though, which perked Viktor's attention up._ _

__"Another breath in.." Dick soothed, one hand moving to run along Damian's cheek._ _

__The boy was going to need a bath to get all this blood off but that wasn't a concern right now if it meant Dick couldn't comfort him._ _

__"Do we need to get him on oxygen?" He asked looking up to the doctor._ _

__"Yes, but stay with him." The old Doctor knew how helpful parents and family members could be in keeping patients calm during stressful situations. As helpful as Dick was assisting him, Damian mentally needed him to be fully present with him right now._ _

__"Tell me what to do."_ _

__Slade piped in immediately, looking ready to jump at a moments notice.He noticed the sloshing sound in Damian's breathing too and it absolutely terrified him, the thought that Damian could die of blood loss or suffocate because of his collapsed lung was absolutely petrifying. The mercenary knew Dick couldn't deal with that loss right now, he's lose it if he lost Damian. He just got the boy back._ _

__

__Dick spoke softly to the boy, relieved that Slade was so willing to help, it meant the world to him that his boyfriend-erm... That Slade was ready to keep Damian alive and comfortable despite not being on good terms with him._ _

__"He needs forced oxygen to open his airways ... A ventilator or a high pressure CPAP machine." Viktor ordered, sending Slade into motion. "I also need some sort of diuretic to help clear the fluid from his lungs. He'll need to be catheterized for that as well ... The fluid needs to drain quickly and he's in no shape to be using the bathroom."_ _

__Viktor wasn't wasting anytime directing as he started on the suture in Damian's chest. Slade was already setting up the CPAP next to Damian, giving the mask to Dick to fit over the child's face.The second he got the oxygen mask he put it over Damian's face and let his own forehead rest against Damian's, an arm wrapping around the boys head as he squeezed his hand._ _

__"Settings?"_ _

__"80% O2, 20 cmp ... Higher if it'll allow."_ _

__"25?"_ _

__"Perfect."_ _

__Slade set the machine up and moved to take Damian's free wrist in his hand, the child, for once, wasn't trying to wrestle out of Slade's grip. He seemed too intensely focused on Dick that he didn't care who was touching him at this point._ _

__"I found furosemide and torsemide."_ _

__"Definitely the furosemide ... Push 5mg ... Should be about half of the prefilled syringe." Viktor didn't even have to look up to know how the medication was set up._ _

__The diuretic was commonly used in emergency situations for heart failure or pulmonary edema patients in the ER all the time therefore it usually came in prefilled, ready to use dosages for adults._ _

__Slade focused on starting a new IV line in the crook of Damian's elbow, then quickly pushed the medication through the new tubing, flushing the line afterword before taping the excess tubing to Damian's forearm for easy access by Viktor if he needed it._ _

__"Done."_ _

__"Once I'm finished with this suture I'll get the catheter set up, once the fluid in his lungs starts to clear and his stats improve we'll push some dilaudid. He'll be feeling right as rain after that."_ _

__Once Viktor moved to stitch up Damian's chest, Dick shifted his hand to hold Damian's just keeping him grounded. While on the outside he seemed calm and focused, he was panicking internally. His heart was racing so loud he could hear it, His mind racing with worries and fears._ _

__Slade set the needed equipment for the catheter between Damian's legs and nudged at Viktor's side._ _

__"I can finish this, go handle the rest."_ _

__Slade instructed, Viktor silently handing over the forceps to the mercenary to continue working on Damian's lung._ _

__"You're doing good kid." Slade seemed like he was talking to Damian at first._ _

__Dick inhaled and held it before blowing out, He continued to coach, his attention shifting to Slade when he thought that Slade was talking to Damian._ _

__"Focus on keeping him calm, this next part isn't going to be fun." It became clear that Slade was talking to Dick a second later._ _

__He knew how much Damian meant to him, and Dick's cool head under all this pressure was insanely impressive from Slade's point of view._ _

__"Damian... Keep breathing."_ _

__Dick instructed soon climbing onto the bed with the boy, pulling Damian's head into his chest. The hero's arm wrapped around Damian's chest as he then moved his wrist up by Damian's mouth in case the boy needed something to bite, after removing his oxygen mask of course._ _

__Damian seemed more than eager to let Dick get closer, to envelop and care for him. Damian was always an independent child, priding himself on the ability to be mature, self sustaining, and strong. He wanted to be as good as, if not better, than Bruce, Tim ... Everyone he could possibly be compared to because his pride was truly enormous. Talia and Ra's had raised Damian with the belief that showing pain, crying, was all weakness and a moral failing. If Ra's Al Ghul saw him now he'd think even less of him than he did before._ _

__Dick though? Dick wasn't like that. He was the one person in the world that Damian knew, without out single doubt, wouldn't judge him based on this moment. His brother wouldn't think he was being dramatic, wouldn't scowl at his tears, or ask him to 'suck it up'. No, Dick was being what he always had been for Damian, a supporting, loving rock that Damian could lean on at any time. Bruce may have been his 'father', but Damian would consider Dick his Dad much more readily if he had to choose between the two. Even though Bruce tried his best, he would never be squeezing himself on the medical bed with Damian right now ... And that was the difference._ _

__Damian didn't notice anything else that was going on around him, tunnel vision actively focusing on Dick's fuzzy form in front of him. Part of it, he guessed, was from tears clouding his vision, but he had to wonder if his mind was just too exhausted to produce a full resolution image. He held onto Dick for dear life, listening to the way the older breathed, talked, moved. Dick knew it was hard for Damian to express his emotions, it always broke his heart because he's always believed that everyone had a right to their feelings and a right to express them. Ra's and Talia were the opposite, however, Talia couldn't even openly admit that she loved her son even though she was his mother. She wasn't allowed to actually let herself believe that she held those feelings and it crushed Dick. When it came down to it the first thing he wanted to teach Damian was that it was okay to feel, okay to talk. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and provided the comfort and support Damian would need._ _

__Especially now. He knew Damian was hurting, scared, confused. He didn't care what lengths he had to go at his own expense to give Damian that safe environment. It's why he was so ready to let Damian bite him when Viktor pushed the catheter in. Damian was completely unaware of what the doctor was setting up to do below._ _

__"Ready now, one, two-" Viktor counted down, Damian tensed hard on two._ _

__His nearly limp body now trying to move off the bed. Slade placed a strong hand on Damian's hip and shoulder to hold him steady with Dick. Slade didn't doubt that Dick could hold him down, but too much jerking before things were in place and the young boy could seriously hurt himself._ _

__Without the ability to escape Damian forced his teeth into Dick's wrist. Dick's eyes shut tightly and he clenched his jaw, he bit back any sound that may have tried to escape so that Damian didn't have to worry about hurting him. The intensity of the bite grew with a high pitched whine, parts of Dick's skin breaking under the pressure of Damian's canines. As suddenly as it started though, the tension stopped._ _

__"There we go." Viktor said with a sigh, exchanging bags already. "Wow. He must have had a lot of fluid in his lungs."_ _

__Slade eased his hands off of Damian. He slipped the CPAP mask back over the boy's face, then sat back in the chair behind him, smoothing a hand through his hair as he let out his own sigh of relief._ _

__Meanwhile, Dick began running fingers through the boys hair, soon working the necessary nerves to free Damian from his paralysis._ _

__"Sh sh sh, you're okay." He whispered to Damian soothingly, "I'm right here... It's over.... You're safe." He repeated twice to make sure Damian got the message clearly, his cheek resting on Damian's head as he focused on the boys breathing._ _

__Damian was just a shaking ball of mess now, keeping his arms clutched to the front of Dick, his plastic covered nose nuzzling the bite mark as if to say sorry where his words couldn't at the moment. The CPAP machine forcing him to breathe in and out at intervals that left him, for the moment, mostly mute. Viktor went to wash his hands and gather himself. It had been quite the ordeal for him too._ _

__"Get some rest, Viktor." Slade called causing the physician to raise a brow. "I'll keep watch tonight, come get you if necessary. The bed in my jet is comfortable." Slade offered, motioning his head back toward it._ _

__"He'll need pain medication."_ _

__"Got it. Here ..."_ _

__Slade got up and had the doctor show him the amounts and times, told him what would be an appropriate situation to get him for. It ended with Damian finally getting some pain relief which helped stop his shaking. Viktor, somewhat reluctantly, let Slade lead him off to the jet to get some shut eye. Slade felt like a damn parent all over again, having to put all these stubborn kids to bed._ _

__Dick stayed in the medtable with Damian, his worried thoughts finally laid to rest. He was grateful Slade was so quick to help especially since Damian wasn't his problem and from Dick's recollection Damian may or may not have tried to kill Slade a couple dozen times. But there Slade was, helping patch Damian up._ _

__Once Viktor was settled, Slade moved back to Dick and observed the bottom of the hero's feet, full of glass._ _

__"Tsk, If I had the energy I'd scold you about not wearing shoes."_ _

__Slade admitted, going to gather some basic supplies to take care of that as well._ _

__"You're just as guilty." Dick pointed out before exhaling._ _

__Slade rolled his eye as he slid his chair down to the end of the bed, and focused an exam light there while the rest of the room became dimly lit._ _

__"...You alright?"_ _

__"I don't think I'm the one that had it all that bad... I just hope Damian's going to be okay." Grayson spoke softly, frowning before he licked his thumb to wipe some of the blood off of Damian's face, "We're both going to need a bath." He joked lightly before settling against the bed completely._ _

__Dick almost pulled his foot away from Slade to wrap his leg around Damian but the sharp pinch of having glass pulled out stopped that, causing him to breathe out.  
Slade was focused on the bottom of Dick's food, picking out all the larger and nearly microscopic pieces of glass that Dick had managed to wedge into his foot. The fact Nightwing had continued to stand on the shards, rather than relieve the pressure, to comfort Damian had just wedged them further into the skin. Luckily, like most heroes Dick had thick skin built up from constant use, unfortunately the callous didn't seem to protect the entirety of it. Slade didn't plan on using any physical stitches, a little liquid stitch and a good bandage would set it right. However, he'd have to convince Dick to stay off of it for a day or so ... Fat chance of that happening._ _

__"I... Appreciate you being here.... That you're helping out. I know I'm like a broken record here but...." He fell silent for a long while, blue eyes fixated on the familiar blackened ceiling above. "Slade.... You're not who I thought you were... I mean, yeah you're still an asshole and technically a murderer but you're not heartless... And I keep thinking about who I've known you to be, reevaluating to see if I'm just making stuff up but then you go and-OW!"_ _

__Dick yelped jerking his foot away from Slade who nearly rolled his eye, giving him a 'really?' look._ _

__"God I was gonna say 'you do nice shit like this' but that really hurt." Dick whoned being slightly overdramatic._ _

__"It's either I do it or you'll leave it like this all night. We both know your not going anywhere right now." Slade commented, gesturing to Damian who was starting to fall asleep, little hands loosening their tight grip on his older brother._ _

__The hero slowly gave Slade his foot back, eyes shifting down to watch the other work as he pulled Damian's head over his heart so he was a pillow for the boy, his fingers twirling in the child's hair as he seemed to slip into thought._ _

__"I was wanting to talk to you before.... Things escalated between us.."_ _

__That didn't sound good, in fact it sounded a whole lot like regret. Slade expected that to be the end of it. Maybe Dick would start joking about something, keep things light. Slade never expected Dick would actually want to talk about what happened in the training room. He had almost been positive it was some fluke, that Dick would want to pretend as if nothing happened and move on like they had before._ _

__"I know I've been going back and forth and my biggest barrier is your job.... I can't ask you to quit.. It wouldn't be fair... And I can't keep saying 'no' because you kill... Jason kills, Roy kills, Babs technically killed her brother (at least we thought anyways).... Bottom line is, as adamant as I am ab-ow-t that... I have people in my life that bend that rule... And if they're in my life there isn't a reason yo-ow can't be." Dick sighed, fucking glass._ _

__Slade stayed quiet, listening carefully, while his fingers went into autopilot using the tweezers to pull out every last shard of glass before sealing the larger cuts. Slade should have seen it coming, what Dick was saying was like a flashing stop light, a fog horn warning._ _

__"I guess what I'm saying is..... Will you go steady with me?" Dick asked, shifting on his elbow to look down at Slade, man this situation was not romantic at all. He traded in candles and roses for glass shards and blood._ _

__Maybe it was because he was trying to focus on Dick's foot, or maybe it was his brain being fried from the hellish day they had. Regardless, Slade was actually thrown off guard by the question, rendered speechless because he didn't know what to say. On the outside, Slade had been reaching over for the gauze next to him and froze, as if to mimic the halted surprise in his mind. It was only for a brief moment though, Slade grabbing what he needed and turning back to Dick's foot._ _

__Dick didn't like the way Slade had froze, the way he went silent. His own mind began racing with thoughts as he watched the older male get back to work on his foot, applying padding to the bottom in silence. Slade's face almost looking like Tim's when he was sitting in front of a complicated software problem. Suddenly, Dick felt like he crossed a line by asking that question and that he was putting pressure on their new 'friends with benefits' set up. Usually he was assumptive and got his heart broken by finding out the hard way his 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend' was using him as a sex toy, it almost stung more than hearing Slade say it_ _

__Finally when Slade was ready to wrap the foot, a passive sigh left his lips._ _

__"Kid think about what you're saying." Slade started, not looking up from his work like the dutiful nurse he'd been all night. "You want to ... What? Date me? Have me be your boyfriend?" Slade didn't sound like he was insulting Dick persay, but more so stating facts. "You're right, I do kill people, but that isn't the end of things. I'm twice your age, hell I have a daughter your age. The only reason you're even around me at the moment is because I bought/rescued you from the High Court." Slade began taping the bandage in place._ _

__Dick couldn't help but to sigh and lay back, he was already battling things out in his own mind the last thing he needed was Slade giving him more bricks to build a wall with though, if he were being honest the excuses were pointless. Yes Slade was older, it wasn't a surprise and Dick enjoyed that. He felt like the age gap provided him an opportunity to learn something, to have support in a way younger people couldn't give due to lack of experience and… Well maybe it was just a kink. Slade bringing up his daughter didn't bug Dick either..._ _

__"I'm not insulting you when I say this Dick ... But you need to really consider whether this is an infatuation or something else ... I think if you give it time you'll end up changing your mind." Slade looked up at Dick finally, giving a small half-honest chuckle. "You bats are stubborn, once you commit to something you have a hard time giving up, even if you know you've made a mistake. I'm not looking to rope you into some stubborn mistake, even if it is your own doing."_ _

__'Consider whether this is an infatuation or something else.' That hit Dick hard. The words were so parallel to the man he saw so many shared traits in Slade with. The words different but the meaning the same, 'Its Limerance luv, you're not in love with me. Give it time, you'll see, it's just your pattern.' The intensity was the same only Dick didn't just have an obsession, he was in love and maybe... Maybe in that case it grew unhealthy, maybe it grew obsessive and impulsive... But it was love…_ _

__Slade lifted Dick's foot and gently set it back down on the bed. He stood up, leaning over Damian's now unconscious form to kiss Dick. It was soft, chase, nothing like the heated exchange they'd had on the sparring mats. When he pulled away he stayed partly leaned over, looking into Dick's eyes. Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The kiss sent somewhat mixed messages to the young man. Especially since he was hurting right now, he had been so vulnerable only to face rejection… The kiss almost added insult to injury._ _

__"I'm not saying no, I'm just saying not right now.”_ _

__"I know how I feel, Slade…" Dick couldn't help but to snap slightly. "And I know it's hard to trust it when I've been going back and forth and.. When I have a long list of breakups that were mostly caused by my feelings.. Fading... But it's not often I feel them this intensely."_ _

__Dick wanted to make it clear that he finally reached his decision. Why was Slade pulling back now?_ _

__" I'm not... I'm not going to ask you to say 'yes' or try to convince you. I know you need time and I get that you don't want to be strung along or used.."_ _

__Nightwing fell silent at that.. Maybe Slade was right… maybe he should've thought about this more._ _

__"I know myself well enough to know I'd start fights with you and... Ride your case about killing but....... I care about you Slade.. And while you're not perfect by Bruce's standards... You're perfect enough for me. Just let me know what you decide and be straight with me."_ _

__It wasn't that Slade was surprised by Dick's reaction, it's just that he wished it was another one. Like some part of him wanted Dick to get angry and reject him, push away the idea of Slade as a viable partner for him. Slade had a tendency to make things messy, really it was just a part of his life. Whether it was his job, some stupid thing he'd say or do ... Like having his family kidnapped and their lives threatened. Hadn't that been a doozie? Regardless, things didn't stay sunshine and roses for very long. Dick pointed out himself that he wouldn't be able to stop caring about Slade's killing, wasn't that the beginning to the end right there? Dick would eventually just see the mercenary Slade was and need to break things off. Slade saw the outcome bright as day ... But why couldn't Dick?_ _

__Saying things like Slade was 'perfect enough' put him on edge. Those were the things that made Slade want to cave. They were part of that dynamic and intoxicatingly true personality that made him weak ... And there lied the problem. Dick so effortlessly dragged Slade out of 'Deathstroke', destroying his barriers, bringing out aspects of his person he didn't know he even had anymore. Dick gave him space and permission to be a more genuine version of himself and that was terrifying though, Slade liked how that felt, enjoyed the moments he spent with Dick. As much as this was about protecting Dick, and it was, it was also about Slade shielding himself. He'd said this to Dick's sleeping form before in his jet, and it still rang true... Dick had no idea how easy it would be for the hero crush him._ _

__"If you need somewhere to lay down the holding cells have some comfortable mattresses." Dick finally said after a long silence._ _

__"I promised Viktor I'd stay close by. I'll be fine taking the night watch."_ _

__Slade could go longer without sleep than most. He wasn't sure if it was part of his healing factor or just years of late nights, but he did surprisingly well staying up past even a 48 hour mark. Usually he was driven by a hard lead or difficult target, but he could push through for a grumpy child. He sat down in the more comfortable looking chair in the room. Probably meant for Alfred so he could keep watch over whatever bat was in distress. It acted much like a recliner, letting Slade stretch out a little to look up at the same dark ceiling as Dick. By the time Slade was sitting down Dick had long assumed the conversation was over, what more could Slade possibly have to say? He said 'no', period end of story. It didn't matter why, Dick promised he wouldn't try to change his mind. It didn't matter anyways… The conversation had been dropped. While Dick closed his eyes to get ready to try and sleep, a voice kept nagging at Slade to say something ... To give Dick something to hold onto rather than some flippant promise. A promise that sounded more like an easy way to say 'no' without hurting feelings._ _

__"I don't doubt your feelings, Dick ... I just don't know if you are aware of what you're asking." Slade admitted, closing his eyes. "I'm already attached to you enough. Once this is over, things go back to normal. Then what? People will question you, they'll judge you, not just Bruce either. They won't care about the same things you do, they'll see the job, the 'murder'. That kind of external pressure can crush the strongest of people ... Do you honestly think you could handle that?"_ _

__It was an honest question, not goading. Slade wanted Dick to really think about this, because Slade had to. They both did._ _

__"You say all of this like I haven't already been thinking about it..... You do realize it's been on my mind since before the gala, don't you?.. And after, all day... It's all I think about, Slade. No, I'm not as analytical as Tim or Bruce but that doesn't mean I don't think. I've worked out in my head every single possible excuse on why I shouldn't be with you. In fact I have a bucket full of reasons to stay as far away from you as possible and only one reason to be with you… I think about what would happen if i was, what Bruce or my friends would think..."_ _

__He fell silent, he wished he could say he didn't care about what they thought but... He did._ _

__"People would think the age gap is disgusting, homophobes would be appalled that I'm with a man, the titans would think you're brainwashing me, Bruce would think I'm stupid and naive... You hurt people, you love it. You're controlling. You've tried to kill my friends a dozen times.... I've played through it all before, why do you think I've been so resistant?" He asked before finally looking at Slade, "The bottom line is that these feelings aren't going away no matter how hard I've tried to stop having them..... And I'm no saint.....I..... I've killed people too.. I've lied and I've stolen. I just pretend I'm more than that but at this point it doesn't even matter." He sighed, "You have the right to say 'no', but you don't get to blame me and say it's because my feelings will change or that I'm not sure. I may be a hundred years younger than you but I'm an adult, and I'm not naive or stupid. I know what I'm getting myself into… maybe you're the one who's unsure."_ _

__Slade actually chuckled. "A hundred years? How old do you think I am?" That wasn't the right thing to focus on, Slade knew that, but it was the damn kids fault for throwing jokes in with even the most serious of conversations._ _

__He had turned his head to look at Dick, seeing the passion and promise there, that determination that he was telling Slade the absolute truth and nothing less. Again, it was confusing for the mercenary. How could he know and be so damn certain? Then again ... When he thought about his own feelings for Dick, the fact that he'd ignore many of the same obstacles made him wonder if he'd misjudged Dick._ _

__"You're right. I'm sorry." Slade said outright, scrubbing a hand over his face with a huff. "It's not that I don't believe you, or that I think your stupid, immature ... Well sometimes but that's unrelated." God, Dick needed to stop rubbing off on him. "I've spent my entire hundreds of years of life building relationships with people who were more concerned with their own selfish goals and personal advancement. After a while, you start seeing those traits in everyone. You realize that everyone wants something from someone else, everything is conditional. I'm comfortable with that. The sooner I realize what someone actually wants from me, what they want to gain, and vise versa, the sooner I can react accordingly."_ _

__The way Slade talked about relationships was like a business transaction more than an emotional experience. It made Dick's chest ache, the way Slade talked about relationships made it sound absolutely mechanical and disgusting and honestly Dick couldn't blame the other for wanting no part in that._ _

__"You confuse me though, I can't figure you out. I can't figure out what you want from me. In reverse, I don't know what I want from you. There isn't anything to gain for you, so I have a hard time understanding why you'd be so willing to put up the risk anyway."_ _

__What Slade was unintentionally saying was that he didn't understand why Dick would want to be with him because there were no conditions, no strings attached. Slade didn't believe there was much he could offer Dick, but only because he couldn't see his person the one outside of Deathstroke, being worthwhile to anyone. It hadn't been to his family, his kids, his wife ..._ _

__"I guess what I'm admitting is that I'm ... Cautious. Give this old man some time to make sure he doesn't do something stupid." Slade looked back over at Dick and almost bit back what he said next, but let it fall out anyway. "I don't want to hurt you, Kid. I've done plenty of that already."_ _

__

__Dick was silent for a moment as he just absorbed Slade's words. They brought him peace, gave him hope. Maybe they could work out._ _

__"You know... Someone close to me once said that human beings have a funny way of living in their past.. We keep living like what happened is still happening.. You got hurt, you got used and because of that you can't move forward because you're trapped in the world that people only want something from you.... The reason you can't figure out what I want, Slade, is because I don't want something physical.. I want your love.. I want to know I can have a hard day and come to you, I want to know that if I'm being ridiculous and taking something personally that you'll pull me out of it and knock some sense into me... I want to hold you and cook for you and fight over who's turn it is to load the dishwasher. I want to see you be vulnerable with me. I want connection. Love. Support. You can't provide that for me with money or anything else because it only exists in emotion. Yeah, you can hold me but if you don't feel connected to me then it won't mean anything." Dick explained, "You're going to hurt me, sometimes... It's part of being in relationships of any kind. Get mad, fight, say awful things... What matters is the aftermath.. Does it keep happening or do we create something new? As long as you don't go slamming my head into a wall until I'm hospitalized then we'll be fine."_ _

__That last statement sounded a bit personal, likely another bad decision on Dick's part, "I mean the only.. Thing I'd ask of you that would change how you do things is that you don't kill when I'm around.. Look... I know this is new for you and... It's hard for old dogs to learn new tricks but I'm willing to work through it with you. You can correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you want this too, you're just scared, uncertain.. Not sure how you'll make it work.. We can take it slow.. Maybe start with just being exclusive or... Messing around." He shrugged, that second option wasn't as appealing as the first, "Whatever it is you need."_ _

__"I'm not scared,"_ _

__Slade said almost defensively, seeming just a tad irritated that Dick had seen through him so easily, but it wasn't like he hadn't just laid it out for him to see clearly. Deathstroke didn't get 'scared', cautious maybe, but never scared, and if he did, he'd never admit it to anyone, least of all himself. Yet, what bothered him the most is that this had started out as him trying to protect Dick, and now Dick was turning the tables and trying to be supportive of Slade instead. He wasn't sure how to process the fact that this twenty-five year old kid was worried about his feelings. It seemed all kinds of wrong but felt ... Right. Which, of course, was as frustrating as it was endearing._ _

__Nevertheless, Slade was fully taken aback by what Dick said. It was highly romantic, domestic, and by all means nothing he'd had in years ... Or maybe ever. Sure, at one time Adeline had done some of those things, they'd been happy once. He knew what that felt like, but with Dick? It's image held more warmth to it. Slade never doubted that he loved Adeline, and that she loved him, but their relationship was so different, it was conditional. They were with each other because it always served a purpose, whether it was in the military, or after she had gotten accidentally pregnant with their first child at 29. They needed each other outside of things like 'love' and that always drove things forward, kept them together. That's why when Slade continued killing when he'd accidentally wrapped his family up in it, watched Joseph's throat be slit. Once Adeline realized that Slade was a failure as a father and as a soldier, it was all over. He didn't serve a purpose to her anymore, even if he was sorry, he had failed._ _

__It didn't matter that she had helped teach him how to kill, burnt into his veins the desire and satisfaction he got from a job well done. That she'd openly praised every advancement he'd made in the military, became overjoyed when Slade had passed yet another unbeatable, yet always violent, test. It didn't matter to Adeline that she had helped to create the perfect soldier, then unfairly demanded he drop everything he'd ever known to become some domestic, civilian husband on the turn of a dime. 'Fair' wasn't part of her vocabulary, and 'normal' hadn't ever been a part of Slade's._ _

__Dick's request didn't hold the same conditions though, it was something more organic. He wasn't describing things he required from Slade, but things he hoped for, things he wanted. He wasn't asking Slade to be or do something he couldn't, he was just asking Slade to be with him._ _

__"If you want to know if I feel the same way you do, then yes. Right now? I have to ask you to be alright with just that. I'm not pinning you down with me, not yet." Slade admitted finally, letting his hands rest back behind his head. "It's like I said before though, I'm not in high school Dick, and it's been a damn long time since I was. I don't need labels, I don't need you to promise your everlasting love and devotion to me for us to have something. Just, give me some time. As I said, it isn't no ... But like you said, give this old dog some time to adjust."_ _

__

__Dick was certainly grateful to learn Slade felt the same way, it gave him some relief because it meant they at the very least had a chance, that maybe they would be able to someday become something more. He probably shouldn't have pointed out the fear he saw, it was no wonder Slade got so defensive so fast in the beginning. He was Deathstroke The Terminator, he couldn't afford to be scared of little things like emotions and love._ _

__Dick allowed the subject to drop and took Slade's final statement despite the fact he wanted to tease him about acting like dating was a teenage thing, it was adorable._ _

__"Then friends with romantic tendencies it is." He smirked placing his own unique label on it though shortly after the comment he shook his head, "Let's just enjoy it for what it is... No restrictions… No labels." He offered with a kind smile before yawning tiredly._ _

__Slade paused for a moment and then, turned his head toward Dick. "Also, why the hell would I slam your head into the wall? You kids really need to tone down the domestic violence."_ _

__Dick rolled his eyes at Slades domestic violence comment and turned so his legs were wrapped around Damian and he was holding him tightly, "Apparently my mouth brings out the worst in people. I was seeing a guy who had anger issues and Bipolar disorder… We fought a lot.. He was nice was he wasn't mad at me and he wasn't… Abusive. The most he did was push me and the worst he did was punch the wall by my head…. Until one day I made him so mad he blacked out and slammed my head into the wall. I was in a coma for about a week, he went to jail." Dick yawned, "We broke up.."_ _

__"Hn… Maybe I'm not the worst guy you could end up with." Slade mumbled, god Dick was naive._ _

__The hero never responded, Slade glanced over to make sure that the other wasn't triggered by the memory but instead found Dick had fallen asleep._ _


	9. Uprising

The cave had been silent throughout the night, the only sound being the vocational squeaking of bats that only quieted down as the morning came. The soft beeping from the machines hooked up to Damian acted as a white noise, echoing softly giving the cave an empty feeling.  That was until a soft patter of footsteps grew closer to the medical bay. Lian had slipped out of bed early in the morning and got to drawing, once she was finished she set out to find her favorite pirate. Before too long young Lian had found her victim and was softly tugging at Slade’s arm, whispering quietly.

 

"Mr. Pirate? Are you awake?" She asked, big brown eyes staring up at the other male.

 

Slade wasn't sure at what hour he'd fallen asleep. He'd fully intended to stay up through the night and keep a watchful eye on Damian, if not for Dick's sake then poor Viktor's. Yet between the light humming of the equipment, Dick’s soft voice as he mumbled in his sleep and Damian's adorable snuggling and sleeping face, Slade had drifted off. He didn’t so much as stir until he felt a small hand touch his arm, he struggled to remember what he'd done before passing out in the chair. He remembered giving Damian his medications and changing out his catheter bag. A glance up to the clock set in the equipment confirmed that he had only been asleep for two hours.

 

Relief swept over him. Good, at least nothing bad had happened.  
  
Yet, to his horror, when he looked down at Lian she was covered in red. He sat up quickly and looked her over, his face showing panic until a familiar scent hit his nose ... Latex paint. He let out a short chuckle.

 

"I am now."

 

How the hell could he go back to sleep after that? Lian's hands and face were covered in a red paint, her body holding some other shades that seemed to blend into her clothing.  Her hair was an absolute mess, some of it glued to her cheeks thanks to her art activities. Thanks to the tint of red, the poor girl honestly looked like she just got out of a damn blood bath. Fortunately, as far as Slade could tell, she wasn’t a sociopath and her parents were decent enough to keep their murderous activities well away from her.

 

"Do your parents know you are up and into the paints this early?" Slade asked genuinely, not sounding mad, but curious. He wasn't going to rat her out to Jason or Roy ... It's not like she was hurt or anything.

 

She didn't hesitate at all to crawl into Slades lap, brushing some of her hair out of her face as she got settled having no regard for the fact she was now staining his clothes. Slade didn’t seem to mind, they were just clothes after all, it could all be replaced.

 

"They don't need to know." She said simply before holding up a messy piece of paper with a conglomeration of painted stick figures.

 

She was so excited and proud,  it showed with how she held the picture up, nearly hitting Slade in the face as she attempted to show him. The sound of her voice caused Dick to stir, she wasn't exactly whispering but even still Dick didn't drift too deeply. He was worried about Damian and every shift in his breath made the young hero wake, perhaps his night time mumbling wasn’t out of sleep. Dick curled around Damian more, listening to Lian and Slade though he didn't turn to look at them.

Slade studied the picture, from the shapes that could be made out it looked like a pirate ship, or a giant brown brick with a flag sticking from the top of it. There was an orange and black blob holding a giant sword standing at the top of the ship. Other stick figures at the base of the ship with large x’s for eyes. Were they drowning?

 

"I drew you a picture!" She beamed looking up at him, "I drew you fighting off the other pirates that are trying to steal your booty!"

 

"You made a picture, for me?" Slade sounded honored, taking the piece from Lian's smaller hands and looking it over, it was still wet. "Wow, I can tell you worked really hard on this. I like the sword." Slade complimented her painting.

  
By now Roy had come to realize that Lian never came back from the potty, a soft exhale escaped him and sure enough he could hear her shouting off in the distance.

 

"I'm also gonna draw a picture of you discovering a new island full off booty and puppies! But it's gonna be on a big canvas so it'll take a while and it'll be $5."

  
Roy couldn't help but to chuckle some, "She's already selling her work... Oh princess." He slowly dragged himself out of bed, pushing his long red hair back as he began walking through the cave.

 

Roy could hear slade chuckling again as she hit him up for money in promise of a next installment. "Five bucks? You drive a hard deal, let me see the work first, then we'll talk numbers."

 

Arsenal’s bare feet didn’t take long to find the puddles of paint on the floor. "Oh... Great, Jays gonna love this." He grumbled soon entering the room, "This is a long way from the potty, missy."

 

By the time Roy arrived Slade's shirt had a couple dashes of paint on it and the picture was gently set to the side on a nearby counter top. He promised to hang it up in the jet, he'd make good on that promise.  

 

"You don't see anything, it's just a dreaaaaammm" Lian said waving her hands around.

 

Roy rolled his eyes, "I could almost fall for that. Slade looks like a domestic _grandpa_. Soon he’ll be asking for his walking stick" He stated before taking a seat.

 

Lian looked at Slade and whispered into his ear, "He's just jealous that you're cooler than him."

 

Slade smirked, he thought Lian was absolutely adorable and vicious ... He liked her style.

 

"A heater is cooler than him." Dick grumbled, sleep in his voice.

  
Roy rolled his eyes, "Two against one? Ouch."   
  
"I don't know how you ever expected to be cool with a nickname like ‘Speedy.’" Slade mentioned off hand.

 

Damian snorted in his sleep. "Such a stupid name." The little one mumbled into Dick's shirt.

 

It seemed everyone was teaming up on poor Roy.   


"Hey, it's Arsenal now! Which is waaaaay cooler. Besides, what kind of name is Slade? Did you get that from a catch phrase or something? 'You have been Slayed!' It's too obvious for an assassin." Roy taunted making Dick snort.

 

Dick rolled over so he was half way onto his back, his chest and arm pinned under Damian, honestly he couldn't even feel his arm at this point. Thank you Damian for cutting off the blood flow.

 

"That's a lot cooler than 'Roy'"

  
"Yeah!" Lian pitched in, "I think it's pretty badass!"

 

“Roy or Slade?” Dick asked.  
  
“Slade, duh. Roy is like… Uncreative.” Lian wasn’t holding back.

 

Despite the amusing topic, the momma bear had arisen from her den, and was finding paint and foot prints littering the floor. "Oh ... My ... ROY!" Jason yelled from the other room, hurried footsteps approaching the medical bay. Before Roy had the chance to scold little Lian about her language the sound of Jason's furry interrupted him.

 

Jason appeared in the doorway, hair curling at the ends, shirtless and in baggy pants. He looked tired as hell and was pointing a death glare at his boyfriend.

 

"Don't tell me you actually had the _nerve_ to _walk through_ that paint mess by the play area and _not_ clean it up." Jason started and sighed, trying to let his anger go. "Lian, sweetie what have I told you about playing with paints without asking first?"

 

Was he the only one who actually did any parenting around here? Probably. It was amazing that he was the only one without an actual biological child ... He wouldn't rule out Dick yet because who knew honestly? He’s been in more coots than any of them.  
  
Roy sighed and grumbled under his breath, "Ahe paints and I'm the one who gets in trouble."

  
"It does look like you tracked paint in everywhere." Dick pointed out.

  
"And you're covered in dried up blood, but will he yell at you? No."

  
"I didn't get it on the floor." Dick countered.   
  
Roy stood up so fast the chair nearly flew out from under him as he made a dramatic and grand gesture at the floor. Slade had cleaned most of what he could the night before, mostly glass, but there were still some blood stains on the ground. Dick’s eyes followed Roy’s gesture and he couldn’t help but to pull his favorite card.   
  
“That’s not my blood.”   
  
“But your feet are bandaged.”   
  
“Yeah..” Dick was trying so hard not to laugh.   
  
“Which means you got hurt.”   
  
“Obviously.”   
  
“Which means you would’ve been bleeding, which means it’d be your blood on the floor?” Roy sounded borderline annoyed.   
  
“Sounds right to me.”   
  
“So this must be your blood on the floor.”   
  
“But it’s not my blood.”   
  
Roy wanted to smack the ever loving shit out of Dick but since he was the only one in trouble, he turned his gaze to Jason. His gaze shifted to Jason as he flashed a nervous smile.

 

"Babe... It's like 7 in the morning, I'm not going to be doing any form of cleaning not to mention Lian should be cleaning up her messes."

  
"Wow, throw me under the bus, some dad you are." Lian scoffed and shook her head.

 

"No, your Dad is right, you need to go help clean up the paint mess." Jason confirmed, walking up to Lian and all but hoisting her off of Slade's lap and onto the floor, then squatting down to her level. "If you made the mess you need to help clean it up. You know the rules ... God, it's all in your hair." Jason fussed, pulling a hair tie off his wrist. A dad had to have these things handy. "No complaining when I brush it out later either. Maybe I'll just save myself the trouble and shave you bald." It was a joke, and it was evident in his tone. After yesterday, he was having a hard time being mad at Lian. She'd had a rough day, they all had.

  
"Uuh no... I'm in the middle of bargaining with Slade about my next piece, I think he's gonna give me $10."

 

"Don't rope me into this." Slade responded to Lian, but couldn't help but smile a little bit at her sass. She would probably be a bit of a terror to handle as a child, but as a guest in her presence? Hilarious.

 

Lian frowned and sighed, "I'll just take a shower and wash it all out, can you make pancakes since we have guests!? I want mine triple stacked with lots of syrup!"

  
"Not until you have a fruit! And Jay, hurry up!" Roy responded, he was a little grumpy but it wouldn't last long.

 

The red head went into the playroom, usually he would be checking on the computer monitors. He always did it first thing in the morning to make sure their defenses were up and to ensure the Court was still oblivious to them but Lian needed help with her paint mess.

  
Jason straightened back up again and turned towards where Roy was, "I'll make breakfast when I'm ready. I'm not your wife."

 

This caused a scoff to come out of Slade, Jason's attention was immediately turned toward him. "Don't start with your shit-take mushrooms old man." He warned seriously, making Slade lift up his hands in defense.

  


Dick rolled his eyes and pulled Damian closer, “If you two are going to fight go somewhere else." He spoke in a soft voice, he wanted Damian to get as much peace and rest as possible at this point.   
  
Damian seemed to reflect Dick's sentiment about the noise though, finally giving a low grunt at the continued arguing despite the warning his eldest brother had given.

 

"Todd-" He muffled out from around his mask, grabbing said man's attention. "Shut up you noisy hag."   
  
"I was going to ask what happened, but obviously you aren't dying if you can still be an asshole." Jason mentioned with a roll of his eyes but crossed the distance between himself and the bed checking over Damian himself with a frown.  "You two need a shower." Jason mentioned immediately, nose upturned a little at the smell of stale blood on both of them.

  
Dick had shifted, sliding out from under Damian. " We can't move him, he tore a bunch of stitches last night and I don't want to risk his injuries getting worse.... We had to pump liquid out of his lungs." He said to help Jason get the severity. "I'll give him a sponge bath and shower when I'm done..." W

 

ith that Dick slipped out of the bed and stepped onto the floor of the cave letting out a soft hiss. Shortly after he began rolling his shoulder trying to get his arm to wake up. It wasn't a surprise Dick was walking around after his injury, when he was three he broke his leg and continued walking around on the cast. It was impossible to tie him down. He scoured the med bay and soon found sponges and a couple of buckets handing them off to Slade.

 

"Please fill these up with warm water...... And can you bring me cereal from the jet?"

 

"Wait what happened?" Jason asked, clearly not getting enough information to put together the full picture. "Did he just code or...?"  
  
"He attacked the doctor last night. Something having to do with the microtech in his system." Slade finished, making Jason raise an eyebrow. "We got it under control."   
  
Jason took the supplies from Slade and made a shooing motion. "I'll give Dami his sponge bath. Slade can help _you_ to the shower." Jason went over to a sink near Damian's bed and started filling the basins, gathering additional towels and a gown to change into. "Alfred kept things pretty well stocked here. You should have spare clothes in the laundry area, it’s off the bathroom. I'll show you where your suit is later." He mentioned off hand, loading up a medical  cart and setting it next to Damian. He ran his fingers through the younger's hair, smiling a bit when the drugged demon seemed to lean into the touch when he usually wouldn't have. "I have everything handled here."   
  
Slade wasn't about to question Jason's want to help, however Damian was very much Dick's kid. He wondered if the hero could give up his control over the situation to Jason. Dick did need a shower though, and some assistance wouldn't hurt. Unfortunately, Dick wasn't okay with Jason just taking over, his father instincts seemed to take over as he opened his mouth to protest.

 

"I'm fine Jason..."Nightwing started though.... He couldn't deny the fact he was starting to smell...

 

Dick just sighed and shook his head, "Okay just be careful. Damian has fresh stitches, hurt internal organs, he has had fluid in his lungs and has a catheter. So.. Don't be too rough and talk him through it so he knows what you're doing."

 

"I got it Momma bird. Believe it or not I know how to give a kid a bath." Jason retorted to Dick, but then softened at the edges a little knowing how hard this probably was for Dick. "Everything is going to be fine Dickie, you can trust me."

 

Jason knew Dick _did_ trust him. A few months ago he might not have believed that, but after Dick knocked it into his head for the hundredth time it finally stuck. Outside that though, Damian was his little brother too. They didn't have the same relationship that Dick and Damian had, not even close, but he still cared about the little shit and wanted what was best for him. So, he planned on following all of Dick's instruction to keep the gremlin happy.

 

"Come on Kid ... I'll help you wash your back." Slade responded lightly, going to support Dick in the shower if he'd let him.  
  
With little resistance, Dick followed Slade to the shower room. He didn't miss how his heart picked up at the idea of being with Slade. As they entered the shower, Lian was leaving. Hair soaking her clean shirt as she ran by without even looking at them.

 

"You going to join me this time?" Dick asked once they were alone.

 

"I _could_ use a shower." Slade responded.

 

Dick began pulling off his pants, leaving him in his boxers before sitting down on a bench to undo the bandages on his feet, he was acting almost as though the conversation from last night didn't happen. Really he was trying not to cross boundaries or rush into things.

 

"I think we should let Damian stay here for a few days... When he's fully or mostly healed we can take him back home or.. If we have our answers by then we can swing by B's." The raven haired male explained while he removed his other bandage.  
  
Slade started stripping himself, though he wasn't keeping _anything_ on, including his eyepatch though he hesitated slightly in removing it. Dick's eyes flicked up some slightly when Slade had began  removing his shirt. He watched how each of Slades muscles moved with each piece of clothing he removed, eyes scanning the mercenaries back until he removed his pants and briefs leaving him completely exposed. Dick's face tinted red and he let out a soft breath before his attention shifted back to his own injuries in attempts to give Slade privacy though... They were discussing showering together so it's not like that was going to really happen. Slade stood with his backside exposed to Dick for a few seconds before modestly wrapping a towel around his waist. He'd go without but that seemed a little too forward and brazen.

 

"I think you're right. He's in no condition for travel and needs to be monitored closely. There are more eyes and ears to watch him here. I also spoke with Viktor last night about staying into tomorrow, I assured him he'd be compensated. He of course insisted he didn't need it and agreed, but he deserves _something_ for handling that wild animal so well." Slade joked, squatting down in front of where Dick had sat down, pulling a foot up so he could look at the injury up close. He made an disapproving humming sound at what he saw. "It's far too swollen for you to be walking on. So, are you going to let me help you or are you going to be stubborn?"   
  
"Slade I'm fine..." His hands found their way into Slades beard which shouldn't have been a surprise, the hero couldn't seem to keep his hands off the thing. "You don't have to take care of me you know." He stated. Briefly scanning over all of Slade’s features, his scar, before he made an attempt to stand.

 

Without the additional padding it hurt more but Dick had learned to endure pain, hell in many cases he had to. He went to the shower and began running the water, finally removing his boxers as he waited for it to heat up. "One time when I was back at the circus, I must've been about three or four? I broke my leg somersaulting off the elephant, Zitka. Mom and dad could not get me to stay off it. I'd hobble around everywhere with my cast and complain that my leg hurt.. They tried to keep me down but they couldn't do it.... Having tiny little cuts on my feet isn't going to keep me down." Dick glanced back before stepping into the shower and under the water.

 

"And don’t you have a bad knee?” Seriously? How did Dick make it this long? “You see the difference between now and then though, right?" Slade started as he followed Dick.

 

His eye got stuck on Dick’s body. He'd basically seen Dick naked before and it wasn't like Nightwing's suit left much to the imagination. Yet there was something immediately mind melting about seeing that flexible body under the shower head, coating that warm, scared skin in beads, rolling down Dick's perfect form... What was he saying again?  
  
Slade lost his own towel, hanging it on the wall before stepping in behind Dick. "You're an adult now, you _should_ know better. So, what you're telling me is that you're too stubborn to be rational."

 

Deathstroke pressed his chest into Dick's back, either hand framing around him to rest on the shower wall. "And ... If you didn't have me come to the shower to help with your injury ... Then what exactly _did_ you want from me in here?"

 

He asked with a suggestive tone, not exactly being modest or shy with his implications. After last night? It wasn't exactly a secret the way they felt about each other. Dick couldn't help but to focus specifically on the flexing of Slade's muscles, focus on the suggestive tone in Slades voice. It made him shiver and relax into the other.

 

"Hmmm well, Jason _technically_ is the one who sent you here.... But.."

 

Dick trailed off and turned so he was facing  Slade, arms looping around the others shoulders. It took everything in Dick not to look down, he didn't not only to respect Slades privacy but because he wanted it to be a surprise.   He stood on his toes and pressed his chest against the mercenaries, a soft groan escaping him just from feeling the others skin on his own. Despite being on his toes Dick couldn't reach Slades addictive mouth, to make up for it the hero decided to take a firm grip on the back of Slades hair. Dick shifted backwards so his back was against the wall as he pulled Slades head down closer to his own mouth.

 

"I have a few ideas of what we can do with our time..." That signature smirk slipped across the heroes lips as his tongue slipped out to softly run along Slades bottom lip.

 

Slade was fine with being lead into the kiss, letting his head be comfortably tipped down. He claimed Dick's lips at the feeling of the hero's tongue again his own, immediately sliding his own tongue against the other's. Slade pressed into it, letting the kiss escalate quickly with growing lust and passion. He _would_ fuck Nightwing against a shower wall, they'd both waited long enough he'd take whatever environment he could get at this point. Dick melted into Slades body, the sensation of his tongue grinding against his own being well enough to entice a soft moan. It really didn't take much to get the young hero excited with how _long_ it's been since he's been touched, and that's not even to mention how good it felt to break the tension with Slade. It was absolutely intoxicating and addictive.

  
Dick’s leg had moved up over Slades hip, looping around his lower back and pulling him into his own body where he began to grind against him. His face turned a darker shade of red as he got a good sense of Slade’s size, it honestly made him a tad nervous. It's been a long time since  he's had anyone inside him and they weren’t exactly prepared here.... Nevertheless Dick's arms tightened around Slade’s shoulders and he pressed himself into him harder.

  


-

  


Jason didn't take long to give Damian his bed bath. The younger didn't take well to being messed with and clearly just wanted to rest, falling asleep just to be roused by Jason's adjusting of his form to reach another blood soaked area or change a bandage. By the end of it all the bed linens were completely changed, Damian was surrounded by comfortable fluffy pillows and the thick comforter from the bed that Lian rarely used. He put Damian in one of his own long sleeved shirts, it was long enough to cover all of his little bits at the bottom. Jason was dressed himself at that point, hair straightened out as he made sure Damian was comfortable before moving out into the kitchen to get breakfast started. Bizarro was just waking up, floating out to the living area and laying down on the couch with his Superman plushie snuggled firmly in his arms. He was trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes and Jason just smiled at the sight.  
  
Jason was worried about Damian, and now couldn't help but think about the rest of his family, Tim, Steph, Alfred, Barbara ... Everyone he left behind to bring Lian and Roy here, to protect them. Had he made a cowardly mistake leaving them? Was it selfish for him to hold himself up in here while everyone else was working to fix things?

 

"Fuck ..."

 

Little Lian padded her way into the kitchen, luckily not hearing Jason's bad word slip from his lips. Her hair was washed and she was in a new change of clothes making her look as though she never dove into the paints. The young girl squealed and rushed to the counter, standing on her toes as she tried to look at the pancakes a frown soon spread across her lips.

 

"They're burnt!"

 

Apparently, focus wasn't his strong suit this morning. Hopefully Tim got back to them with some comforting news. Though he highly doubted that.

 

"Did you and dad switch places without telling me?" She scolded with a cross of her arms and a cute little pout. "Its okay, I guess I forgive you."

 

She sighed and went to the fridge where she pulled out some strawberries and began washing them for Jason. She always tried helping him in the kitchen and after asking him what he needed help with time and time again she learned that the first thing Jason always needed was for her to wash the fruit.

 

"No I just got distracted baby, I'm worried about Uncle Tim and Dami." Jason responded honestly, knowing that Lian wasn't naive enough to believe any lie he might come up with.

 

Like Roy, she was incredibly intuitive and didn't miss details often. It was a gift and a curse for Jason to be surrounded by two people who could read him so well. It forced him to be honest and open, that is if he wanted to be genuine.

 

He was already started on a new flight of pancakes on the griddle, quickly flipping through a couple dozen while Lian helped washed the last of the fruit. He then started on some bacon and eggs, letting them fry up on low while he went to check on Lian's progress.

 

"Good job."

 

Papa Jay smiled brushing his hands through her wet hair. After planting a kiss to the top of her head he grabbed a serving bowl for the fruit. He placed the bowl down on the counter for her to use and then got down to her level again, feeling the guilt from last night taking over again like a haunting presence. Dick told him that would happen if things were left unresolved or ignored, he'd never admit it but the pretty bird was right.  
  
"Hey, sweetie I wanted to talk to you real quick before breakfast." Jason started, waiting for her attention before speaking. "I'm sorry you had to see me get so mad yesterday at Uncle Dick and Daddy. Sometimes I have a hard time controlling my anger and I say or do things I don't mean. I'm working on getting better, but I know how scary it can be to watch."

 

Jason felt an overwhelming amount of guilt pooling in his stomach. The actions and words he had used the day before occured as nothing short of abusive and selfish. The last thing Jason wanted was for his little girl to think he was an unstable asshole that could explode any moment. He needed to focus on the things Roy told him. The reassurance that he _wasn_ 't his anger.

 

"I know sometimes I explode and get out of control but it doesn't mean I don't love Daddy and Uncle Dick. I do, and I love you too." Jason said putting his larger hands on either side of Lian's face, kissing her forehead. "I love you and Daddy _so_ much. Even if I get mad, no matter what happens ... I won't leave again. You'll always be my little girl and I want to be your Papa, okay?"

 

Jason finished and dropped his hands giving her a small smile.

 

"Can I have a hug?" Jason asked.

 

Lian was quick to fulfill Jason's request, her arms wrapping around his neck tightly. She liked being able to help Jason emotionally, liked having him open up to her so she knew what he was feeling. Right now she was too young to have the language for it but what she was feeling was a deep strong connection through Jason's vulnerability.   
  
"Daddy, I know you have a hard time with your madness and... I'm proud that you're willing to work on it. I know you don't hate us." The young girl reaffirmed before shifting back, "I forgive you, it's okay you don't have to ask... Now can we finish breakfast? I'm going to _die_. "

 

"You're so dramatic, you will not die." Jason chuckled.

 

Lian rolled her eyes at her dad, "I _will_ die! Eating is a basic human function!" She scolded dramatically before she began helping Bizarro set the table.

 

Jason had a large smile plastered on his lips as he got to work cutting the greens off the strawberries. He could physically feel a weight being lifted off of his shoulders. She was young, but so kind and beyond her years in emotional intelligence. Jason felt so proud and grateful to be a part of her life. He gave her a small kiss on the forehead again before going back to finishing up making breakfast.

  


-

  


While his boyfriend was cooking breakfast for everyone, Roy had pulled on an orange button up over his white tank top, leaving on his sweatpants so he was only half way dressed up. He decided now would be a good time to check on the computer to see if he had received a message from Tim, honestly he found himself relieved to see that he had. That poor kid was all alone in this while Roy at least had Jason and his kids.. Tim only had a computer and these transmissions, it was damn tough and Roy envied it. They were never friends and usually fought over their intellect but that didn't mean that Roy didn't care. He got settled at the computer and opened up the message that Tim had sent back a message early that same morning, in the same complicated code that Roy had sent to him.

 

Tim outlined that Dick had asked him to communicate with this cave but that he had no idea Roy and Jason were there, but was glad they were okay. He, of course, said he was doing 'fine' but didn't divulge further. Classic Timbot. He asked if they'd had any communication with Dick and if they knew about Damian's condition, explaining the situation briefly in assumption they didn't know. He also revealed that he'd been the one to coordinate Damian's release to Slade instead of Ra's or Luthor. Tim ended the message with a warning about their messages being intercepted and suggested bouncing the signal between other towers before sending it his way again.

 

Roy rolled his eyes at the warning and smiled softly as he began writing the other back, 'Hey Timbo, glad you're doing okay... If you actually are, that is. I don't expect you to be handling this well, it is in deed a big shit hole out there." How a genius like Roy misspelled 'indeed' was anyone's guess,  'Good news though. Sl-ick is here and they're doing fine..' Yes Roy combined their names '.. Dami-beast is in rough shape but we have a doctor watching out for him.'

 

Roy began giving a run down of some basic mundane stuff followed up by vague plans on how they're going to gather information on the High Court. Roy suggested building tech Dick could wear when he's with Slade so that Roy can hack the electronics used by the Court and eavesdrop on conversations. He also briefly mentioned trying to do undercover work though it seemed pointless with Slade in their pocket. Soon Roy's long geeky rant was finished and he sent the message the way Tim suggested..... Okay maybe not.

 

Roy had decided that Tim's judgement was off and stayed on the caves transmission line, he only bounced the signal once though he did so using one of Wayne's old satellites... The result? A ping in the firewall.

 

"Shit."

 

Roy groaned before he began working on debugging the attempted hack. Dumbass should've just listened rather than try to one up the geeky bird.

 

Tim noticed the ping on his side as well, only because the very same Court encrypted data hit his low tech transmitter along the message. Tim wanted to reach through the computer and smack the shit out of Roy. Tim didn't have the technology Roy did to debug his system, considering it was made out of found parts and outdated technology. He was only able to separate the message out from the receiver and re-ping an outgoing message to Titan Tower East that he'd set up as a fail safe. He'd get caught, he knew that. Which  sucked, but it would look like he was just trying to communicate with possible surviving heroes to see if they were okay. He could come up with a good enough excuse to give Ra's when the Court inevitably handed that information over to him. As long as they couldn't trace the signal back to Roy and Jason ...He'd say and do whatever he needed to. He just hoped Roy caught the hacking attempt on his side in time.

 

The red head stared at the screen, slight panic in his veins. There was only one way to stop this. He downloaded a specific set of coding onto a flash drive and unplugged it before getting up from the computer, he wandered off to the medbay where he last saw 'Sl-ick' though finding the lack of the two  made the redhead pause.

 

"Where-"

 

He started before clicking his tongue and heading to the shower room where he heard the shower running, it made sense with how filthy Dick had been.

 

With no warning the redhead barged in, "Hey hey hey my love bugs!"

 

Slade's hands had been running over Dick's exposed and perfectly shaped ass, tongues dancing in eachothers mouths, that was until Roy scared the Jesus out of them. A soft gasp escaped Dick's lips as he pulled back, face flushed with embarrassment as he froze completely.

 

Slade nearly growled at the interruption, his eye staring into the youngers with so much want. A look that Dick quickly caught onto sending a rush of electricity through his body. Slade took in a long, deep breath, letting it out on a short huff through his nose.

 

"Soon."

 

The older male muttered, untangling himself from Dick, who lowered his leg back into the ground. Grabbing his towel, Slade wrapped it around his waist again.

Dick let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall while Slade went to talk to Roy.  


"I got soooome.... Not bad news per say but it's bad news." The redhead started as he made his way further into the room, "The High Court might be able to find us so I need a flavour."

 

Slade emerged from the stall, giving Roy a short glare. "What the hell did you do?" He asked, approaching the red head and crossing his arms across his chest. "Spit it out."  
  
"Hey man, sorry to cock block you or whatever- by the way, Dick! I thought you said it wasn't like that." He taunted.

  
Dick had turned the water to ice cold, to get rid of his erection, shivering as he responded, "Screw you."

  
"Nah I'm good... Anyways Deathy, _I_ didn't do anything... Mostly." Roy started with a shrug and a sigh, "The High Court picked up on my transmission with Tim... I can't route it out of the cave, they're in too deep but I managed to put a signal in this flash drive. I need you lovebirds to plug it in somewhere else to draw them away... Preferably within the nearby city so the Court doesn't catch on."

  
Dick finally stepped out of the shower stall, a towel around his waist, "So... The Court knows we've been sending signals from this location... Didn't you encrypt it?"

  
"Duh... I just..... Didn't route it through several communication towers to shake their trail...." Roy rubbed the back of his neck, "After breakfast if you just head into the city and plug in the flash drive it'll shake them… And since you're Slades little toy they'll expect him to punish you which will save your skin and ya know... They'd expect this from you."

 

Slade was just glaring heavier as Roy spoke. He had put them _all_ in danger, _including_ Roy's own daughter. There was a lot he wanted to say, part of him even wanted to smack the kid across the face then ask him how he could be so damn foolish and careless with all of their lives.

Luckily, things could be fixed on their end, which was the good news, well, as good as it could be, the bad news? He'd need to explain what Dick was doing sending out signals under his care. Actually, it was a possibility that even Slade could get in trouble for such behavior. He'd need to come up with some sort of excuse for that as well ... He was going to have a Roy shishkabob here soon.

  
Dick sighed and took the drive, he seemed to have just assumed Roy's dumb ass didn't think about flushing the transmission through multiple sources to keep the High Court off their trail, shit he would've have. He just thought Roy was smarter.

 

"Fine, next time make sure the signal can't be traced, Slade and I won't be here forever.."

  
"Hey I learned my lesson, sheesh... So uh... You two-"

  
"Drop it Roy." Dick snapped and went to the locker room where he began digging around for clothes.

 

He started with his briefs and went onto pulling on some tight jeans. Roy sighed and headed back to the dining room so he could explain to Jason what happened.  
  
"I'm going to get dressed." Slade announced before leaving the bathroom. He grabbed a robe he was sure belonged to Bruce and walked to his jet with it on his person.   


 

-

 

  
"Big guy you need to help Lian set the table."

 

Jason yelled over as he flipped  the bacon on the griddle, gaining a groan in response.

 

"B ... Come on." Jason said with a more firm tone, watching the cookie monster clad man finally move into the kitchen, looking awfully grumpy.

 

"What's the matter?" Jason asked, gaining yet another groan.   
  
"Zarro misses kitties."   
  
"B, those weren't kitties, they were wild animals called ermines. They don't belong in the house."   
  
"This no house! This cave!"   
  
"Okay then they don't belong in the cave." Jason was still faced with a pouting super-experiment, and all he could do was sigh. "I know it sucks buddy, I'm sorry. Give things a little time to settle and maybe we can talk about getting you a pet ... _talk_ about it." He said looking between Bizarro and then to Lian. He didn't want them getting too excited about anything right now.   
  
Bizarro then started to help, bringing down the plates, cups and bowls. He handed Lian what she could manage to bring to the table and let her mostly direct him about the place settings and where things went. Bizarro was intelligent enough to do it on his own, he just generally let Lian take the leadership role in things because he was much more of a follower in general. Surely when she grows up she'll be nothing short of a leader, she got it from her parents and while Roy tended to let others call the shots he liked to go off and do his own things.

 

"I think a pet would be really good! It'll stop us from getting lonely, teach us responsibity and give us a friend." The girl beamed as she tried to convince Jason to get a pet, mispronouncing 'responsibility'.

  
Jason watched Roy walk back from the shower rooms and gave him a small smile as he directed Bizarro to put the food on the table, and not eat all of it. Lian would have to watch him like she usually did.

 

"Hey babe."

 

Jason sounded much more awake and in better spirits than this morning. He even swung an arm around Roy's waist when he got close enough, giving him a quick kiss. Roy hardly kissed back before he rubbed the back of his neck.

 

"Listen about this morning ... I was just tired. You two did a good job getting it cleaned up though ... And I ... Appreciate it." Jason was _trying_.

 

He knew his type A personality could be a lot to deal with sometimes, and he appreciated Roy just doing it and not giving him too much sass about it. Though… He figured Roy must've been upset with him since he was being so distant.

 

"Oh well you know.... Lian did most the work." Roy was going to have to break up this happy moment and he knew it.

 

"Here, let me get you some coffee."

 

"Babe.." Roy started, taking Jason's hands with a heavy sigh. "Listen... I have some news....”

 

Jason turned to give him his full attention again, smile having dropping in a nanosecond.

 

"What did you do." It wasn't even a question of whether or not Roy did something, it was just a question of Jason needing to know what to plan for.

 

His voice was deeper, irritated, and accusatory immediately. No good conversation ever started out that way, at least not in their line of work. It was never 'I have some news, we are going to Disneyland!' ... No it was always something bad. God ... He wished sometimes they could just go to Disneyland and have their biggest problem be Lian eating too much cotton candy and Bizzaro beating up a costumed Mickey Mouse.

 

“ ….The High Court tracked our signal... They're trying to hack our systems to get a location on us... I encrypted the message and did what I could do so I'm thinking either Bruce's tech isn't as good as we thought or it has something to do with Damian's implants."

 

When Roy started explaining exactly what happened Jason almost started to buy into it, an honest accident he thought, it happened. He couldn't get mad at Roy for tech fucking up, and even with Batman's millions of dollars a lot of their software and technology was experimental and occasionally susceptible to bugs. It seemed even easier to believe with Damian having the weird technology inside of him. Who was to say they couldn't GPS locate him through those same nanobots? God ... Jason hadn't even considered that. It was too late to do anything about it now, and he refused to move Damian in his current state regardless of whether or not the High Court was going to come knocking on the cave door. Safety or not, Damian's recovery at the moment was more important than that.

 

"That is such bullshit." Dick snapped as he entered the room, "You said you didn't route the signal through other sources before sending it directly to Tim, this has nothing to do with Damian."  


Jason's eyes narrowed further when Dick quickly pointed out Roy's altered version of the story. Jason hated a lot of things, if written down they would be longer than Santa's Christmas shopping list, he was sure. Near the top of that list though would be _lying_ , and even higher than that would be someone _close_ _lying_ to him. The only thing keeping Jason from completely flipping out and punching Roy in the face was the fact that he _just_ got done apologizing to Lian about his anger issues, and two, Dick was doing a pretty good job of laying into Roy for him. Sometimes? He loved his older brother ... Sometimes.

  
"What do you know about tech?" Roy snapped back making Dick glare.

 

"I know you're a lot smarter than me when it comes to it which is how I know you fucked up on purpose, you weren't trying to be careful. You just had to prove that you knew what you were doing. If I had to guess I'd say Tim challenged your intelligence by telling you what to do." It looked like it was Dick's turn to be grumpy. Who could blame him? He had honestly thought Roy made a mistake, but the fact Roy was lying said otherwise.   
  
"Hey you know what? Fluck you, I did what I thought was necessary. Clearly I was wrong, now I'm fixing it so shut the hell up and get off my back unless you're worried that you can't plug in a simple usb."

  
"Yeah Roy, you're fixing it. And who the hell has to pay the price? Not you. Not Lian. But me and Slade who have absolutely no idea how the High Court will handle this."   


Slade entered midway through the fight, looking between the two twenty-somethings battling it out in the kitchen area, within easy ear shot of the dining room. He instantly was put off by both their behaviors, Dick included in that.

  
"They'll be happy if you just let him smack you around for it, you don't seem to have a problem with that anyways." Roy crossed his arms making Dick's glare harden as his fists clenched.

  
Lian cleared her throat, "I know your guys' panties are all up in a bunch but breakfast is getting cold. Daddy made a dumb mistake but it's being fixed so stop being assholes."

  
Slade planned on saying something, but Lian beat him to it ... Sort of. It took everything he had no to laugh at the look on Jason's face when Lian blatantly cussed and told them to get over themselves.

 

"Lian, language." Jason said almost like he had to, but didn't really mean it, mostly because he _didn't_.

 

Sure, someone her age wasn't supposed to be cussing, and yes, to be a good parent he had to keep her potty language at bay, but fuck if she wasn't right. Everyone was being a giant asshole lately. He'd rather have said 'amen, honey' or something else. As Lian's father, he had to scold her, as Jason? He couldn't be more proud.

 

Dick was silent for a moment, his anger spiraling and burning inside of him. Lian was here, he couldn't freak out right now. But they were both Scorpios and a scorpions best defense was it's stinger. He couldn't stop himself from opening his mouth to say something that he knew damned well would start a fight if not get him socked in the face but right now? Dick didn't give a fuck.

 

"Maybe I've settled for an abusive partner but at least I didn't shook low enough to start shooting up."

 

Shit, Jason wanted to hit Dick for that one and he would have if he wasn't busy from holding Roy back.

  
"Knock it off." Slade finally growled, shooting both men a glare. "You three need to make better decisions about when and _where_ you have these conversations."

 

Slade made a point to look at Dick too when he said it, just so the acrobat was aware that he was holding him just as culpable as Roy. It was a look that earned a sharp glare from Dick who crossed his arms in defense.   
  
Deathstroke wasn't in charge of them, simply older, and this was the first time he could see genuine immaturity in these young men. It was hard to remember sometimes how much time and age separated the three of them from Slade, all of these kids had to grow up way too fast. It was moments like these that grounded back in reality that even Jason, who was probably acting the most well behaved of the three at the moment, could _barely_ legally drink.

 

"I think all of you know well, or at least _should_ know that being exposed to these serious, mature conversations at a young age can be damaging to the psyche." Now Slade was just speaking to all of their personal experiences. Himself included.   
  
Jason nearly ground his teeth down into dust listening to Slade basically _insult_ Roy and his parenting of Lian. Where the fuck did he even come off? Weren't his kids all a goddamn mess anyway? Jason _wanted_ to say these things until he realized that Slade was right. As much as it sucked to admit, he was. Talking about this in front of Lian would do nothing but make her anxious about their safety, worry about if the adults she cared about were getting along ... Things a kid her age shouldn't ever have to be worrying about. She should be thinking about what TV show to watch next, not about whether or not the High Court was going to come busting in here to kill her Daddies and Uncle Dick.   
  
He never wanted to rob Lian of her childhood like that, not like his was robbed away from him. Even if he couldn't fix the situation, that being them having to hide out here, that didn't mean they couldn't at least try and shield her from little things. That wasn't to say Jason wanted to keep her in the dark, Lian was too smart for that anyway, but Slade was right ... This argument needed to have happened elsewhere… Especially with Dick mentioning Roy's drug habits.   
  
"Lian _and_ the Booty Pirate are right," Jason couldn't admit Slade was actually right about something _and_ use his actual name, so an insult was just necessary. Couldn't let it all go to Douchestroke's head now.

 

Roy's eyes shifted to the table, Lian was sitting there, head in her hand, she seemed to be staring off at nothing and the careless expression she had seemed to hit Roy hard. He's been guilty of holding that look when he contemplated suicide or when he was going to get his fix through drugs and alcohol. The look he wore on his face when he cracked a joke and smiled when he really just wanted to break down and cry.. He didn't want to bother people with whether or not he was okay because it wasn't their problem.

 

"Let's eat breakfast and figure out what to do after."

 

Jason was trying so hard to be calm, and was doing a brilliant job, but his anger was bubbling up to the surface. Like an itch under his skin, and damn it if he wasn't just going to give it one good _quick_ scratch.He  grabbed the plate of burnt pancakes and walked over to Roy, taking the hat off from the top of his head as he leaned in a little closer to his ear. He acted  as if he was going to whisper something lewd into his ear. It was anything but.

 

"If you _ever_ try and bullshit me like that again, _Babe_ -" He drew out the nickname like it was almost an insult. Speaking in a low tone just loud enough for Roy, and maybe Dick nearby, to hear. "-I will feed you to those damn weasels B keeps bringing in here. Got it?"

 

Jason pulled back from Roy's ear and grabbed the five burnt cakes and smashed them on top of Roy's head, and then replaced his hat back on top of them for good measure. He slid the plate onto the counter next to them as if he hadn't just covered his boyfriend in overdone breakfast food and began walking back to the table with a small smile and the finished trays of eggs and bacon in his hands.

 

Dick actually had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing as Lian perked up and gave the two her full attention. She was worried Roy would be mad but after what Jason had whispered? How could he be. Unlike Dick, Slade didn't hold back a chuckle, especially when he saw Dick and Lian's reaction to the situation.

 

Roy just stood, frozen, a chill running down his spine. Despite not being happy about the circumstances he was in fact proud of how composed Jason stayed.

 

"So... We have the Booty Pirate and the Pancake head."

  
"The _burnt_ pancake head." Lian joked back with a giggle, it was one of those childish things that made kids crack up even though the joke itself wasn't funny.

 

"Does anyone know where the syrup is?"

  
"You can't put syrup on it, dad, it'll get in your hair." Lian smiled, relieved Roy _didn_ 't explode.

  
"Darn... I guess you're right." He chuckled and began pulling the food from his hair.

 

Roy then sighed and rubbed his neck, "I have a solution... We can discuss it in depths later.. I'm not going to set anyone up for failure and I'm not going to let anyone get hurt."

  
"Not what you said before." Dick mumbled under his breath.

 

That backhanded comment to Roy only resulted in Slade smacking the hero's shoulder. God it was worst than dealing with a four-year-old. A four-year-old that glared in response before taking a seat at the table, right next to Lian. Slade couldn't help but to wonder how he survived three kids to begin with.

 

Slade sat down on the other side of Dick, mostly to separate him away from the other two boys like some sort of parent trying to keep their sons from fighting. Is this what Bruce felt like every day before he disappeared? Shit, he probably just went into hiding just so he could get a break from these ridiculous boys.

  
After getting the last of the pancake out of his hair, Roy began helping Jason get everyone's food plated. From there the red head moved to set it on the table, however he paused to whisper in Jason's ear.

 

"You're an ass but I deserved that... And I'm proud of how you handled that." His voice didn't hold the same playfulness it did when he spoke to Lian but it was still sincere.

 

He kissed Jason's cheek and finished getting everyone food to the table.   
  
"Hm."

 

Jason replied to Roy, apparently not satisfied enough by _just_ pancaking Roy to actually be over what happened. The fact that Roy had rolled with the punch and still had the mind to be a sweet kiss-ass afterwords was giving him brownie points though. It was hard for Jason to stay mad at the red head, he just kind of knew how to get back onto Jason's good side. Roy should consider himself lucky too, it was a miracle that Jason hadn't just shot him at this point. It probably _also_ helped that they had sex the day before, otherwise ... Jason might have done just that.

 

"You've been helping out around here a lot haven't you? That's good, these boys need the help." Dick said to Bizarro.

 

Jason sat himself down between Roy and Bizarro, seeing the look of apprehension as Dick talked to him directly. The big guy just nodded his head in response to Dick's question and looked down at his plate, fiddling with his Superman plushie under the table. It was hard for Jason to remember sometimes how young Bizarro was, mentally, how shy and small he acted when he was around people he didn't know well. Bizarro was like a beaten stray dog and it had taken Jason a while to earn his big guys trust and affections. The only reason he had warmed up to Roy so quickly was purely because of Lian, he _adored_ Lian, so if she said Roy was a good guy then he believed her. Jason could see now that he was watching very closely at how Lian interacted with Slade and Dick, trying to judge if he could trust them too. Jason gave him a small, understanding smile and pat his son figures shoulder.

 

"You'd doing good big guy." He told him in a small voice, causing Bizarro to smile a little in return and nod.

 

Dick smiled softly at the big oaf, he could see the anxiety in the other and didn't take long to figure out the source. He'd be friendly with the big guy, but not overbearing. He didn't want to overwhelm him.

 

He was just beginning to cut into his pancakes when Lian looked over, "You know... Sugar can cause cancer." She said randomly, "And fruit is really good for you!"

  
"Yeah, that's what Booty Pirate says." Dick smirked, he loved that nickname.

  
"Yeah and he's right so... Let me do you a favor.." She started before grabbing Dick's plate of pancakes, sliding it in front of her before pushing her bowl of fruit in front of him. "I'll sacrifice myself and get cancer while you eat healthy."

  
"Pumpkin, you are not getting all those pancakes." Roy chimed in.

  
"I'm saving a life here! Why do you get to he a hero but I don't!? It's really hypoc-hypocricicle."   
  
"Oh my god." Jason chuckled.

 

The sight was so damn precious, even better? The look on Dick's face, he looked between amused and heartbroken. His gaze shifted just in time to watch Bizarro do _exactly_ the same thing to Slade, who sat across from him. The only difference between Lian's pancake theft and Bizarro's is that he did it absolutely silently, and when Slade looked back and realized what had happened it was already too late ... Bizarro had devoured half of Slade's stack.   
  
The mercenary looked down, then over, and down again. "You two are terrible at parenting." He deadpanned immediately getting Jason to let out a deep belly laugh.   
  
"The tea party tried to warn you that letting us gays raise children would ruin them."

 

Dick's hand didn't take long to find its way onto Slades thigh, just resting there under the table. The action was completely subconscious, so much so the young hero didn't even notice he had placed it there. He couldn't help but to smile at the banter between Jason and Slade, Roy not taking long to chime in as well.

 

"Next on our list is teaching them to sacrifice Christians to the gay overlord"

  
"Pft, I ain't sacrificing crap to you dad." Lian responded.

 

"You think I'm the gay overlord?" Roy questioned making the girl across from him shrug.

 

"I mean, have you looked in the mirror?"  
  
Dick couldn't help but to laugh at that, "You _sure_ she's not Jason's kid?"

 

Roy couldn't help but to roll his eyes slightly, there was still some tension between the two.

 

Jason had taken the plate away from Lian and just giving in to serve her pancakes before her fruit. He just topped the bread off with strawberries and blueberries before sliding it in front of her. However, he kept Dick's plate between them, looking down at it then back at him.

 

"Eat your fruit first, Richard, and then you can have your pancakes." Jason sounded almost a little _too_ much like Alfred when he said it, maybe that was the point.

  
"But moooommmm" Dick whined childishly, trying to highlight how Jason was being. It was honestly hilarious given the fact Dick was older.

  
Lian didn't hesitate to smack Dick's arm, "Don't argue with mom! If he says eat your fruit then you gotta eat it. You should also eat your protein first!"

  
With that Lian shoved a giant bite of pancake into her mouth making Dick chuckle and ruffle her hair.

 

"Fine, I'll be the good role model here." He said with a slight roll of his eyes before he started eating his little fruit salad.   


Slade had taken to focusing on the eggs and bacon on his plate, the pancakes being too far gone to even attempt getting them back. His hand moved down to rest on top of Dicks causing the vigilante to briefly pause. This suddenly felt very intimate, not that the hero was complaining, it was nice feeling so… Close to someone after all this time. In fact he struggled not to let his head find its way to Slade's shoulder.

  
"So.... How are you going to fix daddy's screw up?" Lian broke the silence with a mouth full of pancakes.

  
"That's for the adults to discuss sweetie." Roy said nearly dismissively which Dick didn't seem to like.

 

Dick's hand moved from Slade's thigh as he began digging around his pocket pulling out and displaying the usb drive, "I'm going to go to town and plug this in somewhere so that the High Court can't find you." He began explaining despite the glare he got from Roy.

 

Man were the two butting heads this morning. Jason had been holding Roy's hand under the table, squeezing it with some reassurance when Roy got miffed. Pouty Roy was kind of cute, though.

 

Dick really wasn't trying to step on Roy's toes or crossover those parental boundaries. He just remembered being left in the dark. Getting vague answers that left him with nothing his thoughts which in turn resulted in nothing but worry. Roy exhaled and sat back. It took everything he had not to snap at Dick. Ironically while Dick felt the answers would soothe Lian, Roy thought they'd bring her more anxiety.  

 

"But how?" She asked, "Won't you get in trouble?"

  
"It'll send a signal that'll tell the Court to look somewhere else..... And... Well, I'm going to bring Slade with me so I _don't_ get in trouble, then on our way back we'll bring you and Bizarro some treats. Sound good?" He asked making the girl light up.

  
"Mhmm!" Lian grumbled around her food, satisfied with the closer.   
  
Dick couldn't help but to smile and ruffle her hair. By this point Dick had finished his fruit, bacon and half of his eggs. He had taken to sharing his pancakes with Slade, eating only half before he stood up. Dick was gathering a small plate of food, he also got to work making a shake using fruits and protein powder.

 

"I'm going to take some food to Viktor and check on Damian."

 

"I'll come with you."

 

Jason said, grabbing an extra apple and throwing it over Bizarro's head. He caught it on the other side as he stood to follow Dick.

 

"You kids play nice with Grandpa while I talk to Uncle Duck."  
  
"Quack." Bizarro said quietly.   
  
"Exactly." Jason said with a ruffle to the larger man's hair. "Lian, you keep Roy in shape while I'm gone."   
  
Jason didn't say much of anything as he walked with Dick, telling the golden boy he'd meet him in Damian's room once he finished up with Viktor. Once Jason got to the medical bay, he got the demon squirt sat up in bed. He handed the protein shake to him and let Damian alternate between drinking and breathing through his ventilator. He couldn't remember the last time one of them had been hurt this bad, especially one of the kiddos. Poor Damian wasn't even lucid or well enough to banter back and forth with Jason like they usually did ... It broke his heart, honestly.   
  
When Dick finally arrived, Jason motioned for him to shut the door behind him.

 

"Grayyyyson. I missed you." Damian said and then let out a short snort and chuckle.

  
Dick couldn't help but to chuckle before sitting beside his baby where he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, the hero couldn't resist cuddling the child. After all the fighting that had been happening and all the pain Damian had experienced the night before, the oldest felt that they both needed a little bit of love.

 

"I love you." Dick whispered into Damian's ear.

  
"Man I'll have what he's having." Jason joked, turning his attention to Dick shortly after. "Do you think the usb actually going to work? Also ... Shit ... What about Timbone? He's with Ra's ... The guy doesn't take betrayal well."

 

Jason would know first hand how Ra's affections could be won but then easily destroyed. Both he and Bruce had done that very thing to the guy.

 

"We should go get him anyway, he can't be safe there. Between you, Douchestroke, Roy and I we should be able to bust him out. Fuck, give me a few hours and I'll round up a couple more outlaws too. Kori maybe ..."   
  
"Listen... I don't disagree but... Not only does Ra's have the League of Assassins at his back but he has the Court and Luthor… If we force Tim out now then not only can Tim get badly hurt but it'll blow our cover and either get us killed or captured... I've been there once and I wouldn't wish that on any of you.. Tim's smart, he'll figure out something to tell Ra's and honestly? After the gala I doubt he'll be surprised by Tim showing some defiance..." Dick then paused and shifted.   
  
He knew Jason wasn't going to like this part but.... "I don't know if Roy's plan will work... What I do know is that Slade's going to have to hurt me. We're going to have to play it off as me sneaking away to do it and hope that he doesn't get in trouble for losing track of me.. It'll be risky but if he says he was meeting a client maybe they can forgive his neglect." Dick's words seemed... Unsure but at the same time he was limited on choices. "They know I've been rebelling... They won't be surprised... I just don't know how bad I have to get hurt to pass this off or... What means they'll go through to investigate. My concern is that our story might not match up with Tim's and if they're tracking that then it won't be good for anyone."

 

Jason went to open his mouth in protest. He hated how Bruce, and everyone else, were fine with sending in 'soldiers' these ridiculously dangerous places. In Jason's mind, every minute Tim spent with Ra's was one more he could have been killed in. It didn't matter if Tim went there on purpose, he was a _kid_ and Jason didn't want that creepy pedophile with a God complex within two feet of him.   
  
Damian beat Jason to contributing to the conversation, slapping Dick's knee a couple times to get his attention. "I have an idea."   
  
"Oh no, here we go." Jason replied sarcastically.   
  
"Shut your trap, Todd." Damian all but hissed, before turning his attention back to Dick. "Shift the focus." He started, Jason raised an eye, alerting to Damian he needed to explain more. "If my Grandfather finds out about this he'll be furious, yes, but if he's given even worse news then his focus will shift to that as a higher priority. He may punish Drake, but it won't be his sole focus. With my mother gone he doesn't have anyone else he would trust to personally handle him."

 

Damian explained, and suddenly his eyes started filling with tears, Jason sat up a little in his chair. He was ready to comfort, but knew that Dick was already in position to have it handled.   
  
"So, what's the plan then gremlin?" Jason asked, using Tim's nickname for Damian in a way that would probably make the Timbot smile.   
  
"I um ..." Damian gripped the hell out of Dick's hand, looking down to the foot of his bed. "My mother is dead." It almost came out as a whisper, but the information was deafeningly loud.   
  
"Kid-" Jason started.   
  
"She was barely alive when Luthor found us. I tried to move her to evade capture ... She didn't make it." Damian was crying now, silent tears running down his face. "M-My Grandfather doesn't know what Luthor did. Luthor doesn't want him to know."   
  
Dick only wrapped his arms around Damian tighter, holding him close to his chest. "Oh Damian."

 

Nightwing whispered into the boys hair, a hand softly massaging the boys scalp. Talia was a terrible mother and an absolute bitch, they were never close but she was still Damian's _mom._ The source of his _life_ . That relationship is such a strong foundation for a child, it didn't matter how distant they were, it stung learning she was dead and Dick knew it. He knew Damian loved Talia, after all he couldn't truly hate her if he didn't. Hate wasn't the opposite of love, indifference was. To hate someone, one would have to love them They would have that anger and pain because that love isn't reciprocated the way one wants it to be. This could show in many different forms such as abuse, broken promises, lies, mistreatment..   
  
"That's a good idea Damian." Dick finally said, kissing the boys forehead.

 

He didn't want to overwhelm Damian by forcing him to talk about it. The boy needed space.

 

"Roy and Jason can work on sending the message to Ra's.. After the way Lex undermined him at the Gala I'm sure that this news will infuriate him, Tim won't even be on his radar."  


 

-

  
  
  


"I think we've put your family at risk here." Slade stated.

 

He had been alone with Roy for only a few minutes now and decided that it would be best to brush up on the issues at hand. His gaze shifted to the two kids at the table, watching Bizarro show Lian how many oranges he could put in his mouth.

 

"If you decide you need to move I can come up with the items you'd need." It was a generous offer from Slade, but probably sounded suspicious. "For their sake ... A war zone is no place for a child." He spoke nodding towards the children.

 

"Look... Not that I don't appreciate it, Gramps but... How do I say this nicely? I don't trust you.." Roy spoke quite bluntly before switching languages to French, he didn't want to freak Lian out, <On one hand I don't doubt that you want to take the High Court out, on the other? I don't doubt that they'd pay you enough to drag us out... I trust Dick and for right now he trusts you but I am _not_ moving my family to some mystery place you might have picked out. Yes I fucked up but the coding I put on the USB will deter the Court the second it's plugged in. After you two get confronted I want you to stay in a hotel until I know for sure you're not being followed. I'll send you with extra tech so I can hear and get a sense of the surroundings, I actually have a drone that'll help. I'm also going to look into Damian's tech to make sure he's not being traced.. So...> Roy paused and switched back to English, "Translation. Go into town, plug in the usb. Chat up the Court, rent a room and I'll contact you if you can come home."

 

"Fair enough. I respect the sentiment. I'd be as cautious with my own children."

 

Slade didn't fight the rejection, he understood it. He would never trust, say, Deadshot with his kids safety. Roy was being a good parent, and Slade didn't think otherwise. Sure he had been staying with Roy and Jason for... Two days now? But that didn't mean he wasn't going to drag them down. In fact, Slade believed Roy had the most reason not to trust him. He's seen first hand what Deathstroke was willing to do to make a quick buck and currently Roy's kids were at stake here.   
  
"Dick and I can handle that much. You'll have a hard time prying him away from Damian though ... So don't wait too long."

Slade mentioned as he stood up to grab his plate to help clear the table.

 

The redhead gave a nod to Slade's words before he looked toward Lian and Bizarro next, Bizarro spitting out five oranges, with the peel still on. "Alright, you two, let's pause chubby bunnies and help clear the table."  
  
"Zaro help pirate man." Bizarro said, standing with his plate of spitty oranges to take them to the sink. Jason must have the patience of a goddamn saint.

  
Surprisingly, Roy left Slade and the kids to handle the clean up while he made his way to the medical bay. Slade noticed that he was ditched with cleanup duty but shrugged it off, Roy's had a stressful morning and well… Lian had gotten to work talking to Slade about the Ermine's and how they might get a pet. She was so invested in the conversation, Slade didn't want to just walk out and so he stayed and cleaned and even told her the same Ermine story he told Dick when they first landed.

  
  


-

  
  


Roy slowly enter the room clearing his throat as he did so. "Slade and I briefly went over the plan. I'm going to make you a bracelet so I can hear what's going on, within the bracelet will be a little drone I'll use to make sure you and Eye Patch don't get followed. After you guys plug in the drive and chat with the Court your going to need to stay in a hotel, I can't have you two coming straight back here." He explained crossing his arms.  
  
Dick looked at Roy and nodded as his fingers twirled Damian's hair, "Luthor killed Talia.... We need to get the message to Ra's to keep his attention off Tim. That's your first priority, you can make the bracelet later." Dick said using his 'I'm team leader voice'.

 

He peeled himself off of Damian's side and slowly lowered himself onto the floor easing his weight onto his sore feet. "Slade and I are going into town to 'meet with someone', while Slade waits for our contact I'll slip off and plug in the drive. It'll give him-"

  
"Ugh." Roy groaned and rubbed his temples, "Take Jason with you, The Red Hood might have enough.... Amenity to slip under their nose, if Slade is in the middle of a conversation with him it'll pass off his distraction more." Roy suggested as Dick paused to think before nodding.

 

"The High Court doesn't have any idea about my identity yet or my connection to you guys outside of the hood. The perks of being legally dead I guess." Jason said with a shrug. "It wouldn't be outside my usual activities to speak with a shady character like Slade to work out a deal." Actually, this could work out in his favor.

 

He might get more of an idea about whether or not he _was_ on the High Court's shit list. He had been in the beginning, but that was mostly because of Black Mask's whining. Maybe now that everything had blown over 'anti heroes' like himself  wouldn't be major targets. Sure, he hadn't sworn allegiance to the High Court, but would he do so to try and protect his family? Yeah ... If he had to. The thought disgusted him as an individual, but it wasn't just about _him_.

 

"I think I still have a kevlar plate without the Bat on it somewhere." Though it didn't have his electric upgrades … He'd have to get Roy working on that at some point while they're stuck down here.  


"Perfect.." Dick started before remorse filled his expression, "And Roy… If this all goes south and I end up-"

 

"Shut up." Roy cut the other off, "No one's going to hurt you, and if they do? Slade _will_ answer for it."

 

"I just… I wanna make sure Damian's taken care of." Dick said regardless of Roy's statement.

  
"I'm not going anywhere, if anyone cares and _I'll_ take care of the squirt if you throw yourself on a bomb or some equally ridiculous shit." Jason said as he stood up cracking his back a little as he did.

 

Dick seemed to ease at Jason's words even though it was quite possible he'd be  taken in by the Court too.

 

The hero turned to Damian, kissing his forehead. "I need you to behave for Roy and Viktor okay? Tomorrow you can have me for as long as you want, I promise."   
  
Damian looked at Dick, looking dead serious as he gripped his arm. "Don't you _dare_ leave me with these Lesbians Grayson. I'd rather die." Jason laughed at the comment and ruffled Damian's hair.   
  
"God you are such a _shit_ . I'm telling Lian you need company while we are gone."   
  
"Don't you dare Todd!"   
  
"It's already done pipsqueak. She'll be in here with the cartoons, coloring books, dress up..."   
  
"I WILL skin you alive!" Damian protested, obviously feeling better with Viktor's care.   


"Don't you dare leave me with them, Grayson. I'll never forgive you."

 

Dick could stay here arguing with Damian all morning so with an, "I love you." He dropped the conversation and headed down towards the kitchen.

 

Roy just smiled, "Oh pumpkin!" He called Lian as he walked out the door, making Damian flop back in the bed with a pout.

  


-

  


  
Lian and Slade had gotten through most of the dishes by now. Slade was washing the last pan, his delay being searching for Jason's tubberware so he could put the food away, while Lian had been tasked with wiping down all of the counters and the table. She was halfway done by the time Dick stopped in the doorway with crossed arms, silently watching the two.

  
"I like you... You're like........ A pirate grandpa." Lian said out of the blue with a frown on her lips, "I don't want anyone to hurt you."

 

"You don't need to worry about me. This Pirate has superpowers." Slade said, looking over at her as he shook the water off of the pan, handing it over to Bizarro to be dried. "I can heal from just about any injury. For example, if I were to cut myself, the wound would go away in just a few minutes."

 

Slade explained, but knew that wasn't the root of her anxiety. "I'll keep your Uncle safe. I promise."

It was impossible to guarantee anyone's safety, but that wasn't what Lian needed to hear. She needed to hear that everyone was going to be okay and was coming back, even if Slade himself couldn't be one hundred percent certain. He noticed Dick standing behind them in the doorway at that point, turning to give him a small smile in acknowledgement, a smile that the hero couldn't help but return.

 

"Alright, so I need to get ten dollars for my painting while we are out. Then candy and-"  
  
"SKITTLES." Bizzaro bombed over Slade.   
  
"Skittles. Right. I better not get in trouble for all your cavities after this." Slade responded lightly as he dried his hands and gave Lian a small pat on the head.

"See you tomorrow, kiddo." Slade said as another promise.

 

Out of everything happening out in the world it was all of the moments like this that warmed Dick's heart most. It gave him hope, inspiration, excitement.. The world _wasn't_ over. It was just in the middle of a war. A war that would only be won by the people in this cave and maybe more. People who want the best for their families. People who don't want to be slaves. People like Slade and Dick.. Jason and Roy..

 

Lian shook Dick from his thoughts as she ran passed him, heading up towards the medical bay to antagonize Damian. The hero's eyes following the girl as Slade closed the distance between them, only catching Dick's attention with the soothing sound of his voice.   


"Ready to head out?"

  
Richard sighed and ran his hands up Slade's chest, letting his arms loop around the others shoulders. An action that only begged Slade to do something about it, but he resisted its magnetic pull ... For now. That wasn't to say it wasn't _easy_ , especially with the way Dick's body moved closer. They needed to focus on the task at hand, and as much as the organ between Slade's legs disagreed, he couldn't be distracted by sexual escapades with Dick at the moment. After two interruptions though, Slade was beginning to understand why Jason was such a frustrated little shit when they arrived.

 

"Yeah... Jason's getting in his suit, we're going to have you meet with him about some... Contract or whatever it is you mercs meet for. I don't know how long the Court will take to respond once I plug the drive in but either way you'll have to be ready."

 

"I'll go suit up."

 

Slade responded, reaching out to lightly dragging his thumb down against Dick's bottom lip, his calloused fingers barely curling under his chin. It was over nearly before it began, Slade moving away right after to go change. The poor hero was left frozen, caught up in the moment that had sent sparks through every inch of his body. He shivered and shook his head.

 

"'Soon'"

 

Dick whispered to himself, remembering the promise Slade made in the shower. With a sigh Dick turned and began making his way to one of the tunnel exits where he would wait for Jason. He wished he could dawn his Nightwing suit but he had to do this as Richard 'slave' Grayson.

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Jason had been busy going over ground rules with the kids ... And Roy … As much as he loved the redhead he knew that sometimes Roy let himself become more of a friend than a parent. Now that by any means didn't mean Roy was a _bad_ parent. In fact for the most part the idiot genius was on top of making sure the kids ate enough fruit and had limited screen time… He just also occasionally allowed them to play with some of his weapons and didn't always make them clean up their messes.

 

Jason didn't go get dressed until he was satisfied with his family conversation, that's when he went to the armory and began gathering weapons along with his suit. He didn't pack light. These High Court folks sported some serious armor, so normal pistols and low ballistics didn't cut it. Everything he carried was military grade or armor piercing. Expensive shit that he had stocked up on their way through Afghanistan to Belarus.

 

He slipped on his leather jacket and gave Roy a final goodbye kiss with a whispered, 'Behave yourself and you can have a treat when we get back too.' Before dawning his helmet and heading toward the tunnel entrance.

 

Luckily the kids seemed settled and Roy seemed prepared to get to work. He trusted him to save Tim's ass since he's the one who put it in danger, _and_ because it'll prove his intelligence.

 

Slade was already at the tunnel in full Deathstroke gear minus the mask, which was stored away somewhere on his suit. His hair was combed back and a strapless eyepatch was resting on his face. Currently, he stood resting against the wall beside Dick, having to still his hands from doing anything ... Inappropriate. He wondered when he'd turned into a hormonal teenager again. It wasn't exactly the cool composure of a killer that mercs like him tried so hard to cultivate. Then again, he could admit that it's been a few months since he's gotten laid.  
  
If Jason had noticed Slade undressing Dick with his gaze he didn't say anything. In fact he just walked up to the pair with that cocky swagger he seemed to easily slip into anytime he wore his full Red Hood get up.

 

Dick didn't wait long after just seeing Jason before he began walking down the tunnel, "You know this would be so much better if I could be in costume. It makes me feel like I'm a spy again, only without my theme song." God, if only Jason was with him then instead of Tiger. That would've been absolutely amusing.  
  
"We could always have Slade walk behind us with a boombox and blast you a new theme song. I think I even have incendiary rounds ...We could have fire, explosions … Hm.. Though, honestly Dickie? You come off more like the damsel in distress in this group."

 

Dick rolled his eyes at Jason, "I am not a damsel in distress. I am Grayson, the Slave wonder."

 

"Mhmm, but cooler sounding?" Jason antagonized. "Does that make Slade the Master Loser?"

 

Slade didn't even dignify Jason with a response, giving him a short 'look' out of the corner of his eye before focusing back on Dick.

 

"...So... You said something about candy?" Dick asked glancing over to Slade before he started walking backwards, "I thought you were anti-joy."

 

"I never claimed to be 'anti-joy'. Also ... Children get different rules than 25 year old _boys_ ." Slade said poking Dick in the chest with two fingers.   
  
"You just couldn't say no to Lian could you?" Jason smirked.   
  
"... Your daughter is very persuasive."   
  
"I know."   
  
Once they reached the end of the tunnel Slade paused and pulled out the collar Dick had been forced to wear and motioned for him to come closer. Meanwhile, Jason had slipped off the duffle bag he had with him pulling out some basic supplies for Dick. Including a single escrima stick. It wasn't anything crazy, yet would be easily explainable by Slade as arming Dick just enough to defend himself in a fight.

 

"Here Pet Wonder. It's the best I could do on short notice. Roy has taken apart almost everything else in the cave ... Once we are ready I have two four wheelers we will take separately into town."

 

"Thanks Jay."

 

Dick took the escrima stick and stowed it in the waistband of his pants, it wasn't as though he had a better hiding place.

 

"It's been years since I've been here but if I remember correctly there's a small pub in the center of town. That'll be a good place for us to meet, Slade and I will go in first, then you can come in and strike up a conversation with him." Dick turned his attention to the four wheelers, he took no time climbing onto one and starting it up.

 

"You shouldn't come in less than 20 minutes after Deathy and I enter the pub."

  
"Twenty minutes ... gotcha. I have somewhere I need to stop first anyway. There is this old lady we buy nalisniki from. She said blueberry and potato this time ... B and LiLi love them."

 

Jason always had a way of finding weird people on his adventures that could do amazing things, like cooking or metal work. Also, he just always had a soft spot for old ladies. They had so much to give and were so undervalued in his opinion.

 

Dick couldn't help but to dawn a small smirk on his lips, "Wow Jason, making friends? I thought that went against your inner rebel."

 

Yeah he was teasing Jason about having connections but truly? Dick was proud and beyond grateful that Jason was creating relationships. It wasn't only healthy and good for Jason but it showed Dick how far the other had come. Sure not all his friends were, say, good influences but nonetheless Dick was happy Jason had people in his life. People he could trust rather than feel he had to survive around.

 

"Alright, see you nerds later. Slade, make sure you hold onto Agent Grayson there nice and tight." Jason quipped, ignoring Dick's comment before taking off on his own transport.  
  
Slade didn't say anything, to Jason but had reached the vehicle with a sour look on his face. Spending all this time with others was exhausting, he usually worked alone on most assignments. Dick, he could handle on his own, add in Jason and Roy? He was definitely still getting used to it. That was the downfall of being an introvert.

  
"I think we're good to go." Dick smirked and revved up the engine before his gaze fell to Slade showing a hint of mischievousness, "And in case you haven't figured it out, I'm driving."

 

"You're driving? I thought we actually wanted to arrive alive." Slade mentioned with a flat affect, "Try and keep this thing upright, and don't find someway to kill us ... Or more so _you_."

 

"I landed your jet didn't I?" Dick quipped. "I'll have you know I am a fantastic driver. I mean my eye sights better than yours."

 

The mercenary climbed on the back, not hesitating to wrap strong arms under Dick's, one hand resting on his thigh and the other grasping at the front of Dick's pants. Yes, it was purposeful. He had to get _something_ out of this ride. A soft grunt escaped Dick and a light red hue spread across the heroes cheeks as his body pushed into the touch.   
  
"Asshole."

 

Dick revved the engine before speeding off, the four wheeler slightly swerving but it took no time for the hero to get control. His heart raced as the wind blew through his hair and despite wanting to lean into Slade, he leaned forward to increase their aerodynamics. Between the thrill of adrenaline and Slade's inappropriately placed hand Dick could feel the hint of arousal and excitement stirring within him. Slade had gripped Dick's thigh harder, shooting a look that Dick couldn't see from his driver's position.

 

They sped along the trails and soon into town where Dick skid to a stop. He didn't move to step off of the fourwheeler, which he had successfully parked behind the pub, he paused and let his eyes close as he enjoyed the small adrenaline rush he had. It was freeing, he missed the late nights racing down the streets on his motorcycle, popping late night wheelies.

 

"You have a heart attack yet or you still with us?" The hero taunted as he looked back at Slade with a smirk, hell he even pressed his hips forward wanting more of Slade's attention. He could take him right there but he knew they had a mission to focus on.

 

Slade unwound his hands from Dick's body and gave him a firm smack on his upper spine. "So you know, my jet can practically land herself. I don't think the four wheeler has the same capabilities. Though, I have to say, I was expecting you to give me more of a scare."

 

Deathstroke moved off the bike and looked over Dick, he still was sporting some bruises so at least marking him back up wouldn't be necessary. However, the flirty attitudes they kept sharing were going to have to end.

 

"When we go in we have to make it look like I hate you." It was as though Dick read Slade's mind.

 

"I've got thick skin kid, lay it on me however you need to make it look realistic. I know _I_ will."

 

Slade waited for Dick to move off of the four wheeler, even lending him a hand before stepping behind him. Dick shifted back, relaxing into Slade as the other leaned down and whispered into his ear.

 

"I'll have to buy you dinner sometime." He joked before giving him a hard shove.  
  
"Get moving, we don't have all day." His tone changed, grew louder for any ears that might hear them. "Keep your head down and don't make a fuss. Got it?"   
  
Dick grunted and stepped forward as Slade 'forced' him to keep walking. Once he made it to the back door he opened it and stepped into the back hall of the pub.

 

"Whatever you say you royal pain in the- I mean highness." Dick sassed.  
  
It wasn't long before eyes were on them though, that wasn't the thing that caught Dicks attention. What caught his attention was the fact that the barroom chatter fell silent, that people shifted away from the two. They _knew_ who Deathstroke was and they were frightened. Dick saw it in their eyes, they didn't want any trouble.

 

Dick escorted Slade to the bar and plopped down in one of the seats, only half pushing Slade's out so he could sit. His eyes went to the bartender who was a young woman with long black hair.

 

"He'll just take a glass of whiskey with a shot of spite."

 

Dick ordered though the woman only gave an uncomfortable nervous smile. It didn't help that Slade smacked the back of Dick's head with force  before he pulled his chair out the rest of the way. The bartender wasn't allowed to engage with pets especially with their masters around. Her gaze shifted to Slade as she chose to ignore Dick only making him frown.

 

"Er- hello sir, what can I get you?"

 

"Whiskey, neat. I'll take the Middleton, leave the bottle." Slade ordered out like he'd done it a million times, sitting down and gesturing a thumb over to Dick. "The kid will take a glass a milk, silly straw if you have it."  
  
He waited for the bartender to make out his drink as he turned half way to look around the joint. Scared looks ... Good. That meant no fighters, no one that was going to cause them issues. Dick should be able to slip in and out without notice because everyone should be too busy focusing on what Slade was doing instead.

 

"I'd actually prefer a cranberry juice if you have it."

 

Dick remarked though to no avail, he was served exactly what Slade had ordered him. Milk with a silly straw, honestly Dick was surprised they even had those since kids weren't allowed in here. Dick had his head in his hand as he placed his mouth around the straw and softly sipped his milk.

 

"Anything else Sir?"  
  
"I have a guest I'm expecting, a dark lager, preferably German if you have it."

 

Slade just finished the order, turning to face Dick. He placed his hand on the other's thigh in what looked like a possessive manner, but he was really just using it as a cover to type code out on his inner thigh.

 

'Once Jason gets here you'll need to move fast. I hope you know where you're going and what you are doing.'

  
Dick reached and grabbed onto Slade's wrist, "A bit public for that don't you think?" His voice carried no threat, only sadness and fear.

 

Despite his words he managed to squeeze back, 'I've got it covered.'

 

He released the mercenaries wrist and stirred  his drink, his gaze shifting to a woman on her computer off in the corner.

 

Slade gave an irritated 'hm', catching a quick glance at the computer before taking stock of the front door, it would seem he looked just in time too for he could hear a man outside arguing with someone. It took nothing for him to recognize the voice ... Jason.  
  
"Sir you can't bring pets in here."   
  
"Um. This isn't a pet SIR, this is family excuse you."   
  
"Sir I still-"   
  
"Oh Douchestroke~"

 

Jason called opening the door as a giant fluffy puppy, the size of a normal dog with 5x the fur and paws, came rushing inside of the bar causing people to jump. The man confronting Jason outside seemed to pale when he saw Deathstroke at the bar, stepping back as if to say 'forget it'.

 

"Oh Blanche no!" Jason said flipping up the front of his helmet, then shrugged and went up to the bar. "I don't know if you'd consider her more of a Blanche, a Rose, or a Dorothy ... I thought Sophia but she's not brazen enough."  
  
Slade was surprised by the dogs presence, but was not surprised it went right up to him. Slade just seemed to be one of those people that attracted pets and small children. Maybe it was because they were the only ones who could see who Slade really was under all the mercenary work of Deathstroke.

 

"I hope you didn't come here to talk Golden Girls and puppies, Hood." Slade answered flatly.

 

To be honest? He wanted to pet the hell out of the wagging ball of fluff next to him and Dick. It was visible in his eye for a split second and before he could snuff it out completely.  
  
"I mean we could. Sounds better than the alternative really ... Aww did you buy me a beer?" Jason said with a hand over his heart. "Absolutely precious."

 

He sat down at the bar stool and began drinking it down as the puppy began trying to sniff Dick's butt ... Maybe more of a Blanche.

 

"Awww!" Dick swooned and slipped off the bar stool to pet the Caucasian Ovcharka pup.

 

"Anyway, let's talk then ... Doesn't have anything to do with Dickhead over here does it?"  
  
"No. Pretend like he isn't here, he will fawn over the attention."   
  
"Sounds about right.".   
  
"Whos a good girl?" Dick asked starting to scratch under the pups ears, "You are, so patient dealing with Little Red Riding Hood and Asspirate." His tone was that of what one used to talk to a baby.

 

"You gunna correct him for that?" Jason asked, finding a seat at the bar.

 

"Like I said … It's for attention. Just ignore him." Slade remarked like a tired mother.

 

By now Dick had stood up and stopped petting the fluffy puppy who had taken to running around the bar. Apparently the Red Hood was just fine with letting her do as she pleased. It was a good distraction anyway. Dick's blue eyes flicked up at the two before he downed his milk.

 

"Well all this milk is passing right through me, you know, I'm kind of a lightweight. You're not going to insist on holding my hand in the bathroom right, Master?"

 

The bartender flashed a look of disgust.

 

"Don't worry, I'll be good and wash my hands." Dick pat Slade's back as he passed him and headed towards the bathroom.   
  
The mercenary sighed and motioned for the waitress to pour another drink. Why did they never leave the bottle for him? Dick was pushing it. Slade didn't want to have to put him down in front of all these bar folk, but he was about two seconds from doing just that.

  
  
  


Dick glanced back to make sure eyes weren't on him before slipping over to the booth where the woman was.

 

"Hi-" He started only to earn a hard glare before she began speaking Belarusian.  

 

<That seat is taken, find some other floozy to court>

  
<As lovely as it would be to be here on romantic business I need to borrow your computer... You see my master->

  
<Deathstroke would not be happy if I let you do that, so leave before you cause me more trouble .> She interrupted

  
"I'm sorry, you're _really_ pretty and probably nice when people get to know you but... I'm not asking."

 

Dick reached over and pinched  a nerve in her neck causing her to pass out. Once she was unconscious he glanced around and shifted them so it looked like her head was resting on his shoulder as though she had fallen asleep against him. He plugged the usb in, the coding instantly filling the screen as the signal went out.

 

"Nice work, Raspberry, nice and quick." He mumbled, "You'd like Roy." He then added to the unconscious woman.

  


  
  
Jason must have seen the tension in his shoulders and let out a small laugh. "Ol' Dickie giving you the run around 'Strokes? Never thought I'd see the day you'd find yourself with a pet you couldn't wrangle."

 

Jason started up, all but chugging his beer. God he missed alcohol. Didn't let the stuff in the cave because of Roy ... The world was basically ending, it was a rather stressful affair, last thing he needed was Roy relapsing for a quick comfort in that. They were going to get through this, all of them, and he wanted Roy to come out the other end the same way he came in, clean and sober.   
  
"He's tame enough for now, I don't see any reason to rush the process and break him completely. He'd be useless to me that way."

 

The way Slade said it was a little _too_ real, like he said it before, Jason didn't like the way it sounded in the slightest. Slade's attention was soon redirected as he took to watching the insanely large pup struggle to get on top of the bar stool next to him, making adorable grunting sounds before looking at Slade with eyes that just read, 'Help me'.   
  
Jason interrupted the moment with a clicking sound. "Right … So is he supposed to be doing that?"  He asked, pointing over to the back of Dick's head in the booth he'd watched him slip into moments earlier.

 

Jason knew his boy toy would have set up the USB as a plug and go any three year old could have used. Dick had enough time to get the signal out, or at least he better have.

 

"Looks like your pet has found a playmate."  
  
Slade was ready to roll out the theatrics. He looked over with a pinned, harsh glare, squeezing the glass in his hand until it shattered into pieces across the bar.

 

"Apparently meeting in public was a mistake." Slade muttered.

 

"Ooo, Nightie is in trouble." Jason's comment was followed by a small, squeaky bark. "You're absolutely right Dorothy, he is an idiot."

 

Jason would just call the pup whatever until he got it home ... It's not like he was actually going to choose its name anyway. He was 100% sure that Lian would make an executive decision.

 

Within seconds Slade was standing to his full height and crossing over to the booth Dick was currently in. It took everything he had not to snort at the way the hero had arranged the woman and himself. Ridiculous.

 

"Get out. Now."

 

Slade nearly growled, leaning over the table and grabbing the laptop and then unplugging USB (only after seeing a 'complete' sequence code on the screen).

 

"But master I just made a new friend."

 

Dick's comment was only met with a cold blooded state from Slade, one that actually made Dick wonder just how real it was. He could feel the tension in the bar, hear how deathly silent it had gotten.

 

"What is this?" Slade held the USB up, sounding like he was running out of patience.

 

Dick shifted out of the booth, a cocky smile spreading across his lips though his body was positioned away from Slade, who didn't hesitate to grab the front of Dick's shirt. Before the hero could make whatever wise ass remark he had loaded up, the bar doors swung open.

 

"Hm, that certainly explains it." A voice cut through the silence causing Dick to look over, surprise filling his expression.

 

"Tony the Bronze Tiger?"

Dick questioned before his eyes scanned the others attire.

 

Sure Benji was wearing his usual get up but Dick would've been a fool not to notice the High Courts logo that was sewn onto Tigers shirt like a name tag, that wasn't even to mention the bracelet that very much resembled Slade's ring.

  
Benjamin approached, a glare in his eyes. "I was going to ask questions first but perhaps I should let your master beat some sense into you."

  
Dick noticed the strain, the tenseness in the other. He couldn't explain it but Benjamin seemed... Relieved? Dick called it his intuition, it was something he relied heavily on and right now it was saying that maybe Bronze Tiger was just as unsettled about the Court as everyone else.

 

"What's going on here?" Benjamin asked turning his attention to Slade, his gaze softening.

 

Slade had let Dick go by this point and was watching Benjamin closely, observing his movements, the way he spoke, even the texture of the way the word 'master' had rolled off his tongue earlier. Slade hadn't seen Ben for months, but has heard whispers of him joining the High Court. Seeing him now though had Slade suspicious that his old friend might be in the same position he was ... Allied for safety, not for pleasure.  
  
Jason had been surprised to see Benjamin too, shutting the front of his helmet again to keep anyone from staring at his face too long. "Ah, good the Court sent their best, Tigger ... Should we be expecting the rest of the hundred acre woods also?"   
  
"Shut it Hood." Slade called back, finally breaking eye contact with Benjamin. "I don't know if this is a conversation we want to have here ... Somewhere private might suffice more."

  
"We have a private room for rent upstairs." The bartender spoke up.

 

She was clearly just trying to help, and secondarily probably trying to clear the commotion from her bar.  
  
"Perfect." Slade reached up and grabbed a fist full of Dick's hair and dragged him over to the bar.

 

"Hey hey hey! Easy on the locks! I'm all for hair pulling but a grip like this is gonna have me balder than Luthor." Dick reached up to hold Slade's wrist as he was pulled.  
  
Tiggs, Benjamin, had stopped to grab the drive and the laptop seeing that it was the source of the signal he was sent to investigate.

 

"I think he'd be better off losing teeth than hair."

 

The man commented, following shortly after. He had to keep his guard up, he was there on business he couldn't afford to make things formal and so he looked at Jason with a glare.

 

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, open your mouth and you better hope that mask can protect your head."

  
Slade set down what was more than generous for their drinks and the room before turning back to Dick, letting go and nearly shoving him towards the stairs.

 

"Ohhhh looks like the putty tat ain't in the mood for friends, tsk tsk." Dick poked at Tiggs. If it wasn't one it was the other.

 

"Get moving or I'll drag you up those too. Hear me?"  
  
"Kinky." Jason whistled, heading up the stairs before all of them, the puppy awkwardly following up behind him with a bread roll in its mouth that it got from God knows where.

  
Slade turned back to the bar on more time, setting down another lump of bills before grabbing the bottle of whiskey to take with him to the second floor. Shit he was going to need it.

 

The young hero began heading upstairs, scooping up the puppy and holding it like a baby. "I might just steal her from you, Red riding Hood, she's so adorable." By the time he finished his sentence they were upstairs.  
  
Benjamin closed the door behind him and lifted his wrist, a light expanding outwards and over them before a large hologram filled the room, showing the very same words it read off to them.

  
'Red Hood, Name: unknown. Status: outlaw. Instructions: Monitor.   
Deathstroke, Name: Slade Joseph Wilson. Status: High Court Socialite and Assassin. Instructions: Monitor.   
Nightwing, Name: Richard John Grayson. Status: Lifelong servant of Deathstroke, former vigilante. Instructions: interrogate.'   
  
"Life long servant? I guess that sounds better than 'blow up do-" Dick didn't get to finish his sentence before Benjamin swung at him.

 

The hero saw it coming and leaned to the left taking a step back successfully dodging the blow.

 

"Dude! I have a puppy here!"

  
"You sent an unauthorized signal out, who did you send it to?"

  
"Would you believe me if i said 'Santa?'"

  
"Quit playing games. I'm here for answers, I would hate for my orders to change from interrogate to kill." Tiggs gave a firm glare.

 

"I'm serious! It's my Christmas list!"

  
Dick's eyes flicked to the bracelet, if he were to take a guess? The Court was watching. Benjamin's attention followed Dick's gaze and he hit a few more buttons before the hologram displayed more information, included in this was that Slade now owned Damian.

 

"From what I'm seeing here it wouldn't take much to destroy that kid and given Slade's reputation... You won't have a brother to go home to if you don't start talking." The tone in the other's voice didn't hold any threat, it was like he was asking Dick to play along.   
  
"... I... I just put out a call to see if anyone else is alive.. I have more family... Friends... Seeing Damian made me think.." Dick stopped and looked down.

  
'Instructions updated.' The bracelet said as the hologram vanished, 'Enforce punishment.'

 

Apparently the Court didn't about why Dick did what he did. He broke the rules. That's what they cared about.

 

Benjamin sighed and looked at Slade. "That's your responsibility..."

 

"It's my pleasure."

 

Slade nearly growled out, watching Jason wrestle the puppy away from Dick as Slade stepped forward to grab his arm. The dog made a loud whining sound, as if it was reading the room, and struggled to get back to Dick. It was rather cute that the fluff ball wanted to take on Deathstroke, the Terminator, for Dick. Jason found it rather touching, and instantly cemented that she would be a perfect addition to the family.

 

With that Benjamin turned to the door though instead of stepping through it he pulled something from his pocket and stuck it onto the bracelet, a soft humming escaping it before he looked back at them seeming more relaxed than before.

 

"Seeing the three of you together tells me you're part of the resistance." He spoke bluntly.  
  
The tension fell out of the room the moment Ben turned around and revealed that he too was against the High Court. Jason didn't trust him, so he played dumb.

 

"I'm staying out of politics ... My doctor said it's not good for my health. The whole pain and torture thing. I have a note here somewhere..." He said looking through the dog's fur like it was a purse.   
  
"Relax, Hood, we can trust him." Slade said, not a hint of doubt in his voice. "I was a little shocked to see you with the High Court patch. Should have known better." Slade dropped Dick's arm and approached his friend, giving him a good natured slap on the arm. "It's good to see you, and that you are well ... Not that I had any doubts."   


Benjamin couldn't help but to smirk at Slade, he didn't know Jason as well or as long so he wasn't at all surprised he didn't trust the tiger. Slade on the other hand? If good ol' Benji was being honest he always considered the old man to be a brother, trusted him with his life. His secrets. Even if Slade was pro court Benjamin knew there wasn't a price that Slade would take to stab his pal in the back.

  
"I'd be offended if the Court wasn't a worthy adversary, everyone's shook. If you have any status other than civilian they force you into slavery, wealth or contract you as a 'hunter.'"

  
Jason had placed down the puppy and was attaching boxes to the four walls of the room, once he had he turned them on a small humming sound came through them.

 

"There ... We can talk about the High Court and our high school crushes freely now…. Not that I don't trust what you've got on your wrist but… I don't trust it "

 

Jason had picked up this scrambling tech from the High Court, it was why their conversations were so hard to pick up on. It would take any admitted sound and scramble it to different frequencies outside of the human hearing range every five seconds. Meaning even if you figured out which code sequence it was on, five seconds later it was useless. Roy modified the device with a new sequence code and a flux for base signals. In addition it would play a background noise at a barely hearable frequency ... Jason was pretty sure it was Barracuda on repeat or some equally ridiculous shit.   
  
"The three of you need to be careful being seen in public. The Court itself may not know the relationship you share but there are others who do.. Bounty hunters. The Court lowered some of our status' from 'High Society' to bounty hunters after they discovered forces working against them from within."   
  
"And let me guess... They have people like you who are tasked with bringing them in?" Dick asked.

  
"They have men like me tasked to kill any and all resistance... I'm surprised they didn't ask you." Tiggs said as he looked back at Slade, "But then again bounty hunters can't have pets, so you must've become ineligible.... I've spent the last few months gaining their trust, killing people who were against them. I managed to pull together a small group, villains and heroes alike."

 

Dick studied the other carefully, he could see the remorse in his expression. Obviously he didn't want to kill on the Court's behalf but that didn't mean he should've gone through with it anyways.

 

Nightwing sighed and went over to the puppy taking it back into his arms, "What about the bracelet? The High Court gave gramps here a ring to control my collar. What's the bracelet do?"

  
"Its filled with a neurotoxin.. If I oppose them then it kills me, fortunately for me one of the first people I saved whipped together a device that put their systems offline. As long as I play my cards right they don't notice that I disrupted their signal.."

  
"Sounds like a person Roy should never meet." Dick mumbled, last thing they needed was _two_ people that Roy could compete with.   
  
Benjamin grabbed the bottle from Slade and went to pour them some drinks, "I'm surprised you haven't killed these two yet, it's like being stuck with dumb and dumber." Tiggs teased to lighten the mood.

  
"You're one to talk old and older." Dick quipped back   
  
"Yeah." Jason agreed like a true younger brother should, taking a seat in one of the plush dining chairs surrounding the meeting table in the middle.

 

It was like something out of a mafia movie up here. Fuck, the mafia probably did meet up here. He'd have to check that out ... It had been a while since he was able to terrorize a mafia leader or two. Ah, the good old days.

 

"Also, I graduated High school unlike some of us. I learned algebra." Jason added.  
  
"Can you actually do algebra?" Slade asked, taking his drink from Ben with a nod of thank you.   
  
"...Shut up, grandpa." Jason miffed, taking off his helmet and setting it on the table before smoothing out his helmet hair. "Let's stay on topic here." As if Jason was ever the one to stay on topic, he and Dick were the twin rulers of side tracked conversations. "What's their system? Why pass up on Deathstroke as a mercenary but force others, like yourself, into it? I mean, Bennie, baby, you're a badass but you aren't exactly the stone-cold murdering type like yah' boy here." Jason mentioned jerking his thumb in Slade's direction.   
  
"Because I had something else to offer." Slade said behind his glass, seeming like he wasn't going to say anything else, then let out a small sigh. "I convinced them I was more of an asset to them in partnership than in slavery. Besides, my body can fight off neurotoxins, it wouldn't have made a lick of sense for them to put a collar on me."   
  
"Yeah, sure, but they made a collar for fucking Superboy-" Jason had seen it on TV in a rare broadcast done by Luthor. "-You're trying to tell me that the only reason they didn't collar you was because they didn't have the technology? I'm calling bullshit."   
  
"Like I said, I was a better ally than a slave. I had resources, skills, and information that they wanted. In exchange, I got my freedom and the 'perks' of being in their graces. It was the only logical choice to make, like Benjamin, I just had to do what I needed to gain their trust, nothing more." Slade was obviously fighting like hell to keep this all under the table, but Jason was like a lion on a carcass ... Once he sunk his teeth into something it was nearly impossible to get him to let go.   
  
"So what did you _do_ Slade?" Jason asked, more pointedly this time, crossing his arms and leaning back.   
  
"I'm an experienced tracker with decades of experience fighting metahumans, vigilantes, and villains. They handed me a list, I went down it and told them where to find, how to capture, and what to do with two dozen or so of those types. Had me help secure thirteen of them, proved to them I was an asset in teaching them obedience and structure." Slade hadn't talked to Dick about any of this, not even in the slightest, he just wanted to end this conversation all together.

 

Dick was quiet as he listened to the two, he didn't like where this whole conversation was going and yet he sat quietly, playing with the puppy paws up until Slade confessed what he had done. It just about shattered every ounce of trust built with him and Dick's anger rose up like lava in a volcano.

 

"You got dozens of people killed and enslaved just to avoid working under the High Court's control?!" He snapped, letting the puppy free from his grip as he stood. It was a solid reminder that set Slade apart from Dick, separated them from hero and villain. "Do you have any idea what it was like being in the High Court's little cage!? We didn't just get stowed away, Slade. We were tortured, beaten. People died, kids died! All so you could keep up some damn facade of-"  
  
"Shut the fuck up." Benjamin growled out, eyes glaring coldly at Dick. "Slade played the High Court the smartest way he could. Before the mercenary program your options were slave or ally. If he didn't become an ally to the Court then you'd be nothing more than a corpse like the rest of the damn Justice League."

  
"He could've-"

  
"You don't get it... You're ignorant, _stupid_ . You think there's _always_ a better way. Maybe for you but not for us. The only way we can get the Court in our pocket is to get our hands dirty. Do I like it? No, will I forgive myself? Probably not. But if you don't let us make these sacrifices so _you_ don't have to then we will never get the upper hand...... Slade earned their trust as an asset.. You've been belittled as a defenseless pet... I'm in a grey area between the two, respected but not trusted. Not a slave but not free. The fact the three of us achieved different layers within their ranks is an advantage and the fact they haven't tied Hood in yet is even better."

 

Benjamin downed his drink and set down the glass before approaching Jason. "We can contract you as a bounty hunter, the same person who made the jammer on my bracelet can make you a bracelet that'll make you pass as a mercenary minus the restrictions. Slade and Dick can continue playing their cards and getting information through the grapevine."  


"I'll help ... To an extent. I have assets I'm focused on protecting. I won't risk them. Period. I'm all for saving the world and shit but I'll save the heroics for Golden boy here."

 

Jason said nodding his head towards Dick. Jason would help save the world, one hundred percent, but not at the cost of putting Lian _or_ Roy in danger. Bizarro was basically made of steel so he wasn't as worried about the big fella. Did that make him a good hero? No. Was he fine with that? Abso-fucking-lutely.

  
Dick frowned and crossed his arms, eyes on the floor. God he hated being put in this position, "Slade can no longer be considered a bounty hunter because of me.. Why’d you highlight that when they already used him as one?"

  
"Because.. It means he has more freedom... Kind of.... They want him to think that but if he continues carrying on mercenary duties they'll want to put a leash on him, especially with the possibility of you corrupting him... If I had to guess I say it'll start with you getting a new collar." Ben explained.   
  
"...So no one is free... But that doesn't tell us what they want." Dick seemed to shift the conversation off what Slade had done but everything in his body language said he was still pissed at the other.

  
"That's what we're still learning... In one month the resistance is having a meeting. I suggest you guys come." Tiggs looked back to Slade and Dick, his body still facing Jason to gesture he was speaking to everyone.   
  
Dick gave a hefty sigh and went to the counter pouring himself a drink before looking at Slade, "They give you another kill list and you tell me, do you understand?"

  
The glare in his eyes that landed on the older male was just about chilling before he took a drink of his beverage. Tiggs leaned back and whistled softly. He was starting to wonder who the pet really was.   
  
"Yes sir." Slade replied flatly making Jason snort out a laugh. "No heroes died ... Not that it matters." He added after everything, sipping on his alcohol once again.   
  
"The Court is trying to figure out more about human manipulation. They want me for that purpose." Slade paused. "I can tell you one thing ... They let Luthor hand Robin over to me. There may have been other factors, but they had to approve it. The same way they did with you. They make it seem like the system is about choices, but it's like Tiggs said, it's all veiled, carefully calculated decisions behind closed doors. Each person who was in that room that day I got you was mapped out specifically to match to a hero in that line with you. Invite only." Slade explained as the lead up to a point, but Jason was too impatient for that.   
  
"Get to the point."   
  
"They handed Robin and Dick over to me because they want to monitor my process of manipulation and submission. They want me to break both of you so they can quantify it, study it. All of the heroes and villains I brought to them I specifically chose because they were weak of mind, easy to control or had blatant weaknesses I could exploit to get them under the footing of the High Court with little time or effort. I was trying to prove my efficiency, but... They didn't like it, they wanted more info, more data. Harder test subjects." Slade ran the tip of his finger around the rim of his glass. "They're studying us, constantly. Why? I haven't the slightest."   
  
"Fuck." Jason breathed out running a hand through his hair, letting the giant puppy up into his lap so it could sniff his helmet. "So meeting in two weeks about how we are all going to become mind controlled cronies. _Excellent_. I'll bring cookies. I'll make sure there are oatmeal raisins for your old man tummies."

 

Dick couldn't help but to frown, his expression changing completely. He had honestly thought that Slade chose him because he wanted to stop this, and maybe he did, but there was that little voice in the back of Dick's head that made him uncertain. It was that paranoia that Bruce practically shoved down his throat, the other thing he could trust was evidence and even that could be tampered with. Right now all the evidence was saying that Dick was the Court's next test subject, Slade's next project, and when he was done then he would hand Dick over to the Court. It made sense that Slade would choose him because he didn't want to continue doing this to people and that he needed Dick's help. That he took advantage of the system... But it was also possible that Slade was using Dick's feelings to break him down into submission.   
  
He had a firm grip on his glass that he let go of to move out of the room, plopping in one of the chairs. "So Damian and I are just another one of your toys... Lovely. Tell me when I should start digging our graves."

  
"Is he always this dramatic?" Ben asked looking at Jason before sighing.

 

"Goldie? Oh absolutely. You missed his ponytail and vneck peacock days ... dramatic is half of what makes Nightwing." Jason replied as he plopped his helmet onto the puppies head, much to his pleasure she just sat down and looked literally like Dog Hood ... Red Dog? God why didn't that sound as good as BatDog or Krypto?

 

"Listen... I know it all seems.... Hopeless but if we play things right we can bring them down." Slade commented.

  
"Not at Damian's expense... We can stage his death or whatever. I don't care about what happens to me but he's not getting involved." Dick quickly interjected.

  
"If Damian dies under Slade's control the Court won't trust his methods... If you get put in a position that endangers either of you then you call me." Ben said before grabbing a small pager from his pocket, handing it to Slade. "When we meet next week we can discuss plans. But I can't stay much longer without the Court getting suspicious."

  
Slade wanted to tell Dick that he was being ridiculous and making wild assumptions, but it wasn't something he wanted, or needed, to talk about in front of Tiggs or Jason. He opted for keeping his mouth shut and focusing on Benjamin who was speaking to him and standing in front of him.

 

"Same for you, Ben. Don't try and tough it out by yourself. I'm staying at my Maine home, you know the one. Door scanner will let you right in any time."

 

Slade trusted Benjamin emphatically, he never gave him a reason not to, at least not while he was in his right mind. Slade took the pager and slipped it somewhere in  his belt.

 

Bronze Tiger chuckled, "If these two have made it this long I'm sure I'll be just fine."

 

He teased before stepping back, a small part of him wanted to come up with some kind of plan he and Slade could use to take down the Court together but he knew they'd both end up dead if he tried and so he headed for the door pausing to look back at Jason.

 

"Welp. Me and Red Hound-" Yes, that was the one. "-both need to go take a leak outside. Come on Tiggs you can come too."

 

Jason picked the helmet off of the puppies head and placed it on his own, the little girl honestly looked a little disappointed.  Dick sighed and shifted his gaze to the puppy. She was big for a young one, at least what, 20lbs? He could only imagine how gianormous she'd get once full size.

 

"You two can tinkle by yourselves, you don't need me to hold your hand." Tiggs turned to the door, opening it before pausing, "And for the record, Hood, I hate raisins."

 

With that the man was gone, stepping through the door and heading out the bar. He removed the jammer from his bracelet and began leaving a very detailed report for the High Court.

 

"Dick and I will be down in a minute... Here." Slade handed Jason a wad of cash. "Go rent us a couple of rooms." Jason began counting the bill's instantly. "I expect change, Hood."  
  
"Mhm. Mhm. Sure Pop-pops whatever you say."

 

Jason was already slipping half of it in his inner jacket pocket and the other half in his front pocket as he removed the small devices and then left the room just like that, Red Hound bouncing behind him..   
  
Dick could tell that Slade wanted to talk, that he wanted to convince him his distrust was unwarranted, unfortunately the moment they were alone Dick was determined to get the first word in.

 

"You know you've laid out enough evidence to make me reevaluate how much information I should share with you.... It'd be beyond idiotic of me to just hand you Damian and Bruce's life now that I know how little control you have within the Court, for all I know they could be using this stupid collar to listen to us right now." The raven haired male snapped slightly as he sat up in his chair.

 

"They aren't listening to us. While they don't seem to respect a lot of things, they do keep their word nearly emphatically. They told me there was no recording or listening device in there, while I don't trust them, I do believe they were being honest." Slade explained first, because it was the easiest to handle, to talk about. The rest of it? An absolute cluster fuck.

 

Dick paused and exhaled letting his eyes close in an attempt to defuse his own anger. "How can I trust you, Slade?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Slade admitted finally, putting his arms crossed against his own chest. "Dick this is who I am, I've never been anything but upfront about that with you. But, Benjamin was right, this is how people like us have to operate. Whether it was right, wrong or otherwise. I will tell you one thing though, I want the High Court gutted and flayed just as much as you do, as anyone does." Slade's hands gripped hard on his biceps. "Its ... Personal ... But I knew if I flipped the script and tried playing hero Luthor and Ra's would have had me killed months ago. Know why? Because your type is expected to rebel. Me? I'd be considered a traitor and to people like them that's even worse."

 

Dick was quiet taking in every one of Slade's words. He knew what  he signed up for, knew Slade wasn't a hero or a good guy. Knew he was a liar, a murder, whatever he needed to be to get a job done... Yet here the hero was, feeling doubt that just made his stomach turn. Was he making another mistake? Were his feelings a liability like Bruce said?

 

Slade stopped and uncrossed his arms, pulling the High Court's ring off of his finger and tossed it across the table to Dick. "It isn't going to make you trust me, however, it gives you power." He nodded towards it. "That's all I have to control you and Damian with, keep it with you. Then, you can decide when I get to have it. That way we are on equal footing. Seem fair?"  
  
Dick caught the ring and stared down at it, a heavy sigh escaping him as he shook his head and gripped the object tightly. His eyes shifting up to Slade holding mixed emotions, "I know that... This is who you are Slade but... You can't hide things from me. I don't expect you to pour your heart out to me but I need to know every intention and mission that's given to you..." He bit his lip hating how this next part was going to sound, "I want to trust you... I _do_ trust you but..... The last time I trusted a man like you over 200 people died... Now, it's not only innocent lives at stake but it's my families..... And trusting you with their lives isn't easy, especially when I know you're only one phone call away from getting them all killed.. Me? I couldn't care less, so if you do end up stabbing me in the back, Slade..." Dicks eyes shifted up from the ring landing on the others face, "Don't miss my heart." With that he set the ring on the table sliding it over to the other before standing up, "Keep it."   


Slade was honestly shocked. He expected Dick to hoard the ring for personal comfort, expected the hero to confirm that Slade was the worst and that everything they'd been through so far was a mistake. He'd braced himself for it pretty well, so when the blow didn't come he felt more ... Remorseful. Dick's response wasn't one of anger, it was really disappointment. Oddly enough? That bothered him, he could handle anger, take beatings all day, but this was different, something else. Unfamiliar.

  
The hero began heading to the door, his hand resting on the door knob as he looked over at Slade. "I just want you to know this doesn't change things for me... It's terrifying to put my trust into you but that doesn't mean I'm going to back out or force you to become something you're not, I just need to be included in what's going on is all."   
  
Slade got up, and before he realized what he was doing he was crossing the room and putting a hand over Dick's on the door knob.

 

"This doesn't... Change things for you." Slade didn't mean for it to come out as unsure as it did. "You're worried I'm lying to you, that I'll murder your family, put people at risk..." He summarized to his own detriment. "But you feel the same? Dick no one is _that_ good. You disliking me isn't going to change my treatment of you. Be straightforward with me ... I can handle it. I made my bed a while ago, and I'm prepared to lie in it." But ... Was he?

 

Dicks eyes landed on the hand that rested over his own before they shifted up to Slade, he couldn't help but to stare at the older mans face trying to make sense of what expressions the other was showing.  
  
"I'm not naive, Slade.... I don't think you'd betray me like that but I also can't ignore the possibility .. It's something I just have to have my awareness on because as much as I'd like to brag about my intuition I've been wrong before."

 

Dick admit, his hand moving off the door to hold Slade's completely while the other one slid up the the mercenaries chest and onto his cheek.

 

"You being a bad egg isn't going to make my feelings magically go away.... Even if you hurt me… " The hero tried to explain before standing on his toes.

 

Slade got caught up in the moment, looking into those baby blues like he was in a trance. Sweet, beautiful Dick just being ... Dick. Did Slade think he was naive? Absolutely. Was he going to say a thing about it? No. He stayed locked onto Dick's eyes until the other began leaning in to kiss him, and he couldn't resist that either. He leaned down enough to press into the kiss, and just a smidge more so that Dick didn't have to stretch so far. Slade's lips were like an addicting and forbidden fruit, the young hero honestly couldn't get enough even when the kiss wasn't as heated and passionate as it could've been. It was part of the confirmation that Dick had needed to figure out whether or not he was in love or limerence.

  


Slade was the first to pull back, resting his forehead on Dick's. A move that the hero happily relaxed into just so he could share the same breath as Slade, it was nothing short of connecting.

 

"Why?" The Mercenary asked simply, eye closed. Maybe he needed to give a little more explanation than that. "If I hurt you, you should hate me. You shouldn't ... Love me. Dick you can't _love_ me."

 

Slade didn't say it as if he doubted what the hero was saying, but as if he half couldn't understand and as though he were even somehow upset about the idea.

 

He pulled away looking toward the wall. "You can't do this, Dick, it isn't fair. You can't lecture me about playing games and then-"

 

To Slade, love was contingent on actions and rules, plain and simple. The fact wasn't that Slade actually thought Dick didn't love him, or that he couldn't hear the sincerity in his voice when he said it. This was about the fact that what Dick was saying and doing went against everything Slade believed his relationships with other people could be like and, at a mature and legally redacted age, could be unconditional. Needless to say, the older dog's mind was having a hard time grasping that concept. Dick's eyes couldn't help but to shift into pure sadness as Slade continued to talk before he just shook his head and interrupted him.

 

"That's what you would think huh... That I'm playing with your heart and your head? That I can't love you if you hurt me.... It's almost ironic.."   
  
Dick went silent as he slipped into thought for a moment before shaking his head and looking at Slade, "What people don't understand is that hate isn't the opposite of love... Indifference is.. Hate comes from being hurt, being scared.. Having your trust ripped away from the person you love. It doesn't eliminate the emotion.. Sometimes people confuse hatred with anger but.. They're not the same. That being said, I can't just become indifferent towards you, even if you hurt me. I can't make these feelings and sensations go away every time I look at you."   
  
The male had paused once more finally finding something to put it into perspective, "Think of it this way... Is there anything in the world that would make you stop loving your kids? Sure the love is shaped differently but it's unconditional.. Romantic love can be the same... It's sad that you haven't gotten to experience that but I _promise_ you Slade I am _not_ playing you... I am invested in this despite all the reasons I have _not_ to be... I mean you... I.." He stopped, he couldn't go down that road right now. "Can we work on trusting each other right now?"

 

Slade wasn't even sure what to say at first, Dick was throwing a lot of information at him, even if he wasn't aware that's what he was doing. He kept Dick's hand in his, going through periods of squeezing and releasing it as if it was keeping him grounded. Slade did love his kids, and it was absolutely unconditional. It didn't matter what Rose or Joseph did he would _always_ love them. Sure, sometimes they could be pain in the asses (particularly Rose), but that didn't change that he would lay down his life for either of them without a second thought. No matter how many times Rose screamed she hated him, or when Jericho teamed up against him … It didn't matter. That's what Dick was saying, it didn't matter. He'd be upset, angry, but he'd still love Slade. Why did that feel like so much pressure? Why did he feel that same undying and unwavering devotion that he did for his kids but for Dick?   
  
"Yes." Slade answered finally, meeting Dick's eyes fully. "You're right though ... I'd rather have you hate me inside and out than feel nothing towards me. It's funny … Considering our positions." Slade commented with a small smile, lifting Dick's hand and kissing the back of it like a gentleman would. "I want you to hear me say this though, trust or not, the High Court _won't_ touch _you_ or _Damian_ if I have anything to say about it. I promise."

 

Dick couldn't help but to smile at not only Slade's words but the kiss to his hand, it was so easy for him to slip back into that blind trust. "I believe you." He admit before hugging the other tightly, "You're not as bad as you think, Slade...  You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you're human, you're going to make mistakes, you're going to hurt me... What matters is how you handle it." With that the young hero let go and stepped through the door so they could head off to the hotel.


	10. You're My Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The High Court has picked up on the ping that Tim sent to Dick, he's not surprised that Luthor has come to rat him out however he is uncertain whether or not he'll be able to stop Mr. Clean from going to Ra's. What will Ra's do? Will Connor be there? Is this the end or the beginning?

"Was the dog really necessary to bring along?"   
  
Luthor had been sitting eyeing Connor’s dog Koda from across the lavish jet that was pulling onto the private landing strip in the remote mountains of Nanda  Parbat. He was nursing a glass of wine, absentmindedly checking the info about the pinged transmission again. He still couldn't get a clear answer about where the Timothy boy had sent it, or what it had said, but he had the evidence all the same. Enough evidence to warrant a trip to see Ra's, masqueraded as a routine meeting.

 

"Last time I left him alone he peed in your shoe, you want that to happen again?"  Connor asked, his eyes not leaving the window they had been fixed on.

  
"Yowwwwww." Koda made a sound between a yawn and a howl, flicking his tongue back into his mouth thus spraying Luthor with his drool.

 

"Oh, I remember the incident quite clearly." Luthor responded flatly, giving the guilty pup a equally displeased look while he wiped his face. "Try to reign him in while we are here. I don't need him making us both look like idiots."

 

The fact Luthor even let Connor bring the dog was a huge step. He was beginning to feel like he was bonding with his 'son', being able to move away from a completely totalitarian rule. He looked out the jet window a second later, a large smile growing over his face. Tim was by the entrance of the compound on the runway with half a dozen ninjas just waiting around within the vicinity of him. His eyes were staring piercingly at the jet, arms crossed against his chest.

 

"It would appear little Timmy is waiting to greet us."  
  
And Tim was, oh he made a point of it as soon as he heard about Luthor's sudden want to come to Ra's. Nearly out of the blue, not but half a dozen hours after Roy and his intercepted transmission. He still wanted to strangle the archer, but took some solace in knowing Jason probably had already  done so. What else were brothers for anyway? At least he was able to scramble his end enough to fray the message and the relay location, but he could only _hope_ Roy had enough sense to fix his careless mistake. Even Dick would know better ... And _that_ was saying something.

  
Luthor rose from his seat as the jet came to a stop and the bay doors were opened by the plane staff. His jacket was put on behind him and a small tablet handed to him that he put in  his coat pocket. He started down the stairs without waiting to see if Connor or the dog were following him.   
  
"Luthor."

 

Tim called, having taken closer territory to the jet. Despite his smaller size and build Tim stood with the solid confidence of Wonder Woman in front of Luthor. In his mind, he did fear the consequences if he couldn't circumvent Lex, but at the same time, the whole thing could still end up playing into his hands. He needed to find a way to right the mistake or utilize the consequences it may produce.   
  
"Hello Tim, your Master wouldn't happen to be around would he?"   
  
"No, not currently."

 

Tim broke his stance for a microsecond to check for Connor behind Luthor. He had been hoping that the super might have come along with Lex ... He missed him. Missed everyone. But, if he could at least see Connor then it would be something. Anything.

 

A loud howl escaped the jet just as Tim’s eyes landed on it before a bundle of fur flew down the steps. Tim’s eyes went wide for a second, watching Koda closely until he could get a clear read on the body language. Excited, but friendly. It might not seem like it, but being able to read dog in the field was _incredibly_ useful, especially in Gotham. There were more strays than he was comfortable with and were a regular occurrence on patrols before Damian became Robin, after the third dog Damian brought home Bruce built two new animal shelters.

 

Tim couldn't help but let his hard gaze soften.

 

"Koda!"

 

Connor shouted watching as the dog B-lined for Tim, his aim right between Lex's legs as opposed to running around him.

  
"No! No, Koda don't!"

 

The teen shouted and quickly crouched down to touch the ground using his TK to create a large mound in the cement to knock Koda off course. Fortunately, The hound detoured and whizzed by Luthor, barely missing him, before running in a circle around Tim barking excitedly. It didn’t take long after for Koda to take to standing on his hind legs, falling forward to hug the other.

  
"Koda, Dow-" Kon was cut off by the dog grumbling at him. "Don't you-" Then barking.

  
The meta clone huffed and approached the hound who dropped down and hid behind Tim, whining and looking at the non meta teen before snorting at his master. Connor sighed and looked at Lex before rubbing his neck.

 

"He thinks Tim is...Uh... Pretty?" The clone tried justifying, this wasn't good...

 

He didn't want Koda to get himself killed and he didn't want Koda to ruin things with him and Tim, so he turned to the other and attempted a more formal front.

 

"Sorry about him, he doesn't get out much." God he had to resist squeezing Tim until his tiny body exploded.

 

"That's alright."  
  
"Get him under control." Luthor nearly sneered at his ‘son’.   
  
"Her." Tim said, having squat down to Koda's level where he was gently petting back over her face and head.   
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
"The dog is a female, Luthor. You do know what that looks like right?" Probably not the best thing to say at the moment, but it was said with humor.   
  
"Funny. It's Connor's dog. I'd watch your tone."   
  
"You're right, my apologies."

 

Tim stood back up again but still kept a hand on top of Koda's head. Oh he loved her already, and wasn't the least bit surprised the dog was Connor's. Tim was happy to see he had some kind of companionship, but was even happier to see Connor himself. His heart rate picked up the moment he saw him, a flutter rising through his stomach. Tim just wanted to-- Stop. Focus.

 

The clone blinked, still confused about Tim’s analysis "Wait... A her? Oh no, no, no. Tim, he pees with his leg up."

 

Kon had tried to correct. It didn't really matter though because the subject had changed.

 

"About your visit Luthor. The transmission-"  
  
"Ah ah. No technical talk for the pets."   
  
"Luthor-"   
  
"Listen, you won't change my mind."

 

Shit, shit. Tim was hoping Luthor wasn't going to say something like that. Fuck all this. Tim didn't say anything further, just gave a barely perceivable nod before scratching behind one of Koda's ears.  
  
"Then let’s head inside."   
  
Kon had paused and shifted his gaze upwards, staring intently at the building ahead, he could hear footsteps and a strong steady heart. It wasn't Ra's, probably a woman, and sure enough it was. Lady Shiva stepped out of the building and approached Luthor.

 

"Ra's wishes to meet with you." She stated, pronouncing the Demons name differently than the clone had heard Luthor speak it.   
  
Koda's ears went back as she began to growl at the woman, Kon's eyes shifting to her before crouching down and grabbing her scruff.

 

"Enough." He said firmly.

 

The dog whimpered and yowled loudly as though she were being beaten. Naturally, the clone thought he was holding on too tightly and so he released her only for her to plop to the ground and cover her nose with both paws whimpering more.  
  
With a roll of his eyes Connor looked to Luthor, "Maybe we should wait outside..."

  
"Ra's will be meeting Luthor in the training facility, your dog is not welcome. Disobey and she dies." Shiva spoke coldly before turning to head to the temple, "This way.”

 

Tim had to roll his eyes at Shiva a little bit. She was so heavily dramatic, and while Ra's wouldn't appreciate a dog in the training facility he doubted the demon would kill the pup. Connor was a _super_ and when angry supers were known to break through even the effects of kryptonite. Killing Kon's dog would have to be the the dumbest thing anyone could do if they wanted to live without eating through a tube. It'd be a John Wick situation no doubt.   
  
"Finally, someone with manners." Luthor remarked  before beginning to follow Lady Shiva toward the temple.   
  
"We'll join you, I have to make arrangements for the dog."

 

Tim said without wavering. Ra's wanted to see Luthor, not him, and at this point? Tim being there or not probably wouldn't help defend his case. He still wanted to have a chance to speak with the demon he just wasn’t in as big of a rush. Besides, it gave him a moment to be with Connor and decode the latest message in his room. Tim waited for them to disappear into the temple before speaking again, though he did it at Koda's level as he pet her sweet little head.

 

"Aw, sweetheart did Connie have to punish you? Poor baby, you were right to growl ... She's a ... Well."

 

Tim suggested the rest before standing up. He turned toward Connor with a smile, trying to reign it in for onlookers, but damn it he was _happy_.

 

"Come on, I'll take you to my room. She can stay there until things wrap up."

 

Tim suggested having to fully resist hugging the life out of Connor.

 

"Come on." He called as he started to lead the way.

 

Superboy's blue eyes shifted from the dog to Tim as the other walked ahead of him, his own stance straightening as he held himself back. But then he remembered something, his TK. Connor let a small smirk spread across his lips as his TK field spread over Tim's body, softly squeezing and hugging him as he began to follow the other. The sensation was enough to make Tim pause for a moment, he wanted to just close his eyes and sink into the feeling of familiar comfort.   
  
Being here with Ra's was hard enough, being here by himself without his family or friends was proving a challenge on it's own. Tim always considered himself an introvert, before he became Robin he could go days without talking or touching anyone. Dick quickly put a stop to that the moment they met and every other hero he met after that followed suit. He made so many worthwhile relationships, had grown so much from the kid he had been at the beginning of all this. He was more confident, sure of himself, able to speak his mind, and even found a sense of humor. Even if it was terrible ... That was probably thanks to Dick too. When he was captured, Tim thought he could easily slip into the same mindset he had as a young secluded teenager and survive easily on his own for the mission. He'd done it before, right? … Though never this long, never this _alone_ . What he was finding out was that he missed _everyone_ , that he felt so isolated and increasingly lonely ... Two things he didn't even know he could feel so intensely before now. Seeing Connor here was like a breath of clear air after struggling so long to breathe underwater. A familiar face and touch, and that voice that was- ... What was he saying?

 

Tim wasn’t the only one tangled in a mess of confusing emotions and thoughts, this had also been weird for Connor. He's missed Tim before, even worried about him, but he always had Cassie or Miguel to tell him Tim was fine. No, Kon wasn't a social butterfly, he always hated human interaction, even with the Titans. He hardly stayed at the tower and had practically moved into the fortress of solitude before his younger-erm.... Older brother Jon found it and practically made it into a fort. The only place Kon could be alone was at Ma and Pa's or with Tim... See, he could sit in Tim's presence and just enjoy the silence, silence didn't last long with the others around and it always made Connor anxious, except now? Now he wished he could hear Miguel droning on about Gabe, he wished he could hear Tim scolding Bart about wearing his socks because damn it those are Tim's socks and no one else should touch them. He missed the sound of Cassie talking to Karen about girl stuff no matter how much he hated hearing about how to get period stains out of underwear. All of that would be an absolute luxury compared to this.

 

They walked up a few flights of stairs in silence before heading down a more private hallway where the heartbeats in the ceilings and coves seemed to dissipate more until there were none, that's where Tim opened a door to a room. It wasn't large, but it was definitely Tim's. In one corner was a desk with a few different open books over it, the bed was unmade, and two large, solid wood bureaus. It smelled warm, and held a humidifier that was running fog into the air close by.

 

"Not much, but make yourself at home, cutie." Tim said which caused Connor to blush… That was until he realized Tim was talking to Koda who happily took to sniffing around.

 

Finally, they were alone. Connor couldn't help but to wrap his arms around Tim, giving him a tight and loving squeeze that was soon returned.

 

“Hey.”

 

Tim had started while Koda ran around sniffing the space. She looked back and Kon could literally hear her jaw drop before she growled furiously and charged over trying to wedge herself between them. Kon reluctantly let go of Tim and stepped back as Koda wrapped her body around Tim and began barking at Kon.

 

"Bow wowowowww."

  
"What, so now he’s your human?"

  
"Owwwww wowow"

  
"Oh right because I'm a clone."

 

Tim actually laughed and smiled genuinely for the first time since he's been captured by the High Court.

 

"I wouldn't be totally against her staying. She's amazing." Tim gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

 

Connor rolled his eyes as Koda snort at him.  The Super knelt down and took to petting her while he spoke to Tim.

 

"So... You Know why Lex is here.. What do you think Ra's is going to do to you when he finds out?"

  
The fact that Connor wasn't looking at him didn't reach Tim because he couldn't do it either. He was a little worried about Ra's, but, he was more worried about his brothers. Could he really risk talking outloud about that? Connor wouldn't tell but ... Ninja's around? While he believed his room was clear, he couldn't allow himself to trust it.

 

"He won't be happy, I know that. I've prepared myself for whatever the consequences are ... I did the second I sent the transmissions." Tim had moved over to his desk and picked up a piece of paper that had code all over it, then brought it back to where Connor was standing.

 

"Come here."

 

Tim said quietly, but didn't hesitate to just take the super's arm and drag him over to the bed where he crawled in and took his thickest, darkest comforter and and tented it over his own head like a child.

 

"Get under here with me."

 

The teen was sitting against his headboard with his legs pulled up near his chest, the paper and a small pen light sitting between his lap and stomach. Lifting the blanket, Tim invited the super to join him underneath. The comforter would have enough insulation to block out Tim's whispers from the outside.

 

"Secret Superhero only meeting." He whispered.  
  
Koda had made her way to the other side of Tim, curling up and laying on her side beside Tim with her head on his shoulder and her back legs curled up against his body. The clone followed suit and made his way beneath the blanket, he honestly couldn't stop himself from smirking at at the sight of Tim bundled up beside his dog.

 

"Is this the nerd cave?" Connor teased.

 

Tim puffed out a small laugh, speaking exclusively in a small voice now. "No, you aren't nerdy enough to be allowed in the nerd cave. We have a membership process."

 

Instead of responding the Superboy ruffled Tim's hair and shifted his attention to checking up on his dear friend. Tim had been stuck with Ra's for awhile now (obviously) and Kon knew just how ruthless the creep was. He began using his x ray vision to inspect Tim's body, looking for bruises and cuts and..... Whoops, that was an accident, one that made his heart race and his face flush. He then deepened the search pushing passed Tim's flesh and down into his bones.

 

"So... Is that the message you were sending?" The Clone asked to cover up the fact he was giving Tim a contact free physical.

 

Tim flattened the paper out so he could look it over and begin decoding the message in his mind.

 

"I'm okay. Nothing bad. Just training bruises like usual." Tim explained having caught the super. "I was sending a message to Dick in a cave we have ... Jason and Roy were there. I didn't know. Roy and I started corresponding but he didn't follow my instructions, ended up exposing our connection. I ... Does Luthor know about them? Please tell me they don't know who the message came from."

 

Tim was secretly scared they had been exposed and hadn't had any time to check his devices for further correspondence,completely new from the last of course.

 

"I think they have Roy's daughter with them ... Luthor and the High Court _can't_ find them, Connor."

 

Connor listened to Tim's concerns carefully before sighing, "Luthor didn't tell me anything but... I eavesdropped, per my duties as your hearing aid, and... Well they picked the signal up in Belarus, uh... Some cat dude was discharged to investigate and discovered that Dick sent the message in a pub using some chicks computer while Slade and Red Hood were talking.. Slade apparently punished Dick. Based on that I'd say it sounds like they redirected the signal and came up with a cover up so the cave wouldn't be found... Lex wants to rub your disobedience in Ra's face.. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he tried getting that old corpse to hand you over since he's such a fail of a handler."

 

Tim smiled a little, honestly he was so proud of Connor. He'd come even farther than Tim had over the years. The fact that he was able to do this, keep face around Luthor _and_ play double agent for Tim, was amazing. Connor always kept impressing Tim with his upward mobility and strength, emotionally and physically. He barely started reading his note, distracted entirely by Connor's presence. Tim turned the light off and pressed himself as close to Connor as he could get, resting his head against the other's chest.

 

"I'm glad they figured something out ... Thank you."

 

Tim spoke sincerely, shutting his eyes again. He let the silence stretch between them for a couple seconds until a small sigh escaped from him.

 

"I missed you ... Been worried about you too." He admitted _only_ because it was Connor. "Are you okay? Do I need to poison Luthor yet?"

 

Connor began playing with Tim's hair, it didn't smell like it used to but it was still soft as ever. He wasn't the only one soothed by the cuddles in this moment for Koda shifted and slumped against Tim pinning him between the two.

 

"It's been.... Okay... I mean I definitely won't stop you if you _want_ to poison him.. Actually, I'll encourage it." The clone let out a heavy sigh. "I've been trying to get more information from him, act like I'm interested and like I want to be more involved. He doesn't seem to be suspicious though but there's a lot he can't tell me.. I just don't know how much longer it's going to take to fully gain his trust... I keep thinking about the old days with the Titans.. And you... I just want things back the way they were."

 

Tim let out a small hum as Connor massaged him, thinking about those same times that the super was talking about. God he missed that band of people more than he could express. He even missed M'gann at this point and he barely talked to her before or after her and Connor dated … It was because she hurt him. Not because he had feelings for him. No. No. Of course not.   
  
"You're doing a good job, Kon ... They'd all be proud of you. I don't think any of the Titans could have guessed you'd handle being uncover this well. _I'm_ even impressed, you've really grown and I really admire y-"     
  
Tim stopped. Like most times, Tim was multitasking. At the same time he was talking to Connor he had been imagining the paper in his head. He had a near photographic memory and was struck suddenly by the meaning of a certain sequence.

 

"Wait..."

 

The nerd bird pulled away from Connor only to feel resistance from the giant dog behind him. He was stuck between a dog and a super, shit. Tim squirmed until he had enough room to pull the paper and pen light out and threw off the covers so he could read over his paper. He had to check if he was remembering the coding right, it coded 'Talia'. His eyebrows furrowed a bit as he concentrated, then they widened.

 

"Connor-" Tim started slapping the heroes arm over and over again. "We need to go see Ra's and Luthor. _Right now._ Take me."   
  


  
  


-

  
  
  
  


Shiva didn't so much as utter a word to Luthor as she lead him through the seemingly empty halls, were they empty? No. There were dozens of Ninja's hiding in the rafters ready to strike, it was basic protocol when it came to guests. Before long they turned into a room that lead out to the balcony where hundreds of assassins trained, fighting against one another in the indoor sandy field.

 

"What an unpleasant surprise." Ra's said from his post, eyes not leaving his assassin's, "What has brought you to my mountains, Luthor? I'm busy, I don't have time for your little inconsequential meetings."

 

"Charming as ever Ra's."

 

Luthor entered the room calmly before he moved to grasp the railing, feigning interest in what was going on below. Lex wasn't concerned with training masses, he'd rather build his armies, they followed orders better than those with free will.

 

"I'm actually not here for a regular meeting, Ra's. I received some news from the High Court that you might be interested in." He started letting the sentence hang for a minute before flicking his eyes back to the older man. "Having to do with a transmission that came from these mountains to a small town in Belarus. Wouldn't happen to be from you, would it?"

 

Luthor was about the dramatics, all villains were to some extent.

  
"You speak as though I'm unaware of what's happening within my own palace." Ra’s nearly growled out.

 

Damn it Tim, he was holding such high hopes for the boy before this.

 

"Timothy has committed treason, I am fully aware.." Lie, ".. I was giving him the opportunity to come to me. You see, I believe that Richard and the show you put on at the gala has gotten to the child's head, he's acting irresponsibly and irrationally. You're a fool if you think I'm not going to punish him however, what I do with my pet  isn't any of your business." The demon spoke coldly before turning to walk down the hall. "I was going to lay down an offer for you however, your ignorance has me reevaluating whether or not it'd be a wise move on my part." Thats it Ra's, reign in the control.

 

"Aware but didn't inform the Court? My you really are playing the line aren't you Ra's?"

 

Luthor couldn't get a clear read on Ra's. Either Ra's had spies following Tim's every movement without the teen being aware (unlikely) or Ra's was bluffing. The question was whether or not to call the man out on it. Of course, Ra's was enticing  him with a missed gift. Hm. Maybe he should just play this to his favor.

 

"You know… Given everything that’s happened at the gala I'm not surprised about who young Timothy was sending the information to … I’m more surprised that Dick had the gull to send it back in front of Slade _and_ The Red Hood." Luthor mentioned with a shrug, pulling out his tablet.

 

Ra's completely froze at Luthor's comment, Red Hood..... Sure, Jason managed to keep a better hold on his identity than the rest of his brothers however, Ra's would fully expect Slade to have known. After all, Slade not only  knew Bruce and Dick's identities but he's been in their homes, met each member of the family, even if he hadn't known before he surely would by now... Even if he didn't there was no way he'd allow Dick to send a message right under his nose, yes.. Something was fishy indeed but Ra's knew better than to bring it to attention, for now he would keep these suspicions to himself until he could use them to his advantage.  
  
"You underestimate my methods." The Demon spoke, turning to face Luthor as he snapped his fingers at a nearby ninja who headed off as though the male gave a secret order, "Tim is smart, if I call out his treason now we'll never know how he managed to slip passed the Court. We need to build his confidence so he slips up and makes a mistake, I have my men working on that piece as we speak….”   
  
“And what of your offer, Ra’s? Don’t play sore sport now.”   
  
Ra's gaze shifted behind Luthor where an assassin walked out with Rose Wilson walking in front. Her hair was long and slightly over her face, she looked exhausted, angry, hurt.

  
"Both of us have a common... Adversary." Ra's paused for effect, "I believe it would be in your best interest to show the Court your decision to hand Damian to Slade wasn't a mistake and to show Wilson he doesn't have as much control as he thinks he does." Kill two birds with one stone, "Rose has sworn me her alliance, she can be yours however for a price."   
  
"I'm not a toy you can auction off." Rose commented, Ra's gaze shifting to hers.

 

"The collar around your neck speaks otherwise... Besides, you wouldn't be in this mess had your father been more invested in your life. This is just as beneficial for you."

 

"Rose Wilson … My I didn't think you were still alive." Luthor looked back at Ra's and drummed his fingers on the inside of his coat pocket. "So you're offering me the chance to own Rose Wilson and advance my own interests. Your price isn't just monetary, is it?"   


Rose glared at both men before clenching her fist, she was assigned to Ra's after Jericho died... After she successfully brought down six High Court officials. She proved her worth but due to her lack of loyalty she wasn't granted freedom. Ra's offered her the closest thing to a free lifestyle as one could get, a freedom where he would make no demands of her if she swore full alliance to him, treachery punishable by death, a punishment Ra's owed Slade.  
  
"I want the clone.. Rose is an asset to me, in fact I have better use for her than you do, however... Timothy needs something to keep him from acting out, a playmate. I know you have the proper technologies to make the super kneel so I don't hold any concerns in that regard... He'll keep Tim's attention diverted from his family long enough for me to exterminate them."

 

Luthor outright laughed. "You want me to hand over Connor? Absolutely not." Shaking his head. "I'm transitioning his trust, much better than you are with Tim might I add, and he's a valuable asset to me. Much more than Rose Wilson would be." Lex explained crossing his arms.

 

He had noticed that Connor seemed more distracted since their last visit with Tim. Connor was still as obedient as ever, but asked more questions, seemed more interested in his doings. It hadn't passed him by, nor had the fact that Connor and Tim were still missing from the room. Luthor was a progressive man with progressive ideology even if he was a villain. Something was up between those two and he was beginning to piece together it all. A secret for himself of course.   
  
Luthor looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll add two of my own conditions to the table, Ra's. Connor will remain under my ownership, period. I won't surrender it. He can stay here, temporarily-" He stressed this part. "- I wouldn't be stupid enough to hand him over to you fully. Second ... The High Court has been starting some more ... Interesting testing phases for what they are calling 'meta design and technology'. They're interested in healing factors, it's a rare trait. If I can duel purpose Rose for both controlling Slade and pleasing the Court ... Well ... I think this could be a profitable transaction for the both of us."   
  
"You want me to hand over Rose so she can become your lab rat while your vermin stays within my palace as though he's a guest? If I'm handing over my asset then I want rights. Freedom to discipline him.. And you _don't_ get to come take him whenever you want."

  
Rose clenched her fist, "I'm not going to become-" She was cut off by Ra's activating her shock collar.

 

The faint sound of voices could be heard from outside before the doors opened, the moment they did Tim stepped through only walking in to see Rose on the floor, clearly suffering from a shock. Tim knew how that felt and he ignored the part of him that told him not to run and check on her. Luckily by the time he got to her side Ra's had shut off the shock.

 

"Rose-"

 

Tim said as he got closer, stooping down to put a hand on her back. He nearly glared up at Ra's. Hadn't he done enough to her over all these weeks? Now what the hell was she doing up here with Luthor? He didn't like the look of it.

 

"Are you okay? Breathe, easy." He suggested, brushing the hair behind her ears so he could get a better look at her face. "Ra's what ... Why is Rose up here?"

 

Rose looked at Tim, brows furrowing sadly before she looked at Ra's with a glare, "He wants to make me some damn lab rat." She finally responded after having caught her breath.

 

She already challenged Ra’s earlier this morning, starting a fight with Lady Shiva that had left her severely injured. She was healing but in no state to fight.

 

"So what's it going to be?" Ra's asked Luthor, ignoring Tim and Rose all together.

 

"You just claimed you needed my 'vermin' to keep yours occupied, and I think we both know that Timothy is the asset you have the most investment in. Am I right?"

 

Luthor was running out of metas with new and unique powers for the High Court to test. Slade would refuse outright, he just had the ability to do that apparently, so this would fix both of those problems.

 

"I'll give you all the controls you'll need for Connor ... But just how long are you planning on keeping him? Surely tracking down the hideouts of the Bat Family isn't that much of a task."

 

Ra's couldn't help but to smile slightly, "Interesting considering your _lack_ of success. Timothy turned himself in to me and Richard turned himself in after failing to take down a stronghold, the only reason _you_ captured the clone is because you slaughtered his friends and his deadbeat father... I will return Kent after I've found the other bats, I don't _need_ him for anything else."

 

"Hm.. Throw in the dog  and you can keep Connor as long as you need." Luthor spoke, pushing himself off of the railing behind him.

 

"Done." The assassin waved dismissively, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have business to attend to." Ra's eyes then shifted to Rose, "On your feet... If you're half of what your father was you may live long enough to return."

  
"He'll _kill_ you for this." She glared, standing slowly.

 

"You say that like he'll actually care....." Ra's responded harshly.

 

Tim expected his own punishment, but this was too far. His eyes narrowed as a dangerous look, that he usually only got in his Red Robin suit, fell over his face. Oh ... No. He was going to _destroy_ Lex Luthor, take everything away from him. Luthor didn't deserve a lick of his mercy. Tim looked back at Rose again, probably going against Ra's rules by helping her from the floor. He was so angry at the moment that he barely cared. This was his first crack, his first set of fuck ups ever and he just kept digging himself deeper. Tim refused to move from her side, he didn't want to have to fight, but this was Rose's safety after all.   
  
"Ra's, please reconsider this, Luthor isn't trustworthy."   
  
Luthor rolled his eyes, "Enough of this, bring her to my jet." He said to his own men who moved forward to do so.

 

As the men approached Rose she broke away from Tim, throwing one hard punch at one of Luthor’s guards. The hit landed and within no time she was throwing him over her shoulder soon collapsing to the ground in a heavy breath. It wasn’t long before she was surrounded, a guard striking her with the butt of his gun. Tim moved to stop the man but Ra’s firmly grabbed his shoulder and shot him a glare. The teen looked at the man, gritting his teeth as he listened to the men beating on Rose. He couldn’t just stand by and watch but the look in Ra’s eyes told Tim that he would kill Rose if he disobeyed.

  
"Timothy." Ra's addressed the teen, "Kent will be staying with us, I expect you to set up his room...." The demon then looked back at Lex, "You may be dismissed." The demon then looked to Tim, every ounce of respect draining from his expression. "And you, my boy, have some very serious consequences lined up for you... You may speak your side before I proceed with your punishment."

  
Kon hated the sound of that and felt completely torn, he wanted to  fly in and deck Ra's in the face and save Tim but... He had to put on a show like a damn circus monkey.

 

"Dad what's he saying? You didn't... You didn't trade me in for _her_ did you?"

 

"No, don't be ridiculous Connor. You'll be back with me soon, it would appear Ra's needs some help controlling his servant." Luthor clasped a hand on his arm. "You can stay here, dog too. I'll send your things. It'll be like a little vacation for you."  
  
"If you do this Luthor you will regret it, I'll make sure of it." Tim flatly threatened like he'd completely lost all sense.   
  
"Oh ... Feisty." Luthor smirked, eyes shifting to Rose’s limp body as she was dragged to his ship.

 

Ra's, while he didn't disagree with Tim, couldn't allow Tim to continue showing his defiance and rather than argue with the boy he activated his ring electrocuting him. Tim went down immediately. The shocks from these collars had to be one of the worst sensations he'd ever felt. It didn't just shock your neck, it was a deep radiating pain that went across and through your whole body. Ra's kept the collar on for a while, Tim could tell because his vision had started to go black. Ironically, Luthor was disgusted by the whole display, pressing three keys on his tablet.

 

"You'll behave yourself as a representative of my house, Connor."

 

A small prick came from the back of Connor's collar to his neck. The end released a small amount if kryptonite directly into the bloodstream, weakening the boy enough for him to probably feel somewhat uneasy, definitely enough to hinder his powers. Kon felt the effects immediately of course, his teeth grinding together as discomfort filled his expression. How was he supposed to protect Tim like this? God… Tim… His eyes shifted to his friend, heart breaking at the sight of his convulsing body. Luthor must’ve seen the hate and contempt in Kon’s face because the next thing he said made it very clear that Connor wasn’t to try and stop it.

 

"Ra's can control your collar now. I'd behave." Luthor said shaking his head. "Don't disappoint me." Were his last words before turning to exit with Rose and everyone else.

 

Ra's stopped shocking Tim, his gaze looking down on him. "You don't make the decisions around here, I believe it's time I remind you of your place."

  
Tim eyesight began to sprinkle back in slowly as Ra’s powered off his collar, rainbow blurs still flashing across his vision. He was trying to get his mind right when he felt strong fingers in his hair yanking him up. He noticed that he was breathing hard at that point because the pained sound that came from his throat nearly sounded like a wheeze at the beginning. Keeping his feet under him was harder than he thought, having to painfully concentrate to do so.

 

"I ... He's playing you Ra's..."  
  
"You speak as though I haven't worked with Luthor before." His tone wasn't as angry though he still didn't sound happy.

 

Ra’s released Tim and stood thoughtfully as he thought over his next sentence carefully. "There's nothing I can do to Luthor outright and you're more idiotic than I thought if you think I plan on letting him belittle me the way he has. He tortured my grandson and sold him off to someone who _doesn't_ have the capacity to control him. Then he flew all the way over here to tell me you misbehaved as though I don't keep tabs on you." Okay so maybe Tim did go completely under Ra's nose but still... "I have a plan in place, Timothy.... I know he's playing me... And that doesn't mean you won't be punished."

 

Tim stood for a couple wobbly seconds before going down on his knees. He was tired, and his body now was attempting to deal with the shock ... Fantastic. Ra's probably would prefer him down here anyway. Tim knew full and well that Ra's was going to punish him and it wouldn't be fun, however, he needed to find a way to build trust again, to show Ra's he was still on his side.  
  
"Let me help you take him down." Tim said looking up at the older man. "You're right, he's moronic, arrogant. More so... He's been keeping things from you." Tim let that sit for a second meeting those pit green eyes. "I'll admit my transmissions with Dick were ... Unforgivable, but I know that Damian is safe and well. Critical but recovering. However ... Dick told me something else." Tim feigned sadness, gripping his pant leg, "... Luthor killed Talia. She was found with Damian, she needed medical attention and he just let her die. She wasn't _worth_ anything to him."   
  
"Regardless of her status with you it wasn't Luthor's decision whether she lived or died. He's trying to overtake you, and I came here for a reason Ra's-" Tim reached forward lightly grasping the cloth of his robes. "Because I'd rather live under your rule than have to deal with living under his."

 

Ra's was silent, staring down at Tim in a way that made Kon’s stomach turn. It was a look that screamed that Ra's saw himself as some kind of god in comparison to Tim, a look that lusted for Tim's submission. That look didn't sit long on the demons expression however because Tim's words seemed to have finally reached him. Sure he knew Luthor was trying to undermine him, but revoking Ra's right to punish his daughter for her treason? Selling his grandson? It was too far.  
  
"Give him 200..." Ra’s said to Shiva, pausing as he looked down at Tim, "Actually, make it 97. I can't have him too hurt.... Clone, come with me." Ra's said as he began walking.

 

Kon was frozen. 97? 97 what? He didn't want to leave Tim but...Damn undercover. Connor sighed and reluctantly followed Ra's while Shiva helped Tim to his feet and escorted him to the outside area, it was the place they took people to get lashings. Lashings around here were a privilege in comparison to most punishments so  Tim followed Shiva outside without hesitation. He'd be stupid to try and pick a fight with her, but also, he'd be just be putting off the inevitable.

Tim should have felt hesitation, fear, anything negative seeing Ra's reaction to him. Yet Tim knew it was a success, that he had inched his way back from the edge of Ra's graces. Plus, 97 instead of 200? Better than fifty percent. He'd call that a success too.   


"Remove your shirt." Shiva ordered as she began readying Tim's restraints, from there she would lash his back 97 times with a bamboo stick.  


The punishment went about as well as he could have expected it to. It _hurt_ , he tried to be a big boy through the first dozen or so but pain gave way to exclamations of his discomfort.   
  
He pulled at his restraints as his body desperately tried to get away, and in the middle of it, he thought about Bruce. Tim thought about how much he wished his mentor could pull him out of this right now, tell Tim it was _okay_ to not do this anymore. The fact was though, Bruce wasn't coming, Bruce was _dead_. He never felt so fucking scared as he did in that moment. Tim had never been a vigilante without Bruce's guidance and presence. For the first time since he heard about Batman's death, Tim cried for him, for what he missed.

  
  


-

  


  
"What do you want?" Kon asked crossing his arms, standing behind Ra's who had his hands behind his own back.

  
"You hate Luthor... I see it in the way you look at him, not to mention you haven't been loyal to him until seeing Timothy... Whom I presume told you to behave yourself."

  
Kon opened his mouth to speak however Ra's beat him to it, "It’s alright... It’s why I took you in..."

  
"You sold Rose to Lex so you could have me part time? That doesn't make sense."

  
"Luthor doesn't know it but I just sighed his death sentence.... What do you think he's going to do with Rose?"   
  
Connor was silent a moment before shrugging, "Hurt her..."

  
Ra's only responded by glancing back urging Kon to continue.. He could practically smell smoke as the clone thought it through. Poor ignorant baby.

 

"Wait... You think he'll do what he did to you? Torture her in front of... Oh.... Why are you telling me this?"

  
"Because... If Wilson fails to kill him, then you will."

  
"What!? Do you know what the Court will do to me?!"

  
"It won't be a problem.... All I want from you is for you to swear allegiance to me.. You and Tim will be free within reason, I won't require you to do my dirty work however, you'll have basic rules to follow, but you'll also have more privileges than what Luthor has offered you."   
  
Connor again fell silent as he tried to rationalize his choices, "I... Need time to think."

  
"I need an answer now or I have no use for you." Ra's specified as Kon huffed and crossed his arms.

  
"Okay... I swear alliance..."

  
"Perfect, we'll chat more later. You may be dismissed."   
  


  


-

  


  
Before Tim knew it, the punishment was over. He felt absolutely numb, his cheeks cold as the outside air blew over tear soaked cheeks. There was pain, he could feel it, but right now it was a welcomed distraction from his current mental state.

 

Shiva knelt down with a rag, wet with water filled with herbs, and began dabbing his bleeding back, "You're fortunate... Anyone else and Ra's would've killed them."

 

Shiva's surprisingly gentle touch brought Tim back to the present, he began wiping his face with his discarded shirt. "I know."

 

Tim hissed as a tender spot was touched. Shiva and Tim always had an ... Interesting relationship. She taught him how to use his bo staff, made him a better fighter, but also tried to get him to be a murderer like her. He had a lot to thank her for, but even more to be wary of. One thing he knew for sure? Her alliance to Ra's, as always, was due to shift and change.

 

"I knew he'd be angry, but ... Cost versus benefits?" Tim lightly shrugged his shoulders. He attempted to stand, his legs wobbling under him like a newborn calf, body screaming to sit down. "Am I dismissed?"

 

"I wouldnt suggest you continue defying him... You got lucky this time." She stated before pausing, silence filling the space, "He sees your skills as an asset and while he'll never trust you, you have more potential to be his heir than anyone here... Whether or not you achieve that goal or are required to generate an offspring that will can shift your life here... Keep going the way you have been and you'll end up like your father, real and adoptive." With that she nodded, giving Tim his permission to leave.

 

Shiva's comment about an heir was the only surprising part of their conversation. What would Ra's want with a child of his? He wasn't like Bruce at all (Ra's last choice for his paternal heir). Tim was small in stature, couldn't hold muscle, and any of his skills in combat came from extreme intensive training that only rivaled Dick's routine. Tim knew he had some innate intelligence, he picked things up quickly and could execute nearly any task well with little or no instruction ... But did that really make him qualified to produce an heir for the Demon Head?   
  
The second biggest issue, or maybe _primary_ issue, was the thought of having to do ... The necessary actions to produce a child. Tim wasn't interested in that sort of thing, at least not with a woman. Honestly though, Tim hadn't tried anything of that sort. He was too busy being Robin to be swept up in sexual encounters or even relationships. He didn't understand how Dick did it in his day...

 

  
  
Connor had been taking his time walking through the palace, hands in his pockets and he slipped deep into thought. He couldn't take back his choice, it scared him honestly but if it meant that Tim could be safe it was worth it... Not to mention they'd get one baddie down. After another hefty sigh Kon crouched and touched the dirt using his TK to find Tim. It was crazy how he could feel everyone’s.... Aura? Isn’t that what Raven called it? He searched in silence before he felt Tim and while that was enough Kon took it a step farther by running his TK up to Tim’s hand to squeeze it. It was only after the first squeeze that Connor took to the air to fly to Tim though he only got half way there before his powers pooped out. Damn kryptonite, it wasn't much but it was enough to have effect.

 

The teen walked the rest of the way and froze when he saw Tim. No he wasn't the smartest but he’s known Tim long enough to tell if he was hurt.

 

"Tim." His voice held concern as he approached the other, "Are you okay?"

 

Tim stood still, shirt clinging to his back a bit from small slices of blood running through the fabric. He put on a brave face for his friend, smiling slightly and shaking his head.

 

"Never been better." Tim joked, walking closer and examining Connor for injuries too.

 

Luthor had to have kryptonite in that collar, so it was one hundred percent possible Ra's could have used it on the super. In fact, his friend looked a little pale. "I should be asking you the same question."

 

Tim reached out, cupping the side of Connor's face before sliding down to his shoulder. An action that made Connor pause, god it got his head spinning. It was enough to return some color to his face for the time being.

 

"Come on, let's talk in my room."

 

Kon nodded and placed a hand on the others back to help guide him, opening his mouth to speak when heat and wetness met his palm. Furrowing his brows for a moment, he realized something was wrong and nearly ripped Tim’s shirt off. Instead he withdrew his hand, grabbed the teens wrist and forcefully yanked him into the room slamming the door behind him.

 

"Connor-!" Tim exclaimed.

 

"What did they do?"

 

Connor growled as he began trying to peel Tim's shirt off of his skin, the force at which he did so was showing that his temper was bleeding through and as if that wasn't enough confirmation Tim let out a small yelp.

  
"I swear to god if they touched you I'll tear every single one of them apart! Ra's included!"

 

His tone was probably too loud to be safe for them, the shuffle of movement outside the door was enough to get Kon to pause and quiet down. He couldn't blow things now but.... He couldn't just sit back while Tim was being hurt could he? Then again it was clear that the punishment was due to Tim's communications, what scared Connor was that he didn't think Tim would stop reaching out.  
  
"Connor, breathe."   
  
Tim instructed ,calmly putting his hands on either side of Connor's biceps. The ninja’s outside were meant to monitor and act only when necessary, Tim didn't think Connor had said enough to warrant action. The best Tim could do was prevent things from continuing to spiral.

 

"Shiva was doing what Ra's asked of her and it's like I said earlier ... I knew what I was doing when I sent those transmissions. I _knew_ there would be consequences." Tim gave Connor's arms a small squeeze. "I had to. It's-" Taking a small breath, he looked away from Connor toward the bed. "C-Can we lay down? Please?"

 

Connor was shaking, fists clenched. Ra's had no right to punish Tim... Tim was acting like any rational human being would, reaching out for something more than a life of imprisonment.

 

"97.... Jesus Tim... They were going to hit you 200 times." No it didn't happen but it could've and that scared Connor.

  
"...Yeah but it was only 97." Tim repeated unnecessarily, deciding that probably wasn't the best thing to say once he heard it come out of his mouth. Stupid. God, why did he always get this way?

 

The super frowned  knowing there was nothing for him to do and so with a sigh he turned and went to the bed. He lifted the heavy comforter so he could crawl inside and talk to Tim. Koda had been bundled up under the blanket, her eyes meeting Connor’s before she opened her mouth to whine but Connor grabbed her snout and pushed her out of the bed.

 

"I'm not in the mood." He grumbled, falling onto his back before vanishing under the blanket.

  
Kodas ears went down and she army crawled to Tim, looking at him before whining and resting her head on his foot letting out a small grumble.

 

Tim made an sad 'aw' sound, "I know baby girl. You were so good too and getting kicked out of bed? Simply won't do."

 

With a small smile Tim headed over to his dresser and fetching a fresh set of clothes. He was uncomfortable being this exposed in front of Connor, so a shirt was definitely warranted. Tim invited Koda up onto the bed again, on his own side of course, and began feeding her small pieces of jerky like he had promised he would.

 

Koda happily ate the beef jerky letting out soft, "Nom, nom, nom, nom." Sounds as she chewed, her tail thumping against the bed.

 

After a moment of silence Tim let out a sigh, looking down at his own lap. "I know you're angry, I get it. If I was in your shoes I'd ... Well I've had my own thoughts about creative ways to poison Luthor." Tim admitted, turning toward the super a little bit, enough so he could see his face. "I'm ... I'm not going to stop sending those transmissions though, Connor. I have to do it ... Especially so I can let Dick know about Rose. I couldn't save her, but hopefully he can. Someone has to."

 

He felt so damn guilty about what went down. Tim should have fought harder for her, given it more. Now she was going to suffer and he felt so responsible. What good was serving under Ra's like this if he couldn't save people, like Rose, who needed him?  
  
Kon couldn't help but to sigh heavily and run a hand through his hair, "I know.... I know ,Tim.. Thats what scares me, I don’t want you to.." Connor sat up and looked at those sweet baby blues, damn it, "I don't want you getting hurt. I'm sorry... I just... You're literally all I have left, Tim." Kon fell silent, eyes on the floor. There was only one thing that would distract him, "Uh.. So.. Now that I'm here we can work on stopping Lex huh?" Nope... Talking about work didn't work.. How did Tim do it?

 

Not that Kon’s change of subject worked, Tim had been frozen since Connor said that Tim was all he had left. Not once had he actually processed that reality. As much as Tim missed Bruce, he still had the rest of his family. Dick, Jason, Babs, Cass, Steph ... Even the damn gremlin. Tim had a whole support system to lean back on if things got out of hand, but Connor had lost everything when Titan tower went down. The Titans were his family. And the closest thing he had to an _actual_ family with the Kents was gone too. In that moment he felt so much sorrow for Connor, he turned more and hugged him close, a hand carding up through the back of the super's thick black hair.   
  
"No, I'm sorry." Tim nearly whispered. "I'm sorry you have to be put through all this, it isn't fair. You never asked for any of it." He squeezed the super a little tighter to him. "Yet you just do it because you're so ... Good, Connor. Sometimes I wish I could be more like you. I wish I had the strength you did to protect the people I love ... Emotionally and physically." Tim admitted, tucking his head into the other's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere though. I won't leave you. I can't, and I don't want to."

 

Kon was just silent as he listened to Tim's words, his arms slowly looping around the others back as he held him close and tightly. Sure it was intimate but there wasn't any reason two bros couldn’t cuddle.. Even if one had feelings.

 

"I'm not _good,_ Tim..... If i lost you? I’d have no reason not to just kill everything... The High Court wants metas? I'd get back at them by killing every single one in existence... I was planning to when I thought you were dead... I had lists of names. Days scheduled to act... I’m nothing without you.."

 

Tim didn't want to believe that Connor was really capable of such atrocities, even if Kon said he could be. Broken people could do horrible things, he would know first hand ... He used to patrol Gotham afterall, she was a city of broken people. Yet, if he thought about it, he couldn't say he wouldn't do the same. If he lost everything, had nothing to live for, Tim wasn't sure what kind of destruction he might cause in its wake. Sure, he wanted to believe that he would be truly pious like Dick or Bruce, but he just wasn't that strong.

 

What? Why were his cheeks wet? Kon reached up to touch his own face finding the moisture that had seeped from his eyes, a confusion spreading along his expression as his looked at his fingertips.

 

"I'm leaking." His voice quivered and tears fell harder and the next thing he knew he was on his back, squeezing Tim as hard as possible (more like as hard as a normal human could) while his tear soaked face buried itself into Tim's hair.

 

"Wh-what's happening? Why am I doing this?" He asked as Koda babbled and moved to try and lay on top of Tim.  
  
Tim watched Connor with an empathetic expression, "Koda, no, baby." His lashings hurt but he wanted to focus on Kon right now so with a sigh he gave into what may be at this point.

 

Kon’s felt heartache plenty of times but the concept of it being released in the form of tears escaped him despite this not being the first time. Tim slowly combed his fingers through Connor's hair, his arm trapped in Connor's embrace finding purchase on the other's side.

 

"It's okay, you're just upset. It'll pass." Tim promised in a soothing tone. "You're crying, and it's fine. It's normal, healthy even. You'll be okay ... _We_ will be okay."

 

Connor’s grip only tightened on the other, he's never hurt this badly before. Here Tim was speaking about him as if he was perfect when he was _far_ from it, in Kon’s eyes Tim was closer to perfect than he was, after all Tim was willing to risk torture and death for his family. Would Connor do that? In some ways he has but truly it wasn’t out of heroism, it was out of the desire for self punishment. The clone took a few minutes to calm down, Koda having moved from Tim to curl up with her daddy in an attempt to make him feel better.

 

Tim sat with Connor in silence, continuing to just calm the super with light touches and his presence. Usually Tim was pretty terrible at comforting, mostly because he didn't know what people needed, or he _thought_ he did and ended up being wrong. There were times he'd gone down to see Rose in her cell and tried his best to soothe her through her sorrows. Most of the time he just made her laugh because he was simply _awkward_ … Which of course worked to turn her mood around but hadn't been Tim's intentions. It was times like this that Tim truly felt more like a human computer than an actual human being.   
  
Still, Connor was different, yet he was _always_ different. Tim felt comfortable touching him, somehow knew what to say and even when he didn't? Connor just accepted it as Tim being Tim. It was easier to be around Connor than other people. Shit.. Maybe it was because Connor didn’t know how to people any more than Tim did.

 

It was only a few minutes before Kon stopped crying and let his forehead rest against the others. "I'm not going to let them hurt you...." He finally whispered, "You can send your transmissions but you can't get caught, okay?"

 

"I'll be more careful. I've already set up new systems ... It _shouldn't_ happen again."

 

Tim glanced over to one of the bureaus in his room. He'd placed in a false bottom under his usual mess on it and stored all the equipment underneath it. Tim was pretty proud of his handy work, considering he'd done the whole thing with a swiss army knife and a tiny screwdriver.

 

Koda to fall into Connor’s empty place as he sat up and began looking Tim over, "Do we need to bandage your back? I don't want it to get infected or diseased."

  
Tim grabbed Connor's hands to steady them, trying to capture the other's attention. "My back will be okay for now, Shiva cleaned it for me outside. I'll get the rest in the shower later." He flushed a little at the idea of being shirtless that long in front of Connor, and yes, it was one hundred percent because he had a giant flaming crush on him.   
  
"I have to ask ... What did Ra's want to talk about?"

 

Tim questioned, rubbing his smaller thumbs over the top of Connor's hands. It felt good to have some contact with another human being that wasn't purely violent for once.

 

"You look okay but ... Like I've said before, I don't have x ray vision to check you out myself… What did he want with you?"  
  
"Well....Uh.....Uh....."

 

He paused, looking away from Tim as he thought, it definitely wasn't slick considering how long he took before pulling his hands away altogether. Kon just didn’t know how to tell Tim that he swore alliance to Ra’s, surely Tim would be pissed.

 

"He said I can't let my friendship with you get in the way of your responsibilities.... That he'd hurt you if it did..." It was an awful lie but it at least made sense and would justify the hesitation. "He doesn't know how close we are but I think he's getting suspicious.. If we're going to continue working against him we need to look.. Not so close." Kon frowned at that, no.. He didn't like this lie at all.  


"Oh." Tim said blankly, averting his eyes from Connor's.   
  
Of course Ra's would try and put a leash on the _one_ thing making him happy at the moment. It was the man’s goal to crush him after all, Tim felt, just so the Robin would have to go crawling to him in true need. He wanted to be angry but he was more so upset than anything. If he and Connor had to distance themselves from each other  how were they ... Or how was Tim ... Going to make it through this? Tim's thought process was on his face, he was almost pouting.

  
Connor could see the sadness in Tim’s face clear as day, his gaze shifting to Koda before back to Tim, "I want you to hold onto her... I won't always be able to protect you but I trained her to fight.......... I mean..... I taught her to chew up Luthor’s shoes but I think if someone tried to hurt you she'd eat their shoes too."   
  
"What? Kon I- ... I don't know how to take care of a dog. She probably won't be very happy with me." Tim said outright, feeling a strange twisting in his gut at the thought of Connor having to truly be alone again. Koda was a snot at times but Tim could see that she and Connor had a unique bond. "Besides, I can protect myself. I think you're forgetting who I am Superboy."

 

Red Robin smirked giving Connor's arm a playful shove. Tim had lost a bit of muscle mass being locked up with Ra's, simply because he didn't have the freedoms he did at home. He had access to he the exercises but ... Tim was like a bird. He ate small dishes and snacks regularly, but rarely sat down with a full meal at a table (usually his computer if he was honest). Ra's was more strict, enforcing a similar regime on him that he did to the rest of the trainees here. Plus, there were so many vegetables. Tim may not have been as bad as Dick, but he loved his junk food, meat ... He missed it all terribly.

 

Connor rolled his eyes, "She adores you ,Tim... _I_ didn’t even know she was a girl." He admit before reaching to pet the dogs head getting quite the positive reaction as she pant and wagged her tail ,nuzzling into his hand. "Besides Tim... You... Lost weight.."

 

Of course he could tell, if he didn't see it his TK sure as hell point it out for him. He put his foot in his mouth a couple times pointing out how Cassie gained weight, he learned the hard way not to tell a girl that and frankly began worrying if he shouldn't have pointed out Tim's weight.

 

"I mean you don't look.. Bad and you have some muscle but... You’re not as ripped as usual.... I mean.. You..." Kon sighed, " You haven't been eating well. I can tell." He finally got down to it, that didn't sound as bad. "You said Ra's has a strict diet? Think he'd be mad if I smuggled in some whoopers?" Whoppers but shhh, Kon didn’t have to know his mispronounced it.

 

"Whoopers?"

 

Tim couldn’t stop himself from snorting out a laugh but didn't say anything more about it. Instead, his mind shifted to the words that Connor had said before hand. He was trying not to look uncomfortable about what Connor said. Yeah, he was losing his build. It was something he had to work so hard to maintain but without his support system and sparring partners it was harder to do. He missed Dick and Bruce forcing him into gym everyday to work on his muscle groups, Jason showing him how to use his weapons and tools in change with his physicality, Cass gently teaching him how to maneuver his body type. Fuck, even Damian attacking him in the batcave for _no reason_ then claiming it was a sparring match once Tim got him onto his back or into a hold. Having Connor there was helping, but it was also reminding him of everything he was missing too. It was easier to ignore reality when suffering alone somehow.

 

"I get what you're saying ... I haven't been as strict with myself... I ... I haven't really felt up to it." Tim admitted pulling at some loose thread on his tunic. "I'm also used to a lot of help. You know? I'm a little out of my element here. It isn't home."

 

The teen nearly whispered the last part, feeling tears stinging at his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of Connor, he wanted to be strong for both of them. Connor was relying on him to hold it together, everyone was. He was the one connection they had to Ra's Al Ghul, a head player in this catastrophe. Messing this up, failing ... It wasn't an option. It was a lot of weight for a seventeen year old to handle, even one as mature as Tim. His hands began to shake a little as his brain spiraled, doing what it did best, running through scenarios. All were the worst case, horrifying type. Tim's breathing picked up, shaking hands going to cover his face as he felt like curling in on himself. At first he wasn't sure what was happening, heart attack? Stroke?   
  
Then he remembered his first few nights out with Bruce, when he thought he'd lost Connor, when his Dad died... Panic attack. It was embarrassing and thinking that just made things worse, he wanted to squeeze himself into a dark, cramp space until it all subsided ... just anywhere Connor couldn't see him like this. Stupid, weak, not good enough. His mind repeated like the worst mixtape ever. The weight of the world was literally sitting on his shoulders and Tim was finally cracking under the pressure.

 

"I-I'm sorry." His voice wobbled out, nails digging into the top of his scalp.

 

Connor didn't know what to do to comfort the other, it was clear that he had upset him and that wasn't at all what the clone had wanted. Damn it, he knew he shouldn’t have brought up Tim’s weight, the poor bird sounded like he was _dying_. Heart racing, breath so quick and short his lungs barely inflated. It made Connor panic slightly and so he did the one thing he knew he could do, he began to use his TK to hold and softly squeeze the teen, his own body moving closer as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

 

"Hey... It's Okay.. You shouldn't be upset that you let yourself go a little bit." He tried reassuring with half a smile before sighing, "Tim... You’re doing the best you can. In fact, I'd say you're doing better than everyone else. Dick is with _Slade_ and god only knows what he's had to go through, Damian was completely and entirely tortured (By Kon)..  And Jason's stuck with Roy.. I think you've got it pretty good... So maybe you lost some muscle but what matters is that you haven't lost heart." That sounded right, no he totally didn't hear Dick say that to Damian a while ago. He totally came up with it on his own.

 

Tim just nodded and focused on concentrating his mind on Connor, his breathing had begun to stabilize as he took long deep breaths clearing the fog from his head.

 

“Why don't you go ahead and send that message out to Roy and then maybe we can go out and do something..  I might be able to convince Ra's to let us go into town.. I mean if I tell him I need dog food and dog poop bags I doubt he'll so much as hesitate."  
  
Koda wagged her tail and grumbled in agreement, or so Kon assumed, before she curled up on Tim's pillow and began dozing off. Kon couldn't help but to smile at the pooch before squeezing Tim.

 

"I love you, bro... We're in this together."

 

"I'm just afraid it all won't be enough, Connor."

 

Tim finally dropped his hands from his face and looked forward at the sleeping pup. He couldn't help but smile at that, she was adorable... Maybe he _should_ just keep her, train her to be a therapy dog. It was only fair considering how much anxiety and depression Tim got.

 

"When Bruce died I knew things were going to get difficult, that I would have to start making decisions on my own ... _Completely_ on my own ... But I'm second guessing myself constantly. Am I doing the right thing? Would Bruce be proud of me?" Tim asked, finally letting the tension fall out of his shoulders. "I miss him. I miss everyone, I know we are going to fix this ... Make things better but ... Things are taking a dark turn. We are both heading towards a place we can't come back from ... Or at least that's what Bruce would say." Pausing, Tim looked over at the dresser again. "I know that by sending this message to Dick I'm signing Luthor's death certificate and even though he's a horrible disgusting man ... I'm not supposed to let people die. That's not what heroes do, that's not what Batman and Robin stand for."

 

Maybe Tim just needed to be something else then, take the Jason Todd approach and do what was necessary for the greater good, for everyone. The difference between him and Jason though? Jason was inherently good, people could argue he wasn't but Jason cared about the innocent. He carried so much empathy and kindness in his soul ... Tim didn't have that. He related so much more closely with Bruce because he was worried if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop.   
  
Tim learned his forehead over onto Connor's shoulder. "I love you too, Connor. I'm glad you're here. You'll keep me from going crazy and turning into a supervillain right?" He finally said, a long pause between them.

 

Connor by now was frowning. He was literally created to kill and hurt people so for him it wasn't some line he could cross and never come back from, sure he’s heard Bruce go on about how its damaging to one’s soul.. How it reinforces violence and weighs on the mind.. Perhaps it's why Connor didn't care as much as Tim, he didn’t know if he even had a soul..  
  
While he didn't understand that fear Tim was dealing with, he knew Tim needed support. The clone rubbed Tim's arm and let his cheek rest on the others head, "I promise Tim, I'll never let you go that far and.... If it makes you feel any better..." The clone paused and thought for a moment before he began speaking again, "When Lex got Damian, the first thing he did was host a gala inviting you, Dick, and Ra's so he could put on a public display in front of you all..... I wouldn't be surprised if he invited Slade to something so he could watch Luthor hurt Rose.. You can't control other people's actions... If Slade-" or I, "Kill Lex it's _not_ your fault.. It’s only your fault if you do it yourself." The clone tried to soothe the other before finally hugging him with both arms, tightening the TK on the other.   
  
"I know you feel like you're alone and like you're not making the right choices but you're Tim Drake. You're _smarter_ than Batman, you can see so much more than he would've been able to... He thought you'd grow up to be better than him, Tim... I heard him tell Clark that you were going to run the Justice League  someday and that you were going to do it so much better than him."

 

"God, his expectations for me were always so grandiose." Tim replied, thinking about a future like that. Him running the Justice League? As what? Batman? He'd make an insanely scrawny Dark Knight ... And maybe it wasn't his position to fill, maybe no one should. To Tim, Bruce was the one and true Batman, not even Dick could take his place.  
  
"Maybe I need to stop trying to live in his shadow." Tim said as a response to his own thought process rather than directly to what Connor had said. "I have to stop wondering what he would do, say, and think because ... Really it doesn't matter does it? Not if he's ... Dead." He internally flinched saying it so bluntly. It felt wrong.

 

“I mean.. You can't think like someone that you're not.. So make choices based off what Tim thinks, not Bruce." The super smiled softly before finally standing up, releasing the other from his hold.

 

"Make my own decisions? That's a scary thought..." Tim mused to himself.

 

He was ready to tell Connor to take him into town as the super proposed ... It had been forever since he'd been anywhere with Connor and the unique experience of truly flying was breathtaking. Tim loved it, probably more than any of the supers did ... If there was one super power he could have, it would definitely be that.

 

As though Connor had read his mind,"Now... What do you say we try to swing by town? Like I said... If I tell Ra's I need poop bags I'm sure he'll let us go. I mean... He might come with us but.. It'll get us out of these halls for a bit."

 

Really Connor just wanted to take Tim somewhere... Less depressing.. See if he could get him alone and maybe finally make a move? Ah who was he kidding, Tim would never be interested in someone with less brains than him... That poor birdie was probably going to die all alo- before Kon's thought process could finish there was a knock on the door. Connor instantly tensed and glanced towards it, using his xray vision to make sure it wasn't Ra's.

 

"You're worse than your dog." Tim smiled and went to the door, opening it and quirking an eyebrow at his unexpected guest. "... Tony the Bronze Tiger?" Apparently Dick had worn off on him.

 

Tiggs had opened his mouth to speak however instead he met Tim with a harsh glare, figures the little brat would pick up after his brother. "I've been sent to confiscate your equipment." He stated, entering the room shortly after. The guards that were usually posted outside were gone, likely dismissed by Benjamin.  
  
"I'm sorry did I miss something? Who is this?" Kon asked in confusion, his attention shifting outside briefly as he noticed the present silence.

 

"An ally" Tiggs responded after he had punched some keys on his watch.

 

He then reached in his pocket and pulled out an envelope handing it to Tim. Inside there seemed to be several small signal jammers and a note that read, 'Hey, I heard you were still alive. You owe me 20 bucks. I thought you could use some help out there, I know it’s not much but it should help us communicate in secret just don't blow it.   
-Harper Row, Bluebird   
P.s, Colin says you better not die because you're too cute.'

 

Tim couldn’t stop himself from getting a huge smile, Harper was okay, Colin too. Good. He needed some uplifting news after today. "Thank you."

  
"I know this is a lot to take in.." Tiggs started before walking around the room placing small signal blockers, an idea he got from the Red Hood, "But right now there aren't heroes and villains. There's the those who are with the High Court and those who are against it. I have a small group of resistance, some undercover, some in hiding. We meet every couple of weeks. I can't get clearance to bring you with me from Ra's at the moment but I'm working on it. We're meeting next month, in Gotham, If you can help me find an excuse to have Ra's dismiss you then you can attend, if not we'll radio you in."   
  
Connor was silent as he watched the other, arms crossing, "How can we trust you, Tony?"

  
"My name isn't Tony." Benjamin growled before looking at Tim, "And you'll trust me because I have both of your brothers attending the meeting."   


"His name is Benjamin. He's a friend of Slade's ... Which usually wouldn't be a good thing but if Dick trusts him then I do too."

 

Tim took the tigers word simply because he wouldn't be stupid enough to lie about something that could so easily get back to Slade Wilson himself. Tim moved away from the door and went over to his bureau where he opened the large doors on it. With a single butter knife, he jimmied the false bottom open, after tossing the clothing on top unceremoniously onto the floor, and lifted out a Frankenstein monster of a computer set up. It looked like four partial phones and their components hooked up between different ports onto an old USB splitter that housed a hand soldered integrated circuit board. This was all housed in an old shoe-box sized, clear tub with small holes drilled into several sides and a small battery powered fan mounted to the side. On top of the lid was a tablet he must have brought with him  and a foldable keyboard.

 

Benjamin and Connor both paused and gawked at Tim's monster computer, in fact it distracted Ben from noticing how much of a mess Tim's room really was.

  
"You.... Made that... All by yourself?" Kon asked before moving to inspect the machinery carefully though, he didn’t really understand how any of it worked.

  
Tiggs smirked and let out a ‘hm’, "I can see why Ra's has taken an interest in you. You're like a mini Tesla."

  
"No idea who he is but I'm assuming he's smart...." Kon said crossing his arms.

 

Tim popped the top of his machine off and began fiddling with the inner components, finding a place for the different pieces within the mess of wires and circuit boards. He began to speak as he worked.

 

"Nightwing and Deathstroke are working together ... I think I've had enough time to take it all in." Tim paused shaking his head. "Sorry that was rude. Don't mind me, being locked up with Ra's will make you a little nutty.”

 

"So... Slade is on our side?" Connor asked for confirmation.

 

"Slade doesn't like to he controlled. Of course he's against the Court." Ben stated before giving his full attention to Tim. Ben wasn't a genius but talking to Connor was as enticing as talking to a five year old and he didn't have time nor the interest for that. "Having you at the meeting will be beneficial, we have an interesting mix of heroes and villains and all perspectives and inputs are valued... Critically."

 

He had mumbled the last part, he himself would have to keep tabs on Ra's to see if he could help get Tim and Kon out there with him, maybe he can convince the other it’s a training session.  


"Count Connor and I in.. I'll find a way to get us there. We have a couple things in the works right now ... Actually-" Tim popped the last transistor into place and began letting his system power up and recalibrate to it's new settings. So, he finally turned to give Ben his full attention. "I have a favor to ask of you ... A message I need you to get to Slade. It's important and I can't risk sending anything that way until I've had time to test my routing systems again."

 

He looked down at the screen and made a tsking sound, this was going to take a while. He placed the equipment back into the bureau and replaced the top, the sound of the fan barely audible outside of it.   
  
Tim then stood up, going to check the boxes that had been placed around the room. Disrupters? Clever. "Ra's was keeping Rose Wilson here. I was trying to plan a way to break her out, but ... Luthor has her now. He made comments about experiments with Meta’s, that the High Court is interested in healing factor abilities. I don't know what their plans are exactly, but Luthor has already proved he's an absolute psychopath so of course I'm worried about her safety."   
  
Benjamin’s brown eyes set on Tim as he spoke, his fist and jaw clenching slightly. "I'll get the message to him as soon as possible, I have some things to take care of before I can head that way but I'll get the word to him no later than two days."

 

This was a face to face conversation, he couldn't afford to leave a letter or risk a phone call. He and Slade never liked electronic methods anyways.

  
Connor stared for a moment before rubbing his neck as silence fell over the three, "So uh... This resistance.. It have a name?"

  
"What? We don't have time for that." Tiggs rolled his eyes, lord help him. He approached Tim's equipment and picked up one of the scrap electronics before pocketing it. "Harper will send you a transmission soon, keep in touch." With that Benjamin left, he couldn't chat too long without rousing suspicion.   
  
Kon sighed and looked at Tim before crossing his arms over his broad chest, "Looks like we're not alone after all..."

 

"I guess not..."

 

Tim  looked at the now closed door in front of them. It made him feel better to know there was an actual organized effort to combat the High Court and that they weren't all just running their own rag tag operations on their own. It also gave Tim some structure that he desperately needed, being only seventeen the poor kid still needed some guidance here and there.   
  
"He left these jammers with us too. Looks like something Roy would have cooked up ... Though the joints are too clean for him to have actually done it." Was that an insult? Absolutely. He was going to be pissed at Roy for a while. "It'll help us keep our private conversations private ... No more blanket forts."

 

That was kind of disappointing though, he rather liked it.

 

"Okay so..." Tim turned to his desk and fumbled through a file box he had, pulling out large stacks of different currency until he found the one he wanted. Once done he pocketed a respectable amount from one particularly gargantuan stack before putting the whole thing back.

 

"Let's go get 'poop bags'. I should be able to get away with just asking Shiva anyway ... I'm sure the thought of a dog shitting all over the compound will be enough to convince her to let us go."

 

It wasn't long after that before they were on their way heading down the hall to talk to Shiva. She had practically been Tims babysitter since Ra's was too busy to keep an eye on Tim. Unsurprisingly, she was in the training hall training some younger assassin's, her eyes not leaving them as the two asked for permission to leave to fetch poop bags. Damn dog, she would've preferred it to be dead. She granted the two permission and naturally gave them a curfew, she knew the best way to win Tim's alliance was to give him _some_ freedoms. Still, she drew a small smart phone from her sleeve and typed away at it for a moment, Tim and Connor’s collars letting out a small ding. Tim didn’t have to ask what she was doing, he already knew. The collar was set to give them a shock if they went further than 250 miles from Nanda Parbat. The closest town was 174 miles. This gave her the guarantee that the two boys would in fact behave.   
  
  
Once dismissed, Connor didn't hesitate to pick Tim up and fly out of the building, it had been so long since he's been able to fly on his own he got caught up in the moment and sped off and high doing some spins. Tim's face was full of excitement and happiness, his smile only growing wider as Connor showed off a little. Tim was a bit of an adrenaline junky (all the bats were), so every time his stomach fluttered, his heart raced. Especially when Connor let them plummet towards the ground. Flying, as _always_ , was exhilarating.

 

Connor must’ve been caught up in all the adrenaline because he then tried to do something that Tim would’ve never expected. His mouth moved close enough to just barely feel the others lips when he crashed into a bird making him drop the other. Fuck... Way to ruin a moment. The clone was hasty to catch Tim, stopping just a foot above the ground as he slowly lowered them onto it. They were on a dirt road just outside of a small town.

 

"I think I have bird guts on me... You okay?"  
  
Despite his mind being in a frenzy Tim was laughing at the fact poor Connor crashed into a bird. "I'm fine ... You should be asking the bird." He said straightening himself up. "I know you'll always catch me."   


Connor chuckled, "I mean the bird was in my way technically."

 

He tried to look behind him to see if there was any evidence of the poor little creature, honestly he couldn't even be upset if there was because he adored the sound of Tim's laugh. It was absolutely precious.

  
There was silence between the two as Tim watched Connor search himself. Maybe it was the rush from flying, the excitement of finally being away from Ra's, or the pure happiness of seeing Connor again but ... Tim was feeling bold. He _knew_ Connor had tried to kiss him, he'd felt it barely on his lips and fuck if he wanted more.... In a split second decision that was more Red Robin than Tim, the hero closed the distance between them. He reached up, grabbing the front of Connor's shirt with one hand and using the other to tip the hero down by pulling down on the back of his neck. Tim rolled up onto his toes and kissed Connor with purpose, it wasn't shy nor hesitant, there was no mistaking the intention behind the kiss. It was ridiculously cliche, but Tim felt sparks, his whole body tingling, his face flushing. Right now he wasn't thinking about consequences or rationality, all he could do was focus on the fact he was kissing his first crush, the only person who made him feel this way. He never wanted this to end. If Tim’s eyes were opened he would’ve seen how red Connor’s entire face had gotten, the only thing the teen knew was that the clone froze for longer than he would’ve liked before actually kissing back. It felt amazing, even better than Cassie and M'ggan, it was more electrifying and made Connor’s whole body feel warm and queasy.

 

Any doubt Tim had was then pushed away as Connor’s hands moved to rest very delicately on his waist. He'd done it. Tim actually bucked up and finally _did_ it. There been so many times he wanted to, times had even planned to. Nights where they'd played video games and ended up cuddling, after long missions together when Tim finally could take off his domino mask and just be grateful they were alive ... So many better opportunities than this but something had just ...

Clicked. He couldn't get over how right it felt after all this time, part of him screamed that they should have done it sooner, the other half wanted to crawl under a rock and die of embarrassment.

 

Connor broke the kiss after a few minutes and moved his hand to rest on Tim's cheek.  
  
"Wow.....I.... Didn't expect that.." He admit, his other hand softly squeezing Tim's hip, "I didn't think you really liked me at all, you know? You're so much smarter... Mostly..."   
  
Tim started to flush red too, sinking back onto his feet.The hand on Connor's neck shot back and covered his mouth for a second.

 

"B-But you tried to kiss me first didn't you? I ... I thought in the air you-" Oh shit had he misread things? Of course he did. How come Tim could easily understand every concept _except_ for other human beings and their behaviors?   


"Of course I like you! I thought you were hot from the moment I met you. I saw you with Dick when I was a Robin and I couldn't stop thinking about you for weeks after word. You probably helped me realize I was gay ... Well no, you definitely did. Actually you were my first crush, my only crush... Oh my god Connor I can't shut up."

 

The Tim.0  took his other hand finally and covered his entire face with both of them. Connor did not need to know how hopelessly in love he had been with him for these past few years.

 

"You should have just let me hit the ground." Tim nearly whined out.

 

Connor couldn't help but to smile softly at Tim malfunctioning. That poor Timbots brain was short circuiting and while Connor should've felt bad for making him feel like he made a wrong move, he was absolutely thrilled. Oh dear mother of God, he was wrong this whole time about Tim. Wrong in that Tim didn't like him, the super just about squealed but instead he quickly hugged Tim.

 

"You're such a dork!" He exclaimed after pinning Tim's poor hands to his body before releasing the other and stepping back.  
  
"I remember when I first met you... I felt... You made me want to change and.. It was so confusing for me when I was with Cassie and M’ggan. I mean they were total babes but.. I just couldn't stop thinking about you." Kon said before taking Tim's hands, "I just thought that.... I don’t know... You'd want to do  better.. I mean even if your not into girls Miguel would've been nicer..." The clone paused, his smile faltering some. Yeah he was happy Tim returned these feelings but... "Are you.... Sure you want this Tim? I mean I'm.. I have anger issues and.. I'm not as smart as you.."

 

The clone stepped back and shook his head seeming to be reconsidering this but then he looked at Tim, met those beautiful sky blue eyes and just got lost in them. His face tinted red and he broke eye contact before sighing. What the hell was wrong with him? Tim made him feel so warm and sick and... Was that bad? Cass didn't give him these feelings, he felt reactions elsewhere... Sure Tim gave him those reactions but this was different than his girlfriend's. It was more.... Real.

 

"I... Feel like I'm gonna throw up."

 

"Please don't." Tim said still a little red in the face but smiling ever so slightly.

 

Why did Tim ever think that Connor, sweet lovely Connor, would think that Tim was a bad option for him? Sure most of Tim's concerns were about Connor's sexuality in relation to Tim (clearly holding some preference for women), but it was also about Connor being so much ... Cooler than Tim. It was a bad way of describing it, but it was accurate. Connor was popular around ladies, was an absolute powerhouse as part of the Titans, and often found himself the center of attention. Tim was much more ... Subtle. He was a good friend and leader, but he didn't stir the pot, he didn't make waves like Connor did. So, Tim was always in the mind set that a chess nerd like him was never going to end up with the star quarterback jock of the football team. It was painfully cliche really.   
  
The fact was that their world wasn't like that, people weren't so shallow. Talents of all kinds were valued because they helped keep people safe and saved lives. They were all outcasts, that's what made them different. Connor of all people wouldn't be like that, couldn't, because Connor was outcast by so many. Looking at Connor now? Tim realized that, centered it. What he'd been worried about somehow happening for so long had been happening to Connor every day.   
  
"Connor Kon-El Kent," Tim finally spoke in a calming voice, bringing Connor's hands to his chest, "I don't need someone smarter than me and I don't need someone who is going to be calm all the time either. I've been there through all of your anger and your bad moments. I know you don't get most culture references ... Certainly cant can't use a computer .... And don't know how to dress in anything but superboy shirts and jeans." Tim said with a smile that was growing larger. "But that's why you have me right? To tell you stupid pop-culture puns, then explain them to you. Show you how to get onto YouTube then show you 3 hours of cat videos ... And most importantly dress you for a wedding because, good god, you have no taste in suits… So your not perfect. Neither am I ... But I still would want you over anyone else because you make me _happy_ , more than anyone else. I mean, isn't that the most important thing anyway?"

 

Kon's eyes very slowly and hesitantly moved to meet Tim's as he listened to his little speech, it made him feel.... Special... Valued... Made him feel like maybe this could work. The clone couldn't help but to smile and move so his hand was on Tim's cheek.

 

"You know.... I would've never thought that I'd meet someone as... Compassionate as you. I mean Dick is but he's overly emotional and judgemental and... While you can be condescending I know it always comes from a place of you caring... It's why I almost lost it without you because you remind me of who I want to be.."

 

The clone paused and leaned in to kiss Tim's lips softly once more though the kiss didn't last as long as it could've.  
  
"I want this... And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I don't let you down." Kon eased much more and shifted to take Tim's hand so they could begin walking down the trail, "We're gonna have to hide this from Ra's. Lucky for you I'm apparently an expert actor, maybe I found the one thing I'm better at than you."

 

The super was falling back into his comfortable and playful self he usually was with Tim. His heart was still beating like a jackhammer and he just wanted to fly to the stars but he kept himself grounded and his hand firm on Tim's.

 

Tim was smiling at all the things Connor had said until, "... Wait did you compliment me by calling me condescending?" He asked _way_ too late and then shook his head. "N-Nevermind. I get that wasn't the point."   
  
As they got closer to town Tim started to smell food. Much to his surprise there must have been some sort of festival going on, from their vantage point it was easy to see the streets were filled with people, food vendors, decorations, and music winding in softly with the sound of children playing happily. Tim hadn't seen something this normal in a while. He wondered if this small town had just decided to forget the tragedy and horrors of now, put it aside and still live life. Tim smiled a little, good, he wanted them to be able to. That's why people like Connor and himself were fighting so hard to stop it.   
  
"Let's go down and pretend everything is okay. Just ... Forget about Ra's, Luthor, the High Court ... All of that."  Tim gripped Connor's hand. "Let me take you on a date. I don't know when we'll get another chance like this. Let's go enjoy it."

 

The super couldn't help but to blush he honestly didn't know what that would look like, the first time he went on a date with Cass was really awkward... He forgot to pay, didn't know where to go, hell she almost dumped him on the spot.. This time Tim was taking initiative, so... That meant he was paying right? Is that how this worked in gay relationships? What if he ruined it.  
  
"Oh… Yeah th-that sounds nice.... Uh...." Kon started before he began walking down into town once again and before they knew it they were in the festival walking passed the tents. He couldn't help but to look at some of them in awe, wow... So cool.

  
"Homemade soap here!" One vendor called out before offering Connor some.

 

"Oh no thank you." He said awkwardly before the vendor sniffed him.

 

"You could use it! You don't want your boyfriend suffering here, do you?"

  
"What? I… I don't want your soap."

  
"Well I guess you like to stink!" The vendor was clearly teasing and being playful but it seemed to go over Kons head.

 

He pulled away from Tim some and sniffed himself before looking at the other, did he stink? Oh poor Tim.   
  
The vendor noticed Connors stupor and couldn't help but to chuckle giving him a soap, "On the house." He said patting his hand before walking off.

 

Kon stared at the soap before smelling it and putting it in his pocket. "Do I stink?" He finally asked the other.

 

Tim was laughing a bit at the whole interaction because Connor was like an absolute alien sometimes. Frankly? He thought it was adorable, even if it did cause the super distress. "He's messing with you, Kon. You don't stink ... Well sometimes but then I usually tell you anyway."

 

Seriously, he would. There were a couple times Connor had come back from some assignment or battle absolutely wreaking. Tim would stop the super before he could even hug him and direct him to the showers.

 

"I like the way you smell. Especially when Ma was doing your laundry. You always smelled like a warm breeze." Tim commented, realizing afterwards he brought up someone he probably shouldn't have. He had no idea what happened to Martha Kent after everything went down ... He wondered if Connor even knew. "Luthor's has you smelling more like sandalwood and deep lavender ... I don't hate it but it's different."

 

Tim pulled the bar of soap  out of Kon’s pocket and smiled even wider at the smell of it. "This is what your clothes always smelled like when you came home from the farm."

 

It was a warm, rolling scent, with an aura of freshness like clothes dried out in a breeze would have. Wildly floral but also a hint of recently cut wood ... Something dark, with rough texture. Tim was sensitive to smells, sensitive to the differences of everything. Why? Partially it's just who he was, a bit over analytical. The second was being Robin, Bruce pushed every one of your senses to the limit, he wanted you to be able to recognize those small, hidden sensations and feelings so you could use them. A small waft of sweet pea and roses in the air? Probably Poison Ivy. The tiniest hint of pine and ammonia in the air? Likely fear toxin. The point? It wasn't entirely weird that Tim had kept a detailed memory in his head of what Connor smelled like, no, not at all.   
  
Tim saw other vendors ahead selling a variety of items he needed (and mostly wanted). Crisp sheets and blankets of soft and probably locally sourced materials, clothes of more regional flair, cosmetics, lotions, books, art... Tim wasn't sure if Connor had planned on making four trips back to Ra's, but with the way Tim's eyes lit up ... That was probably what was going to happen.

 

Connors eyes followed Tim's gaze to some of the booths before he looked back to the others face seeing that adorable little glow. "Shall we?" He asked, a soft smile on his lips as he held a hand out and headed over to the table with linens.

 

"Hello!" One of the women spoke, "I see you're interested in our handmade bedspreads."

 

She began passing a sample to Kon and by god it was soft. He passed it to Tim, a hand going to Tim's waist, "What do you think? I think it’s better than the straw you lay on." He chuckled, he wished he could buy this stuff for Tim..

 

"Hey it was the best I could get with what I had." Tim said nudging his super, but blushing wildly at the contact on his waist. Shit ... How was he even going to handle this? Kon was about to put him into a heart attack by just _touching_ him. "We'll take four sets, a couple extra pillow cases too. Who do you recommend for dinner around here?"

 

Tim got into a conversation with the woman. She said there was a small, family owned restaurant on the North side of town that had the best food, however, she recommended the fresh ice cream cart about hundred yards away for dessert. He thanked her and paid her, saying,

 

"Keep the change."

 

Tim did this with every vendor that followed, asking questions about products and then having Connor handle the bags. Anything Connor showed interest in, Tim bought it. If Connor said he needed it? Tim bought two. By the end Tim had Connor standing in front of him as he made him try on different jackets. Tim was already wearing a new, thick, white-beige sweater, made with the most gorgeous knitted pattern. He bought it a size too big so he could (hopefully) bulk back up and still fit into it. Tim already had a few outfits for both of them, but was now insisting on some sort of jacket or windbreaker for Connor.

 

"Listen it gets freezing up here. I know you and the other supers like to just sit around at the fortress of solitude and just laugh at the snow but ... You _are_ half human too. You need to be more careful." Did Tim sound like a grandma scolding her get grandchild? Yes. Was it still adorable? Absolutely.

 

Kon had been putting up a slight fuss about the jacket, honestly he felt bad that Tim was buying all this stuff for him. It wasn't that Kon wasn't having a good time but he was concerned... He didn't know how gay relationships were supposed to go. He didn't know who was supposed to pay for food or hold doors open. It was easy with woman because that was the duties of the man, at least that’s what Connor thought. He had no idea girls could pay for food and open doors, he was socially conditioned to think he had to be responsible for everything. Now...Based off the fact Connor knew that Tim was going to be the one... Penetrated. It was safe to assume he was supposed to be the girl. So.. He wasn't supposed to be buying everything.  
  
Connor flashed a fake smile at Tim and his cuteness before looking in the mirror at his jacket, "I don't know this... Doesn't seem really... Me? Is there anything less fancy? And... Less Expensive?"

 

The clone asked as he turned to Tim only to be handed another jacket by one of the vendors. This jacket was made with a black wool laced leather. The super sighed and put it on, looking in the mirror. "I like snow you know..." He said with a sigh, "But this one’s nice... Uh..  Tim... Can I ask you something? I noticed you're buying everything and uh.. I don't know, are you really okay doing that?"

 

"I like this one on you better too." Tim smiled and didn't hesitate to turn around, paying the man for the jacket just like that. He looked a little confused when he looked back at Connor though. "Of course I am." Tim said as if it was a silly question. "Connor, I have more money than this whole town has probably ever seen. If I can't spend it on the people I care about then what's the point of having it?"

 

Tim loved to spoil people, especially people like Connor who didn't have loads of money to throw around. Now, he didn't want to buy people's affections with money however, knowing the people he loved were taken care of and had what they needed and wanted made him feel good.  
  
"Besides ... You look damn good in that coat ... It's almost like a present for myself." Tim flirted, then turned red, whispering under his breath 'ohmygod Tim you are a national disaster'. Why was he so embarrassing?? "A-Anyway let's go get dinner you must be starving."

 

"Yeah..I guess... Anyways food sounds great." He let another smile show as he held a hand out to Tim and lead him to the place one of the other vendors suggested, "You don't have to pay for this. I got it." He smiled, there, he could get even this way.

  
"You do?" Tim said giving him a skeptical look. "I mean I don't mind Connor.”

  
Once they walked into the seating area Connor pulled a chair out for Tim earning a small ‘thank you.’ it was somewhat obvious that Connor was trying to reign in what he thought his responsibilities should be as a man though.... He was starting to second guess them. He sat down and opened the menu, thinking quietly, "Uh... I don't know what any of this is."

 

"Don't worry I'll help you." Tim promised as the waitress arrived to take their drink orders.

 

Unsurprisingly, Tim ordered coffee. They made it beautifully in this region with spices and cream or milk (depending on the place). He loved his black coffee, but a treat every once in a while was fine too.

 

"He'll have a cola, American if you have it." Coca cola tastes different all over the world. "If that's okay?" He asked Connor from across the table incase he wanted something else for some reason. Once he got a nod from the super he continued, "I think the Dum Pukht is your best bet. Its meat and veggies, extremely tender, not spicy. I'll get the Paya so you can try that too."

  
"Everything okay Connor? Is this too much?"

 

Connor didn’t respond to Tim until the waitress had walked away, "I.... I don't know I'm just... I feel like you're being forced to do a lot of the work here, you know? I mean.... I don't know know being gay works but... It doesn't seem fair that you have to buy everything. I mean... Yeah you have more money than I ever will but still..." He sighed and cautiously looked at the other.  
  
"Tim... I've liked you for a while, I just don't wanna mess this up because I'm.. Poor.." The clone finally admit.

 

God he hated being so vulnerable and open. It was absolutely gross and disgusting. The clone seemed to clam up, falling silent after his confession, he wished he didn't say anything. He should've just said it was fine.

 

"I don't want you to worry about it though... You have enough on your plate." Kon then flashed the fakest smile that couldn't even fool a two year old, in fact it was so forced it was uncomfortable.

 

"Connor..." Tim said softly, reaching across the table and put his hand out with an open palm as an invitation. "I think it's very sweet that you are so concerned about all this but ... Look at it this way." Tim decided to change his tactics, see if could get Connor to understand and feel less guilty. "When we were friends you let me pay for things, right? It wasn't a big deal. It still isn't a big deal because I don't need you to take care of me like that, but I _wan_ t to take care of you." Tim wondered if that would help, but then, a light bulb went off inside of his head. "Okay, quick question. What um ... Connor are you trying to treat me like you think a girl should be on a date?"

 

"Well.... Yeah... Isn't that how this works? I mean...." Kon paused as his face got redder, "You're the one who's.... You know.." He couldn't bring himself the courage to outwardly ask Tim if he was going to be the one who took it up the butt.  
  
He wasn't familiar with the term 'bottom' and wouldn't even think of calling Tim submissive. The waitress came back with their drinks before heading off, the super was quick to take his and drink it wanting to wash away some of this awkwardness. God he must've looked so stupid, he sure as hell felt it.

 

"I'm the one who going to...?" Tim's face went red immediately, covering his face for a few seconds."How are you thinking about that already?? Though I mean ... It's not like I haven't thought about it. I have ... A lot ... Okay too much information again."

 

It was too much information indeed, it got the super a little excited and he couldn't help but to panic as he slightly squirmed in his seat. He couldn't stop thinking about the other touching himself to the thought of him.

 

Tim needed to get this conversation back on track desperately because he'd taken it entirely off point. "Anyway-" Tim tried not to think about Connor naked, over him, pressing into him. Fuck. It was hot, really hot ... Where was he again? Oh right, dating roles. "I'm not a girl though. I'm a boy, so are you. Even if you end up being on top in bed that doesn't really mean anything out here. I want you to treat me like Tim." It seemed obvious enough but he knew how absolutely thick Connor could be sometimes. "Things don't really have to change. I'm still your friend too, we're just ... Romantic now. I guess ... I wish I was better at this." Tim had a working knowledge of  just about everything. Yet, he was a novice in relationships and ...Very much still a virgin. "Just ... Don't worry about all that. Enjoy your time with me, if I didn't like something you were doing I'd tell you right? I always do. Same goes for you."

 

"Oh..." Was all he Connor said as he paused, "I think I get it.... Because we're gay no one has to be the girl which means we can both pay and... Open doors." The clone instantly seemed relieved and even relaxed noticeably as the food was brought to the table.

 

He smiled and thanked the waitress and let his attention return to Tim just staring at him for a moment before he sighed, "You make me feel so sick....." Oh shit, "I-I-I mean that in a good way!" He quickly recovered, "I mean... I like it..." Maybe he should stop talking. Connor took a bite of food and broke eye contact, he needed to get ahold of himself.

 

Tim just laughed at him, but it wasn't in a mocking way at all. "You're cute."

 

Red Robin was probably one of the only men on earth that could truly get away with calling another man cute, especially Connor ‘built like a brick wall’ Kent. It was adorable though, seeing the super so worked up and blushing. Not only that, but he was blushing _because of Tim_. It was like Christmas morning and his birthday all at once.

 

"You're feeling butterflies in your stomach ... That fluttering sensation or feeling hot. It's normal ... I'm getting them too. People usually don't call it getting sick though." Tim admitted just so Connor didn't have to worry.

 

He had to generally just be more honest with Connor because he didn't pick up on white lies or some social signals. It worked for Tim pretty well because it allowed him to be more real and honest, something he had struggled with in the past.

 

"It means you like me ... Nervous what I might think about you. Yeah?" Tim smiled a little as he looked over their food and started to dig in. "Again, same ... Oh my God, Connor, meat." Tim just about sank onto the floor in a puddle of pure joy, he even made a pretty lewd sound of pleasure as he chewed. "I missed flavor so much. I'm so happy I could die."

 

Connors smile only widened. It was nice seeing Tim take care of himself and he could only hope it would help fatten him up. "Why doesn't Ra's eat meat? Doesn't protein make you stronger?" He asked the other, taking another bite of his own food.

 

It was a lot better than the crap Lex made, not even Koda would eat that though she loved to sit next to Luthor and whine and beg just so she could take the food and put it in his shoes.

 

"You'd think the Ninja's would be twigs with how they eat."

 

"Damian is a vegetarian, devoutly, ever since Batcow. He's plenty healthy and it can be a healthy lifestyle if you eat the right things. There's protein in many vegetables actually, peas, spinach, nuts, beans." Tim explained quickly before rounding back to the original question. "Ra's believes that the world is overpopulated with useless humans. The League also thinks the world is tainted and needs to be reborn under their leadership and with new rules for living.  Part of that is the belief that raising livestock poisons the Earth. Which does have some merit to it. Actually, domestic cows and pigs produce more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars in North America combined." Tim wondered if he was starting to ramble. Probably. "So, I'm one of the 'in' people that gets to survive in his new world, therefore I have to learn how to follow the rules. Which apparently means no meat ... I can't do it ,Connor, I'd rather die." Tim was being overly dramatic, but fuck if this food wasn't the best thing he'd had in _months._ _  
  
_

“So… If Damian was a vegetarian since Batcow…”  
  
“He ate meat for a little while after moving in with Bruce. When he wanted to distance himself from Ra’s but.. When he saw an actual slaughter house he fell back to his roots. Tim explained. "I'm tasting yours." Tim put a fork in it and took a piece of Connor’s food. "Damn that's good too."

 

Tim groaned out again, this time gaining the attention of their waitress who just gave a smile and shook her head. Connor couldn't help but to smile lovingly at Tim as he watched him devour his food, not to mention the small groans were adorable. God he just wanted to squeeze the life out of Tim... Without killing him.

  
"Dick would like that ... Jason would want mine or something spicier. I've seen that man eat five peppers without blinking." Tim said, not even thinking about how talking about them would make him miss them even more. "I know it will be risky ... But I want to go to that meeting next month." Tim changed the subject, they were supposed to be pretending like none of this was happening tonight, but there was only so much he could reign himself in. "I want to see them, you know? Everyone. I know it's supposed to be about business but ... It's my family. I miss them."

 

He had thought having Connor would make everything better and it one hundred percent did, but he still ached for the closeness of his friends and family around them. Some of which he'd never see again. When would they even have time to mourn them? Would they even know what ever happened to them?  
  
"Sorry, I shouldn't be bringing down the mood on our first date like this. Can't have you breaking up with me for being a bummer.”   
  
" We'll get to that meeting Tim... I promise..” Kon reached and took Tim's s hand looking him in the eyes, "Don't apologize... You're worried about your family and you have every right to be.... We'll see them... I'll make sure of it."

 

"Okay." Tim squeezed Connor's hand, glad he didn't have to worry about actually hurting him because the physical release of tension was the only thing keeping him grounded right now. "When this is all over.. When we win this thing, when life is back to as normal as it can be, I'm taking you on the best date I can think of. It'll knock your socks off, I promise." Tim wanted to do that so bad.   
  
He wanted to take Connor to Haley's circus, have Dick call ahead so he could pull out all the stops. Let the super just eat so much fair food he was nearly sick, then watch the nightly fireworks show over ice cream. After that, they'd end the night back at a hotel room suite, Tim would buy out all the rooms around them so he didn't have to worry about keeping quiet when ... Certain activities happened. Tim wanted to do many things, water parks, road trips, even just snuggling on the couch and playing video games with pizza. Now might not have been the best time to start a relationship, there were so many hardships they'd have to face despite it. Yet, even in the eve of it, he was confident they could make it through. They always made it through.   
  
Tim squeezed Connor's hand a bit more before relaxing at the thought. "We're going to be okay."

 

It might not have made a whole lot of sense to Connor, but to Tim it was a verbal affirmation. A promise that he wasn't going to let this spiral, that he was going to accept this good thing happening to him without overthinking it. He had Connor, and right now? That was all he needed.   
  
"I don't want to cut things short, but after this we should head back. Get that ice cream to go. Otherwise Shiva will give me another hundred." He was rounding up, but who was counting?

  
Tim put some money down on the table, enough to cover the bill and tip the waitress handsomely, completely forgetting that wasn't part of custom in this part of the world.   
  
"Come on, let's go."

 

The sun had nearly set at this point, painting the sky in blues, purples and wisps of creme pink with orange. The chatter had winded down a little, vendors putting away their things as family's sat down for dinner. There was a  small group setting up some sort of night time festivities in the center of town. It was too bad they couldn't stay.

 

"Listen, Kon." Tim started, turning enough to take the hero's hand in his own again. "I know you're worried about me. I worry about you too. A lot." He looked down at their hands then back at the super's face. "But we are heroes. Sometimes it means we have to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, for a greater purpose." A hand reached up to touch the side of Connor's face, thumb brushing along his cheek bone. "I never wanted you to stay with Luthor, I never wanted you to have to hurt Damian. It killed me to ask you to, to watch you go." He paused putting himself a little closer. "Even when we were with the Titans, there were jobs I sent you in on that I wasn't sure you could handle. Where I was so afraid the forces you were up against would find a chink in you armor and you wouldn't come home to me." There was a small sigh after a second. "My point is... I'm going to get hurt Connor. What happened today wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last either. I _have_ to do these things though, take the risks, because if I don't other people could be hurt. I can't be careful and you can't always protect me either. Though I know you'll try."

  
The clone didn't hesitate to reach up and hold the others hand in his own as he stared into those dreamy eyes. Tim was right, as always, and all the super could do was sigh and nod only briefly looking down. "I know Tim.... I know that this is going to be hard for us, even when all this is over I just... I can't help but to worry... You're vulnerable... You can die a lot easier.. I just... I need you to be okay." With that, Kon hesitantly hugged Tim and kissed the side of his head before picking him up. "Come on." He said knowing they couldn't stay out too long.   
  
The super then flew through the town, stopping to grab doggy bags and ice cream before he made his way back to Nanda Parbat. Despite them needing to be there sooner rather than later the super couldn't help but to take his time in arriving at the mountains, slowly landing just outside so that they could walk in separately.

 

"I don't think I'll have time to set you up in your own room tonight." Tim said, flushing a little at what he was about to imply. "So, you and Koda can spend the night with me ... Sound good?" He asked walking ahead.

 

Connor flushed at Tim's offer, he wondered what exactly that might mean though... He didn't think they were ready for that, God he hoped not because he was nervous and worried and had no idea what he was doing.

 

"That... Sounds nice... As long as you don't get in trouble though." He stated as though he had any say or control in the situation. He figured Tim would know how to explain it to Ra's ‘asshole’ Al Ghul.

 

"Hmm. Shouldn't be a problem. A little sleepover never hurt anyone, besides he _did_ tell me to make sure you were set up with accommodations. So, for tonight your accommodations will be in my bed ... That sounded dirty." Tim said immediately following it as they walked down the hallways towards his room. Once they were inside the room Tim dropped his bags on the floor and greeted Koda with earnest. Good scratches and all.


	11. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions run high as old emotions come into play, it looks as though war isn't the only thing pulling families apart.

When Slade arrived at the bed and breakfast with Dick he had been _hoping_ for a calm night where he could have some alone time with Dick and get a decent night's sleep for the first time in what felt like weeks. Unfortunately? The universe had other plans.

 

The taxing night started out with Jason being nowhere to be found and, as though that wasn’t enough, there were different High Court agents lounging around the hotel lobby. ‘Great.’ Slade thought as he went to the front desk where he received his room keys from the hostess after confirming his 'reservation'. It wasn’t until they got up to the room when they found Jason who had been laid out on the king sized bed with the puppy on top of him. As it would turn out, this was the only room left _and_ there was no other place to stay in town. Jason confirmed the king  bed was the only place to sleep aside from the floor. It was a short conversation later that they decided that any of them leaving now would look suspicious, which started Slade's night of hell.

 

The puppy peed and shit on the carpet ... Twice. Jason had cleaned it up, then spent ten minutes chasing Dick around with the dirty paper towel until Slade put a stop to that. He swore the two were like five year olds. Once the puppies mess was taken care of the older man had suggested they watch a movie in hopes it would keep the two boys at bay and so they ended up watching some _horrible_ foreign dubbed version of the Lion King over beer (which Dick hardly touched). Dick _and_ Jason knew nearly every word to the movie and made a joke of reciting the lines to each other and the puppy. Jason even shouted ‘Long live the king.’ and threw Dick off the bed, it would’ve been funny if Dick’s head didn’t hit the bed side table and while the pain didn’t stop the young man from having fun, the lamp that had fallen onto the floor was less than appreciated by Slade.  It all ended with Dick holding the puppy up like simba on top of the bed and that was the second time the puppy peed, not only across the floor but onto Slade's pant legs. Jason laughed so hard he about pissed himself too. Slade wondered how badly he’d regret killing both of the men in that moment.

 

Things didn’t calm down until the children had gone to bed, the two boys were in their shirts and boxers, cuddling the puppy between them completely sprawled out. _Definitely_ brothers. Slade stayed up that night, getting caught up on late night news and checking in on his sources through his tablet.

  
  
  


The next morning, Slade continued playing the parent and got the boys up at a ridiculous hour (according to Jason anyways) just as dawn was cracking over the horizon. The merc drove the four wheeler back with Dick, Jason going ahead with the puppy in his lap. He pulled in front of the south entrance that Jason told them to use, shutting off the engine to look back at Dick.

 

"Wake up yet?" He asked, tapping his thigh with a gloved hand.

 

"You underestimate how often I have to wake up early." Dick grumbled into Slade's back.

 

He wasn’t so much as tired as he was sick. Being such a lightweight gifted him with a small headache after drinking the two beers he had the night before. Currently, he was just enjoying having his arms around Slade and taking in his smell, the soap wasn't as strong as it was when Slade was fresh out of the shower but he still had that earthy cypress smell to him. Dick could get lost in it forever.  Slade just sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the closeness and trust Dick was giving him even in little moments like these. Fuck he had it so bad for him.

 

Slade finally gave Dick an amused, 'hm.'

 

With a stretch, Dick stepped off of the four wheeler, he needed to do yoga and loosen himself up. He hadn't gotten to do that since the gala.

 

"I need to do my stretches. I try to do them every morning before I exercise and do my acrobatics but your jets sucks as far as a gym goes." He smirked playfully, "Wanna help me?"

 

Slade quirked a brow. Oh, he'd seen Dick stretch before, it was like moving art ... Moving art that he wanted to get his hands all over. Now, he was being offered just that opportunity. Maybe there was a God after all.

 

"Do you even have to ask?" Dick had to have _some_ idea of how he looked when he moved right? What it did to Slade and any other human being in a visual radius. "I'll make sure you get a good work out ... I'll have to tire you out if I want a nap anyway." God that went from sexy to old man real quick. He needed to get his game back and fast. "Come on."

 

Dick couldn't help but to let out a snort, "Aww, you think you'll be able to nap with me around? So cute."

 

The hero taunted and actually pinched Slade’s cheek earning a glare. That was a pretty good cue he trusted the male and was comfortable with him, most people would've pissed themselves at the thought of pinching Deathstroke the Terminator's cheek.

 

"Brat." Slade muttered.

 

The young hero took it upon himself to lead Slade to the training area, pulling him by the hand over to where the floor was padded. Of course he paused and removed his socks and shoes and while he contemplated removing his shirt he decided to leave it on. He loved the look in Slade’s eye far too much to tempt him. The merc followed suit with Dick, taking off his boots, socks, and stripping off some of the miscellaneous nonsense he wore as part of his Deathstroke garb. Primarily weapons and their holsters. Slade, unlike Dick, did strip out if his top layer, leaving a thin black, sleeveless undershirt. It was a look that nearly had the young hero swooning and it showed by the red hue that spread along his cheeks.

 

"I'm going to start with my hips and legs, so I need you to help me get my foot above my head. "

 

Slade watched the heroes hips and legs as he spoke about them, eye rising to Dick's face only as he approached his front. This was going to be a test of patience for Slade but he wouldn't miss it for the world. Dick’s hands moved to rest against the assassin’s chest as he slowly lifted his leg up, resting his ankle on the taller man’s shoulder. His hip gave a light pop as it usually did and he couldn't help but groan at the relief of tension it brought on. This was going to be very enjoyable for Slade indeed, he was already fixated on the tight muscles in Dick’s leg.

 

"Don't worry about being gentle, I'm pretty flexible."

 

When Dick basically gave him permission to touch, Slade didn't hesitate. He slowly closed what little space there was between them, using the flat pressure from his chest and hip to push Dick's leg further and further back. He placed strong hands on either side of Dick's hips to hold him still as Slade moved forward and slightly down on him. Dick liked the feeling of Slade's hands on his body, he knew if he wasn't careful they'd be on the mats doing a completely different kind of exercise and as much as Dick _wanted_ that he knew how wasn't the time or the place.

 

"Be careful what you wish for." Slade smirked, pleased when he nearly had the hero sandwiched against him. "You don't need a safe word, do you?"

 

A soft chuckle escaped Dick, "You know... Everyone's so convinced that I'm a sensitive little goodie goodie they never think to ask how rough I like it." He knew it was a little.. Too personal sharing such information at this moment but he didn't care, he was impulsive.

 

Dick lowered his leg and switched to the other one, using Slade to balance. Did he mention Slade was the perfect height for this kind of stretch? Once Dick's legs were stretched he took a step back, fingers tracing Slade’s biceps and forearm before he turned around, placing a hand on the wall in front of him.

 

"Okay... Now just take my leg and pull it back." He instructed, his leg wouldn't go high but it'd help get the blood flowing through his muscles.

 

Slade did as he was told while he thought over Dick’s previous statement, stretching Dick's leg bac while getting a good feel for the other's thigh muscles as he did so. He let out a small hum of appreciation, it may have been unintentional, but it was very honest.

 

"You'll learn more about my body as we go along, I like experimenting."

 

Next the acrobat reached down and touched the floor with the palm of his hands while keeping his legs straight, he didn't need Slades help for that but he was curious what contributions the other might make.

 

"So people take you as the vanilla type?" Slade finally asked, God he was getting a nice view of Dick’s ass from here. "I don't see it. Then again ... I can't imagine most of your girlfriends have ever got to put their hands on you like I have."

 

He didn’t mind the conversation shifting to that personal setting. It didn't ruin anything, and they _both_ knew that this was erotic. Why pretend it was anything otherwise?

 

"Women touch me differently than men, mostly."

 

Dick admit openly, sure both would have a feel for his ass but women didn't have the need to feel his body stretch. Even when he worked out with them the physical contact was just different, primarily sticking to his torso and arms as opposed to his hips and his legs. Slade closed the distance between them again, running a hand down Dick's lower back.

 

"Stay like that." Slade nearly commanded, removing his hand just to crack his knuckles and put them right back on Dick.

 

With Dick's back stretched out like this it was the perfect opportunity to release tension in his long running muscles of the back. They lied under the larger surface muscles and were hard to access unless under normal conditions. He started at the base of Dick's back, literally _just_ above his ass, and started a pressurized massage along each side of the spine, using his thumb on left and index plus middle finger on the right, using a combination of circles and slow down-outward compression in more tense areas until they relaxed under his touch. Luckily, because of Slade's superior height, he was able to run that hand down the entire length of Dick's spine, his thigh and knee pressing lightly between Dick's own legs as he reached the base of his skull. It felt amazing. The hero’s entire body had relaxed and he had let out a couple of soft groans at the sensation, his body pressing into Slade’s legs craving more contact.

 

"Now, when you come up, do it slowly, you're going to feel light headed."

 

Dick obeyed and slowly stood up straight as a blissful sigh escaped him, "You can help me every time I need to stretch."

 

"If your inviting me to watch and ... 'Help' with your stretches I'd be more than happy to." Seriously, anytime, any place. Frankly, he didn't feel quite satisfied at the moment, he just wanted to run his hand over Dick more and more.

 

The younger male turned towards the other and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, usually he did a couple more stretches but he just wanted to be with Slade for a moment. He also wanted to check on Damian. Dick's forehead rested against Slade’s chest in a motion that the other found adorable thus easing his excitement. Dick just stood against him admiring the feeling of the others body on his and the sensation of the others chest moving with each breath. He was absolutely head over heels and he knew it, with how intense these feelings were he knew they weren’t going any time soon. He slowly looked up at the other before standing on his toes to plant a soft kiss on Slades jaw, his hands moving down to hold Slade’s looking up in time to see the small smile on the older mans lips.

 

"Lets see how Damian's doing, then maybe you can 'help' me with my acrobatics." God he craved Slades attention like it was a drug.

 

"I think we are a little past that now aren't we?" Slade said with no real reference to anything, but quickly made it clear by leaning down and kissing Dick on the lips.

 

It wasn't overly sexual and with mentions of Damian he refused to let it get there either, separating them after a few seconds. There was a small voice in the back of his head _begging_ to go back in for more, to take what he'd be waiting for. Slade was going to be patient though ... Fuck was it getting hard though.. For both of them really, everytime Slade’s lips touched Dick’s it was like a rush of adrenaline. They knew how badly they both wanted to forget the world around them and just devour every inch of each other right then and there and yet... Both recognized that it wasn't the appropriate time. It honestly made Dick swoon. Two of the men he was with would've either tried convincing him to do it or would've just gone for it. Given Slade’s reputation it was easy to say Dick was impressed and drawn to it.

 

"Come on, let's see what the demon child has been up to."

 

“Perhaps calling upon the dark lord.” Dick remarked.

 

He didn't hesitate in holding Slade’s hand as he walked with him towards the medbay, it was honestly subconscious but at the moment he didn't care. In his mind they were official, maybe in secret? That part he didn't really know but in his mind Slade was entirely his boyfriend. _Finally._

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


Hours earlier, Jason had arrived back in the cave much earlier than Slade and Dick. He was hauling Red Hound inside, placing her quietly on the couch as he entered the living space. His family was still in bed and everything seemed normal. Well ... Mostly. There was a dim light coming from upstairs in Roy's little experiment haven. Jason took to the stairs quietly, a smile slowly growing on his face as he found his boyfriend. There was Roy, passed out in his computer chair, feet up, some nonsense playing on the computer screen next to him softly. His head was lolled to the side, snuggled up in one of Jason's sweatshirts. It was absolutely adorable.

 

"Idiot." Jason whispered with a shake of his head.

 

While everyone was out, Roy had been working his ever loving ass off. He sent out a heavily encrypted signal to Tim, got to work on creating a drone to survey the hotel so he could tell Slade and Jason when it would be best to leave, he started working on upgrading one of Jason's suits and then panicked when he remembered that he had forgotten to feed the kids lunch. After feeding the kids Roy played with them teaching them how to use gravity grenades to make each other stick to the wall, he also let them shoot some miniature bows he made which he learned was a mistake after Bizarro got hit in the butt. He managed to bribe the kids with cookies to keep that one a secret from mom.

 

Afterwards he turned on Frozen for the kids and did more work, building weapons and special spy gear. He managed to make Dick a watch that would use vibrations to send Morse code, it would also allow Dick to record meetings with the High Court and encrypt whatever messages it sent back. At first the messages were so encrypted that Roy couldn't receive them however, with the proper coding he corrected that mistake. It wasn’t until after dinner he got the kids in bed and worked in his work station until at least 4am when he fell asleep.

 

Fortunately Jason knew better than to startle his boyfriend awake. That wasn't a wise move for anyone to make on a vigilante. So, he stood by his side, slowly leaning over him.

 

"Hey, Roy ...."  Jason spoke in a small voice and combed a hand through his long hair. "Come on love, let's get you in bed."

 

The redhead flinched slightly and knocked the hat off his head as he wiped the drool off his face. "Oh, hey you." he said before smiling a tired smile, his voice heavy and gruff with sleep. "Is this a dream or did I wake up in he-van." The word broke as he yawned and stretched in the middle of it, fixing his hat and reaching up to trace his fingers along Jason's arm.

 

"Oh my god you cheese ball." Jason nearly snorted out at Roy but still looked at the other with nothing but love in his eyes. He leaned down over Roy to press a short kiss to the other's lips. "I missed you."

 

Apparently it was his turn to get all mushy. He was just so glad to be home. He'd worried about Roy and the kids.. Their domestic nights together. Making dinner, playing with the kiddos, baths, tucking them into bed with a story, and finally (hopefully) some private time with Roy. Was Jason Todd finally settling down? Yeah, but he loved every second of it.

 

"Awww. I missed you too, Jaybird. So did the kids, they kept asking when you'd be home."

 

"Looks like you kept yourself busy ... How _were_ the kids? Still in one piece?"

 

Roy sighed, "Unfortunately, I decided to turn the kids to robots, so they look like Vic but more decked out. It's my war plan." He joked before shaking his head, "They were great... Lian called me a failure cuz I couldn't braid her hair like Elsa but aside from that they did their chores, brushed their books and read their teeth." He couldn't help it, how could anyone be normal and serious? "How was your trip in town?"

 

Roy turned the chair so he could face his boyfriend before patting his lap, an action that made Jason chuckle before giving him a raised eyebrow. Did Roy seriously think that chair would hold both of them? Well, it was a Bruce bought chair so _probably_. He shrugged his shoulders and climbed onto his lap anyway. If the damn thing broke it broke, oh well. Jason situated himself sideways on Roy, his muscular thighs over one of the arm rests, feet propped up on the near by desk. He leaned his shoulder into Roy, winding his arm behind the other's neck and popping off his hat. He took it with his other hand and put it on his own head backwards Ash Catchum style. Jason wanted to play with Roy's hair, sue him.

 

"It was fine. Mr. Bronze Balls Benji showed up. Slade looked pretty damn shocked to see him, turns out he's on our side. Tiggs wants us to attend some resistance meeting next month. I don't know if I trust BZ to baby sit Lian again ... Or rather Lian baby sit him."

 

Jason was recalling the last time they left the kids alone. It was just long enough for Jason to show Roy the placement points for each of their security devices out in the woods. Jason was an expert in camouflage (thank you Ra's teacher number four) and even if you _knew_ the placement of something it didn't always mean you were going to find it.

 

When they came home three hours later Bizarro was crying, the microwave was charred and in pieces all over the kitchen floor. Lian was sitting in the living room with her arms crossed and a pout on her face. Apparently, Lian had attempted to make popcorn. Bizarro, having nearly no concept of normal human life, came into the room and saw the machine running for the first time. One shot of his laser vision and Lian's scolding afterwards resulted in an upset B. That was within the first few days of them being there, long before Lian and Bizarro became buddies like they were now. Yet, that wasn't his only reservation.

 

"Also ... And don't hit me." Jason said preemptively. "I don't know if we should get involved in this." He could nearly feel Bruce's disapproving look without him even being there. Maybe he was being haunted by the batbitch? "It's one thing to help the town, take down a couple baddies, but ... If we get too involved it'll draw attention to us. We've kept a low profile, been able to keep the kids safe. Even if the fate of the world is at stake ... I don't know."

 

Jason was torn. Part of him, the old Robin side of him, wanted to jump into the fight and save all the innocent people he could. Take down the High Court with Dick, Tim, and everyone else. Yet the other side of him, the Red Hood side, wanted to protect his own before all else. That side wanted to believe he would be just fine watching the world burn around them ... Just as long as the people in this cave were safe with him.

 

"Oh? Have I bred the perfect housewife?" Roy teased with his signature smirk before chuckling and shaking his head.

 

"House wife my ass..." Jason muttered under his breath almost like a petulant child. So what if he liked cooking, did most of the cleaning, and running after the kids? That didn't make him a ... Shit, wait. No, that's _exactly_ what it made him.

 

"The kids need us... Both of us...:” Roy said in a surprisingly serious tone, “I don't disagree that it's a good idea to stay back and lay low... But I refuse to let my girl grow up in a world where she's trapped in a cave and can't scrape her knee on the playground. There's ways we can fight this war without exposing ourselves." Roy reached towards the desk by Jason's feet grabbing the bracelet he made before showing it to Jason.

 

Jason took the device in his hands and looked it over, running his fingers around the edges. "This is really good work, Roy. Seamless, low profile, _so_ stylish." He faked an effeminate voice for the last part, but his praise was absolutely, one hundred percent genuine. If only he could keep joking and not have to face this conversation.

 

Roy’s eyes rolled in response,"This will let us hear everything Dick hears... It also has small spider like drones inside of it I can disperse to look around the area... This will help us have eyes and ears on them... It'll help us communicate with Tim and provided them weapons... We can help without being on the battle li-"

 

As he kept listening to Roy talk the Red Hood side of him started to come over from it's stance of indifference. What kind of life could he really provide here for Lian? It would never be normal, or at least as normal as it got with them. Bizarro? The big guy was never going to have it normal, but even he deserved to float around on the playground with Lian. The idea was nice. Roy and him sitting on the swing set, Lian using the slides, then trying to push Bizarro's fat ass down one of them ... Fuck maybe he was turning into a housewife…

 

Roy paused feeling something wet on his ankles soon shifting to peak over Jason's lap, "Uh.... Would you happen to know why there's a puppy eating my sock?"

 

Jason about fell out of Roy's lap as he tried to look down. "Um ... That's _our_ puppy eating your sock ... Red Hound, no! Bad baby."

 

Jason shifted out of Roy's lap and wrestled the pup away from Roy's sock. She ended up just taking it off of Roy’s foot, happily chewing it in her mouth as Jason picked her up to show Roy, plopping her on his lap.

 

"I adopted another child, Merry Christmas."

 

Roy’s emerald eyes shifted down to the large pup completely, "Uh.... You sure it's not a bear?" He asked in regards to the size before looking up at Jason.

 

"A bear?? Look at that face ... She's clearly a princess, Roy." Jason smiled and flopped one of the ridiculously plush ears. "I'll be one hundred percent honest with you I didn't think about any of the repercussions before bringing home this dog. It was like I saw her face and then had a stroke ... Now here we are." Jason shrugged watching the puppy happily just lay in Roy's arms, sniffing at his clothes and hair.

 

"So you don’t know if we can afford to feed it." The red head stated seeming to be the only one concerned with finances… For once.

 

His worries soon drifted away as the puppy placed her paws on his chest and made an attempt to lick his face. Roy couldn't help but to smile and chuckle, standing up and holding her in his arms like a baby.

 

"We'll have to set up a crib for it.. What's her name?"

 

"I haven't named her yet. I was thinking after one of the Golden Girls ... But then I realized my or your opinion doesn't matter. It isn't our choice." Jason jerked his head towards the bedrooms. "Lian will insist on naming her anyway, so why bother with choosing a name she won't use?"

 

Oh how he wished he could say that Bizarro would like to name to puppy, but honestly? He'd just agree with whatever Lian said.

 

"You know, I'm really starting to wonder who’s _really_ in charge around here ..." Roy commented, bouncing Red Hound softly.

 

It was Lian. Jason and Roy set the rules but Lian had Jason wrapped around her little finger, and Jason could bring down Roy. Then there was Bizarro who _used_ to follow Jason's every word but had decided Lian's kid wisdom was much better and listened to her like she was actually Jesus Christ. So if you panned it all out ... Yeah Lian was in charge.

 

"Part of me wants to take you to bed before the kids wake up but there is also another part that wants to go toss the puppy on Lian and see how she reacts." Jason literally started to mimic balancing his options in his open palms. "Sex or puppy attack?"

 

Roy couldn't help but chuckle. “I think we both know what we're going to do.” The red head spoke flirtatiously as he leaned in to plant a heavy kiss to Jason's lips.

 

They were only inches apart before they could hear a loud scream from the bedroom, “KILL IT! KILL IT!”

 

Jason's heart about dropped into his stomach, he was off behind Roy within a second, bounding toward the kids' room. Roy didn't even have to hear the words, the scream alone had been reason enough for him to drop the dog and run for the bedrooms.

 

Turning the corner fast nearly had Roy crash into the nightstand though he couldn't help but to freeze  in the doorway at the lack of a noticeable threat. A place that Jason didn’t expect his boyfriend to stop. Unfortunately for Roy, Jason had been going at nearly top speed and smacked right into the back of him. If that wasn't bad enough, the crash sent them both tumbling onto Lian's bed where there was a spider that was about to meet Bizarro's fist. Now between them? Jason's head.

 

"Zarro kill! No hurt LiLi!" He yelled aiming to hit the bug on the bed.

 

Lian let out a sharp and horrified scream.

 

"B NO!" Jason yelled putting  his hands up above his face quickly. The hit didn't come, instead Bizarro stopped just in time and starred seriously at the two.

 

"Dumb Red mom! Zarro squash you!" Bizarro scolded at Jason who was sitting up off the bed.

 

"I know, I saw my life flash before my eyes ... Weird the second time around." Was he making a joke about his own death? Yeah ... Someone had to. Jason had stood up from the end of the bed, turning his back to the kids to check on Roy. "You alright? Sorry I-"

 

"SPID-DER!"

 

Bizarro yelled out and smacked Jason on the back _hard_ , sending him back down into the bed face first. There was so much force Jason bounced up off of the bed, like something out of a cartoon and landed flat on his ass next to the bed on the floor.

 

"...Ow." Jason called out, star fishing on the hard floor.

 

"Going to kill LiLi ... Had to die."

 

"I think I'm going to die too."

 

"Red Drama Queen."

 

"Drama KING thank you."

 

Before Roy even had time to blink Lian began hitting Bizarros arm... Great... Nothing like spiders and sibling rivalry to steady the hormones.

 

"You could've killed him! What’s wrong with you!?" She scolded as Roy quickly pulled her off the big guy.

 

"Woah woah, easy, we don't hit people. Hitting is bad unless that person looks like Luthor." Roy stated before breathing out and letting Lian go. He then knelt down and picked Jason up off the floor, "Okay... Kids.... I know you're scared of spiders but... Please don't do that again, you scared your father and I terribly."

 

"And B's dumb ass almost killed him." Lian antangonized only to earn a glare from Roy, "Lian, we do not speak about our family that way!" God being a parent sucked sometimes.... No.... Being sober sucked...

 

"Zarro not DUMB!" He yelled stomping down his foot hard enough to make the floor quake around him, "Zarro protect LiLi! LiLi mean! No care about Zarro!"

 

The redhead gave a heavy breath before looking at Bizarro, reaching out to take his hand to offer some support, "Thank you for looking out for LiLi."

 

While Roy was trying to keep Bizarro's feelings at bay, Lian had crawled over to Jason and started looking him over. "Are you okay daddy? Do you have a cuncucktion?"

 

"I'm fine baby, you and Daddy need to go out into the living room, right now." Jason didn't even have time to scold Lian right now because he was so focused on Bizarro getting amped up.

 

He picked up Lian and handed her to Roy, giving him a look that read 'I've got this', it was all Roy needed to take Lian out of the space so she wouldn’t get hurt if Bizarro did in fact start throwing a tantrum.

 

"Hey big guy." Jason soothed.

 

"Zarro no hurt Red Mom!" Bizarro started.

 

"Yeah your right, I'm okay. Sometimes Supers have a hard time controlling their strength, you didn't mean to." Jason was holding Bizarro's prized Superman plushie. "You were trying to protect Lian like Superman right?"

 

"Spider was going to hurt LiLi, smash it. LiLi my friend, not no more!" Bizarro  was stomping his feet again.

 

"You don't mean that. Lian loves you, we all do. You're just upset right now, that's okay."

 

"Angry!"

 

The first fist hit the beautifully smooth cave wall, causing a long crack to go up the side. Jason was just glad he wasn't hitting _him_ anymore. He took a slow breath in and then out. This was going to take a minute but this wasn't the first time he'd talked the big guy down from the edge of 'hulk smash'ing the house to pieces.

  
  
  


Meanwhile Roy had sat Lian on the couch while he himself sat on the coffee table in front of her, the shouting from the bedroom turning to white noise as he got to work parenting.  “Lian-” He started but the girl was quick to interrupt.

 

“He could've killed Jason, Dad! Because hes stupid and doesn't know how to control his Damn powers.” She growled and kicked the leg of the table.

 

“You don't speak about him that way.” Roy snapped making the girl flinch, “Lian, listen to me… Sometimes people have mental restrictions. Bizarro can't think like you or me because he has a mental handicap. You don't get to get mad at people for that and I'm not raising you to insult or bad mouth people dealing with that. Bizarro saw that you were scared and he was doing his best as a big brother to protect you. Sure he could've hurt Jason but he _didn't_ and it’s not your place to talk to him about that. As his parents it’s Jason and my responsibility to explain to him that he needs to be careful. You don't get to hit him and be rude.”

 

Lian's eyes were watery at this point, a soft sniffle escaping her as she crossed her arms. “You have words to say to him if you want any privileges today.”

 

“What!? You can't do that! I didn't do anything!” Lian argued only to get a look from Roy making her huff, “This is so dumb.” She cried softly.

 

Roy sighed and ran a hand through his hair before getting up and sitting by the girl, pulling her into his arms. “I know sweetie but… Take it from me. Ignoring your mistakes and blaming other people only hurts you… And sometimes it hurts you so much you forget who you are.. Lian, your choices and words and relationships are what make you. Do you wanna be the little girl who kicks people who try to help her or do you wanna be the girl that make people feel special?”

 

“...I wanna make people feel special.” She grumbled.

 

“Right… So… When Bizarro is calmed down, you need to apologize to him. Okay?”

 

There was some more muffled yelling and rumbling in the bedroom before things got settled. Fifteen minutes later Jason emerged, face a little red around his ears and cheeks (a sign of frustration). He shut the door behind him and let out a loud sigh. Seeing Lian and Roy snuggled on the couch warmed his heart a little bit, seeing her crying did not. However, he was sure it was because Roy had given her a firm talking to.

 

"He's going to need a little while. I guess he didn't sleep well last night, he was worried that I was gone. We'll wake him up for lunch."

 

Basically? Big guy needed a nap. Once Jason got him into bed, tucked him in and turned on his favorite music Bizarro was out like a light. Jason took Roy's previous spot on the coffee table and rested his elbows on his knees. He realized then he was still partly in his Red Hood garb. Of course guns and weapons were put away the second he came in the door along with his jacket, but it wasn't exactly comfy clothes.

 

"I'm sure Dad already talked to you about everything." Jason confirmed, trusting and not daring to undermine Roy. "Bizzaro thinks you don't love him anymore. I know that isn't true, but ... He's very sensitive, and I know sometimes that's hard to deal with, but he needs extra reassurance that we care about him and that he's part of our family." Reaching out to put a hand on Lian's knee. "You're a ridiculously smart, compassionate, kind individual Lian. I know you'll do the right thing to fix things. Yeah?" Jason asked, grabbing some tissues and leaning forward to wipe off his little girl's face.

 

Lian couldn't help but to look down and away, the last thing she wanted in the world was to disappoint him. On top of that she felt bad that Bizarro thought she didn't love him, she felt lower than dirt and it showed with the quiver of her lip. Roy was silent just letting her absorb the feeling of pain.

 

She finally nodded and looked at Jason, “I'm going to apologize and draw him a picture…. I know he was just trying to help I just… It scared me to see you almost get hurt.”

 

Roy squeezed the girl softly as he realized something between what Jason said about Bizarro and Lian's worry, both of them were scared Jason wasn't going to come home. As sweet as it was  it also broke Roy’s heart because his babies shouldn't feel scared when their dad leaves. The redhead sighed and got up, handing Lian over to Jason.

 

“Why don’t you two work on the picture while I make breakfast? Then we can come together and share about our day as a family.” He offered with a kind smile, briefly wondering where the puppy went. Shit… He hoped it wasn't eating something. “Hey Jason… Maybe you can take Lian to see the bear…” Roy proposed mainly so the Damn thing wouldn’t eat his inventions. With that he kissed Jason’s head and headed for the kitchen.

 

"Ahhh... yes." Jason clicked his tongue and looked toward the upper level where Roy's shop and the computers, weapons, extra tech, etc were held. He forgot about the damn puppy. Jason rook the girl and started his way to the stairs. "You know sometimes I get scared and act out too. I know how hard it can be sometimes to control your anger, especially when your scared or upset, but you have to try. Tell people how you feel, be more open, but don't be cruel and always own your mistakes." Jason was speaking purely from his own experiences. "I wish I had someone tell me that when I was little like you ... Then I'd probably be much better off now." He kissed her forehead and then squeezed her.

 

"Now I'm telling you all that because I have something for you. You're going to have to help me and Dad take care of them. Okay?"

 

Jason set Lian down just in time for loud tumbling to be heard down the last five steps of the stairs. Then, in all her fluffy glory, Red Hound rolled off of her back and bumble-ran toward Lian. Nearly tackling her in the process. Jason put his hand behind Lian's back to keep her upward a giant smile on his face.  Hopefully the introduction to Bizarro would go just as well.

 

A loud gasp escaped the girl as Red Hound began licking her face enthusiastically causing the girl to squeal in joy  as her arms wrapped around it. "Oh my God! I love you so much!" She exclaimed in pure excitement and glee. This made her entire day.

 

Jason suspected Lian would want some time with her new 'sibling' so he would leave her to it while he went to the kitchen. He figured he should probably help with breakfast, he trusted Roy in the kitchen, but it was more so the pick up he was worried about. He'd rather start picking up the tornado now than do it later.

  
  
  


-

  
  


~Thirty Minutes Ago~

                                                   

Damian was actually doing a lot better, so much so that Viktor was surprised with his progress. He had been up and walking around yesterday for a few minutes at a time without much assistance at all. This morning he was up before the doctor, bed sat up and a hospital table over his lap. Damian had found a tablet from somewhere and was poking around on it. He'd been completely shut off from the outside world while on the run with his mother, so much of the news was ... Well new to him. When Dick and Slade arrived in the room he didn't say hello, he didn't even immediately look up from the tablet. He was holding it in his hands, gripping the sides tightly.

 

"They killed Jonathan Kent?" Damian asked, finally looking up at Dick, clearly trying to play off the fact he was near tears. Jon was Damian's best friend, the first kid his age that gave him a chance. "Who? When?"

 

The smile that had been on Dick’s face faded the instant Damian dropped the news about Jon, his expression shifting to compassion and pain,

 

"Oh.."

 

Dick let go of Slade’s hand and walked over to the bed sitting on the edge by Damian and wrapped his arms around Damian's shoulders and head bringing him into his chest so the boy could cry without being seen.

 

"We.... Lost a lot of friends Damian.... I don't know when.. Or how... I just know that the High Court is violent and ruthless... They take some, they kill others... There's no method to it." He sighed and squeezed Damian tighter, " We'll stop them... For Jon... I promise..."

 

It was a hard hit of reality. While he had been caught up in Slade he forgot about the pain and suffering there was outside of this cave, he couldn't lose sight of  it. He had to beat the court.

 

"He could still be alive then." Damian spoke in a small voice, staying still in Dick's arms. It definitely wasn't because Damian didn't want the comforting affection, he did, he was just thinking too, shocked maybe. "But not likely."

 

The boy was laying out the facts for himself in the most logical way possible. That way, he could come to the most likely conclusion, so far? He decided that conclusion was the world was Hell, a conclusion that caused him to shed a few tears into Dick’s shoulder.

 

"There's a meeting of resistance... I'm going to drop you off with a babysitter and Slade and I are going to talk to them... We're going to work on bringing these assholes down."

 

"I don't need a babysitter Grayson. I need to be at that meeting." Damian said firmly, looking up at Dick. "I'm Robin. I deserve to be there ... I'm your partner. You said that, so take me with you."

 

"Not a good idea kiddo." Slade chimed in from the door, earning a glare from Damian.

 

"No one asked you, Wilson. If I wanted a moronic, useless opinion I would have asked." Damian shot back, turning his attention back to Dick. "You shouldn't be going with this mercenary scum. No one will respect you or trust you with him around. I, on the other hand, will inspire confidence amongst our peers that you haven't entirely lost your mind."

 

Dick couldn’t help but to let out a half hearted chuckle before breathing out a heavy sigh, he knew Damian wasn't going to like this and with the pain of losing Jon on top of it? Dick was sure he was going to make Damian hate him.

 

"Listen..... I know you don't trust Slade. I know that our friends wouldn't even dream of working with him but.. The reality of the situation is that it doesn't matter if you're a hero or a villain. The High Court doesn't care. They kill whoever they want. Good and bad people get a chance to join them. People, good and bad, get killed before they even have the opportunity... Heroes and villains have no choice but to work together if any of us want to be freed from their shadow.. I don't need anyone to give me respect because if they want to stop the court then it'll come naturally."

 

That’s how it had to be... Sure.. He might have people who try to jump down his throat but honestly? No ones going to touch him with Slade at his side and he knew that. Dick’s hand moved to take Damian's in his own as he looked into his eyes and began speaking in Arabic.

 

<Damian... You have no idea what you mean to me.. I say you're my partner, my brother, my friend but.... Honestly you've always been like a son to me.. I've always wanted kids and when Bruce disappeared and left me to take care of you I just.. I fell in love with it. With knowing that we have the relationship we do and if anything happened to you Damian I would _never_ forgive myself..... I need you to resign as Robin until this is over.>  He hated the way his voice cracked... Hated hearing the words spill out of his own mouth.

 

If Bruce said that to him he wouldn't have listened... He would’ve been pissed and hurt and he would’ve completely defied Bruce. He felt like such a hypocrite.

 

"I love you, Damian, and..... Honestly I'm scared because I don't know if we can stop this... It's not like the Joker or Croc.. It’s so much bigger and if you make a mistake then that's it... It’s bad enough Tim and Jason are caught up in this.. If I could have it my way I'd bench them too but... I'm not Bruce, I'm not their parent. I can at least keep you safe and... You won’t like this but I promise Slade will keep me safe."

 

Damian didn't like it at all, Dick was one hundred percent correct about that. "No. No, I _won't_ ." The boy said firmly, smacking his free hand down on the bed in what little protest he could give. "This isn't what you taught me. You told me to fight for the greater good, to protect the people who need it. You told me that our purpose is to _save_ people even if it means things would be dangerous." Damian shook his head. "I became Robin to be Batman's _partner_ , to watch his back, to fight by his side. Father was never my Batman, _you_ were." His fierce green eyes met Dick's.

 

"You can't tell him to lay down his values and purpose just because it's dangerous, Dick." Slade chimed in. He was probably putting his foot in his mouth.

 

"Finally something intelligent from the cyclops."

 

Slade rolled his eye. "My _point_ is that you know what benching him will do. It's going to alienate and frustrate him ... Just like it did to you. Trust me, I know, I was there for the emotional tantrum you threw. If it wasn't for Superman you would have completely spiralled." Oh yeah, Dick was going to kick his ass after this. "Provide structure, place limits, but benching him isn't going to work."

 

"If this is your attempt to get me to like you ... It won't work. However, he's right, Grayson. I ... Love you too. I don't want to lose anyone else and I want to help destroy these people. They took my mother, my father, my friends away from me. They can't get away with this. I won't allow it."

 

Dick was glaring daggers at Slade, his contribution was not helpful in the slightest. It had completely undermined everything Dick was trying to say to Damian and yet, all he could do is release a heavy and deep sigh before running a hand through his hair and even tugging at it some.

 

"Listen, both of you." Uh oh, he was using his team leader Nightwing voice, "I know getting benched sucks. I know I hated it and I know I'm being a complete hypocrite... But Damian is staying off the field, period. End of story." God... He hated this.. "I can't have you out there....” He said to Damian,  “I'm fine with you doing research in a safe place like Roy and Jason are doing but you're _not_ coming with us on _any_ outings.... I lost you once, Damian... It's _not_ happening again." With that Dick stood up. "We can talk about what you can do later tonight... I'm gonna go make some breakfast, it’s important that you take care of yourself."

 

Dick couldn’t meet Damian's eyes, he was taking so much from him because of his own selfishness but... What father wouldn’t? God.. He wondered if this was how Bruce felt... Bruce.. Damian would be able to help him out once Slade and Dick dropped him off but he couldn't tell the kid that yet... He needed to wait until the last possible second.

 

Without much more thought Dick began walking out of the med bay, pausing to give Slade a glare before going to the kitchen where he dug through the cupboards. He pulled out some eggs, breakfast meats and peppers before he started searching for salad fixings. He probably shouldn't have left Damian the way he did, no answers, hurt and alone, but Dick needed a moment to clear his head. He had a temper and the last thing he wanted was to take it out on Damian. But still, Damian had so many words to say to Dick, the fact that he got up and just left rather than listen had the small kid fuming and left him feeling unheard.

 

"At least he hates you now." Damian said from his bed, looking up at Slade who didn't respond right away.

 

"What's the saying? Misery loves company? Well ... Welcome to misery, twat." Slade turned to leave from the insult factory to follow Dick into the kitchen finally.

  


"Damn it." Dick  growled to himself as he slammed the head of lettuce down before gripping the sides of the counters. He couldn't bench Damian... It wasn't fair..

 

Slade viewed the abused lettuce and Dick’s white knuckles on the counter top. He took up residence a few feet away to give him some space, but still facing him, hip leaned against the counter.

 

"I overstepped." Slade said at first, sounding like an apology was coming, though that didn't happen. "I respect that he's your ... Family-" Son? Brother? "-but that went poorly. I think we can both agree to that. You can't keep him off the field, if you do he's going to disappear again."

 

Dick wasn't in the mood for Slade's whole, 'I was a dad I would know' business. He hated that the other was right, hated that the other couldn't just let him make stupid and impulsive choices about how to raise Damian.

 

"You think I don't know that?" He snapped and looked at the other before sighing heavily and running his hands over his face. "I know I can't bench him. I know I can't take him off the case but what’s going to happen if I let him try and take these guys on? They've almost killed him once, Slade." Dick turned to face the other. "You just don't get it, you don't..."

 

He stopped, a pit growing in his stomach. God he was such an asshole...  Slade didn't know where his kids were or if they were even alive and Dick was here saying he didn't get it.

 

"I'm sorry.." Dick looked down and shook his head, "I just can't lose him right now, Slade... I'm scared.. I have to manage this on my own because Bruce isn't here... And he's going to be pissed when I show up with Damian... I just don't know what to do here... This isn't like it was with the Titans.. I knew what I was doing but I'm in the dark right now and I can't just pull Damian with me.. I need to give him something I know works or we'll both get hurt."

 

"You're not in the dark. Sure, you're in unfamiliar territory, and struggling to get your bearings, but your still the same man with the same set of skills as before. What you've lost is your confidence, Kid." Slade watched the coffee pot automatically click on. Must be when Jason and Roy usually got up. "I've never seen you so unsure, apprehensive even. There were times when you knew the odds were stacked against you in the past, where it was more than likely you or your team was going to die or get seriously hurt. Even when you knew that it didn't stop you from jumping into danger head on because it was about something bigger, about saving lives. So ... Now, even when you don't know all the details, you should know from experience that you _can_ handle this.”

 

“Yeah? Well what if I _can’t_ , Slade? I don’t have anything to go on. I’m not strong enough to take these guys out and even if I don’t I won’t kill them… They’ll keep coming back stronger and stronger until-”

 

“ You have the skills and aptitude to handle this. Your entire life you've been trained to jump out into danger and hope that you won't fall, either knowing you'll grab the bar for yourself or trust that the people around you will catch you during the free fall." Slade moved and put a hand on Dick's hip. "All I'm trying to say is that if you start _actually_ believing this is the end of the world, that things can't be normal again … Then you've already lost."

 

Slade felt the fear Dick did, the feeling of hopelessness in the face of so much loss and death. However, this family, the people who knew as Dick as Nightwing, _needed_ his hope, his perseverance. That push saying that they couldn't run scared and hide, they had to fight.

 

"You're worried about Damian and everyone else, and I understand your fear, you don't want to be responsible for putting them in danger. However ... You know as well as I do that isn't your choice to make. So either you make them a part of it, or you isolate them and they will get hurt on their own. Alone." Slade figured that Dick would react one of two ways: either he'd flip and tell Slade to shove it, or he'd have a moment of introspection.

 

Dick listened to Slade's words carefully, he truly needed someone like him. Someone he could vent to, someone who would keep him accountable and remind him of who he was. Slade was right, Dick would be half alive and insist on fighting. The Titans would be severely injured and he'd keep pushing. This was war, he needed his soldiers and if he didn't support them then they'd die and suffer on their own. Dick's hand moved to rest on Slade's before he leaned back against him, his head moving to the others chest as he breathed out.

 

"You're right.... I'm being selfish..." The young hero looked up at Slade and turned to stand on his toes, leaning up to softly kiss him.

 

Slade had accepted all of Dick's affections and returned them in earnest, he stood steady, wrapping protective arms around Dick in an embrace that just read  'I've got you' in every way. Slade wasn't an acrobat, nor was he a hero, but he'd be there to catch Dick if he started to fall.

 

"I can't afford to leave people out of this... We need each other..."

 

Finally Dick pulled away from the older male, offering him something of a soft smile before squeezing his forearms. The hero broke away and got to work cooking breakfast, placing the meats in the pan before whisking some egg together in a bowl to make omelets.

 

"Mind making Damians salad?" He asked with a soft smile, "Sides have never been much of my thing..." Nightwing made a small joke of it before turning to the stove, pouring the egg into the preheated pan.

 

He felt a little better after the pep talk though he knew he needed to make it up to Damian somehow... Maybe with a smoothie... And cuddles... That sounded like the perfect apology.

 

"Sure." Slade chuckled a bit, sliding his hand along Dick's lower back as he moved passed him to get to work cleaning and cutting the lettuce.

 

By the time Roy arrived Slade had finished washing the vegetables for the salad and some fruit for sides. He was tossing the salad when Roy sauntered over, eye looking over from the board to the pair next to him.

 

"Wow... I could almost ask you guys to move in." Roy smirked as he entered the kitchen, peaking over Dick's shoulder to see what he was cooking.

 

Dick didn't mind having the other in his personal space, they were friends after all.. What Dick did mind, however, was the hard smack that soon landed right on his ass. It stung and instantly made the hero flinch, not to mention it grabbed Jason and Slade’s attention. Before the two could even move the situation just kept spiraling.

 

"Smells good. Must be your inner housewife." He teased as an arm looped around his shoulder.

 

"Roy, you can't just do that."

 

"It's not like you don't like the attention." Roy pointed out, he wasn't trying to hurt Dick but it did, partly because Roy wasn’t completely wrong and well... That made Dick feel ashamed.

 

"Fuck you." Dick hissed out between angry and just mildly annoyed.

 

"Technically you did." Roy shrugged, his intention of teasing clearly not being taken well.

 

Dick instantly shoved the others arm off of his shoulders, "Uh, technically I didn't, Roy. Why would you even say that?"

 

"I mean blow jobs count." Roy mumbled under his breath.

 

"Roy!"

 

Richard didn't like this. He didnt have a problem talking about sex as a subject but he didn’t like talking about sexual activities he’s done with people and Roy clearly wasn’t even thinking about the consequences of his actions or words, he was acting impulsively.

 

Jason about broke his jaw clenching it so hard while Slade was the first to react, Dick's obvious discomfort with the situation spurring him on but there of course was a much deeper, more feral need to remind Roy who Dick's ass actually belonged to.

 

"Back off." The merc said in a deep warning tone as he rounded up next to Dick and threatened to enter Roy's space. Everything about his posture was a warning, flashing that he wasn't about to let anyone give Dick shit, period.

 

That was when two sides, who by all accounts _should_ have been on the same side, were angry (for different reasons of course)  about the same event. Jason was there in an instant, his anger with Roy, Dick, the situation, boiling over in the face of an over possessive terminator. Despite Jason's shorter stature and more compact muscle definition he had no problem squaring up with Slade. He shoved Slade back with a gratuitous amount of force, which, of course, sent the mercenary back a few small steps.

 

"Don't you dare threaten him!" Jason was a ball of fury and while he knew his frustrations shouldn't be pointed at Slade, but rather the man behind him, he still was not okay with Slade's intimidation of his boyfriend.

 

"Control your temper Hood." Slade shot back, clearly hitting a cord with Jason who would _not_ be told what to do right now.

 

Oh no, now? Jason was going to punch him right in the goddamn eyepatch. Jason shifted his position from defend to attack in a millisecond, just before cocking his arm back and getting ready to deliver that blow to Slade's face.

 

Dick saw the shift in Jason's stance the instant it spread over his body and he didn't hesitate to grab Jason's arm, "Back off! He had absolutely nothing to do with this! Your _boyfriend's_ the one who was out of line!"

 

"Uhh.. I was just messing around." Roy said with a slight shrug only earning a sharp glare from Dick. God, this was all just getting worse.

 

"Let go of me, Dick!"

 

Whether Jason was saying his name or insulting him was anyone's guess. He went to rip his arm out of Dick's grasp but was sloppy because of his anger. So, when his arm didn't immediately budge, he grabbed Dick's and forced it off of him. Poor Dick was now the focus of his anger, which seemed to be switching violently.

 

"Fuck off!" Jason delivered another angry shove towards Dick, though Slade was right behind him to catch him so he wouldn’t fall. "You want to act innocent? Fuck you. You _always_ do this! Every time you come around you-"

 

"Excuse me? You’re seriously going to put your boyfriends inappropriate behavior on me? Way to support rape culture, Jason.”

 

“That’s _not_ what this is about!”

 

Jason paused as the thought of Roy, _his_ Roy ... The man he loved and would die for, the person he'd thought of first over anyone else when the world was ending ... Somewhere with Dick, the man who Jason always seemed to come second against. The two of them kissing, Roy touching Dick like he did with Jason, calling him 'babe', the look of absolute pleasure and satisfaction on Roy's face as he called Dick's name, his hand woven into black hair. Jason thought about the times he'd been between Roy's legs, giving everything to make Roy melt and yet ... What if he wasn't as good? Of course he wasn't, he _neve_ was. What if all Roy could think about was Dick? Just wishing it was the golden boy's perfect mouth around him rather than second best, subpar Jason Todd's?

 

His stomach sank, he felt like he was going to be sick.  He should have known that Roy wasn't totally his. That even this, the most meaningful and important relationship of his life, would use him just like everything else ... A placeholder. Jason gave his all as a son to a drug addict mother, as Robin, now as a father and lover. He wasn't perfect, he made a lot of mistakes, but he tried ... God, did Jason try. While his rate of failure was much higher than his successes he felt _this_ time he found his place, a space he could occupy on his own that no one else could fill. Jason wanted to believe he belonged here, but ... How could he ever compare to Dick Fucking Grayson? He couldn't ... Not even by a long shot. The pit was feeding him all kinds of scenarios today and Jason was drowning in a sea of green behind his eyes. On the outside he seemed almost frozen, but his chest still heaved hard and his arms nearly shook with pure adrenaline.

 

Slade saw the look and locked his arms around Dick just in case he wanted to fight back and while he didn't disagree that Jason deserved a punch in the face right now, he wasn't in his right state of mind. Aggravating him further wouldn't solve anything. Just when Slade thought Jason might lash out again he turned away and started to power walk away wordlessly towards the entry intake and supply area. With a sigh Slade released Dick from his hold watching as the hero eased.

Roy's gaze followed Jason before he exhaled and looked at Dick who in that moment lashed out at the redhead landing a firm punch right to the other's mouth. Roy hissed and stepped back holding his face as Dick went off.

 

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Why would you do that!? Why the hell would you say those things!?"

 

"It wasn't a big deal with Kori." Roy snapped back, wiping some blood off his lip.

 

Dick was caught off guard by that response and it seemed to catch him speechless for a moment as his brain processed what exactly that meant. Part of him was angry but then he had to remember he didn't actually love her.

 

"Whatever was going on with her is _way_ different than something that happened with us nine years ago, Roy... Something you had no business in bringing up."

 

"Oh yeah right, because it's different when _you_ use people."

 

"What the hell does that even mean, Roy?"

 

"It means you have no problem bragging and showing off the people you actually have feelings for... You've been nothing but ashamed of what happened between us, I guess you've always liked men who were worse off than a junkie.. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up... Maybe I just wanted you to know how it felt like to be hurt."  Apparently Roy had some pent up anger with Dick all these years.

 

It was honestly news to him, he never knew he had this much resentment towards the other but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Dick wasn’t really there when Roy was going through withdrawls, when he was getting clean. Ever since their fling Dick had kept a wall between them, he was wishy washy about the ways he was there for Roy because all those years ago Roy admit to having a crush and Dick didn’t want to lead him on…. Now that Roy had Jason? He saw what a true friend looked like. What it felt like to be truly loved.

 

Roy's eyes broke off Dick and moved to the direction Jason walked off in, "Problem is I hurt the wrong person, again..... You'll never mean as much to this family as he does.."

 

Without another word Roy walked away, he knew Jason needed time to cool off and he knew he needed to make it up to him. He was going to go into town and get some flowers and see if he can find some cheesy CD or something.

 

Dick frowned and shook his head, looking down as he leaned against the counter with a hand shielding his eyes. He felt awful… He knew he wasn’t a good friend to Roy for a _really_ long time, he wished he could take it back. As if that guilt alone wasn’t enough he was faced with how Jason was feeling about the situation. Dick knew that his younger brother felt like he was second best yet again. He always felt that pressure around Dick, it’s why they always had a hard time getting close. He wanted Jason to be happy. To have something... The worst part was that he couldn't do anything to change how Jason was thought of or how he felt. Slade gave Dick a few seconds to cool off at the counter top. He changed over all the food to simmer and stay warm, opting to finish once things were _truly_ settled down.

 

"That wasn't about you." Slade said after a minute, stating the obvious, but knowing Dick needed to hear it. He leaned back against the counter next to the hero, placing a hand over the hand Dick had resting behind him,. "Clearly there are other issues at hand here that sparked this. Chiefly Roy's thick headedness-" And apparently a death wish. "- and Jason's anger issues. I haven't seen pit rage like that since I last watched Ra's take his yearly bath."

 

Slade had seen Ra's slaughter men just for standing after coming out of the Lazarus pit. They had coined it 'pit rage' or 'green rage' because of the sickly green color behind the iris of people's eyes. While it was strange that Jason was still so heavily affected this many years after, it wasn't surprising. The Lazarus pit seemed to feed on negative emotions, so someone like Jason, who by all means was a walking rage machine, was a perfect host to latch onto.

 

Dick sighed and shook his head, "He's just so impulsive... I mean it's not like it’s a surprise he did it it’s just... He’s raising a kid with my brother, I thought he'd at least have some common sense." Wow... That sounded condescending. Maybe everyone was just getting stir crazy being stuck in this damn cave. Add in anger issues and pit madness and that only made things worse.

 

"I'm glad you hit him… I probably would have broken his nose."

 

He had to admit to Dick how angry he'd been about the whole thing. Sure they weren't 'official', but Roy would have to be an idiot to think Slade wouldn't find his behavior way past appropriate. Not to mention pissing off Jason again wasn't a good choice. Half of Slade was convinced that the second Robin was hiding out somewhere plotting Roy Harper's death.

 

"We are just here until Damian is stable. A day or two more." Slade tried to remind him. "We have to take the doctor back today. Let's stop in Germany and get some fresh air. I think we need it."

 

As much as Dick appreciated the thought of running away with Slade he shook his head, "I can't." He responded, breaking away from the other to start handling the fruit, "I need to be here for Damian.... I was gone yesterday and... I need to apologize to him.."

 

The male paused, shit maybe he just needed to get away. Sure he's stolen some moments, but he’s always been snapped back to the reality of the situation. He was stressed and wearing thin and as nice as it was to kick back and joke around with Jason half sober the previous night it wasn't what he needed. Dick had taken to staring at the fruit for a second before starting to put it in a blender running it and making Damian's smoothie. Once that was done he transferred it to a cup and went ahead shutting the burners off. Slade remained silent for a minute, judging whether or not he should push Dick to go with him. He didn't want to be too incredibly forceful, but things here were getting out of hand for everyone.

 

"You also _need_ a break. It won't make your problems go away, but fresh air and clearing your head never hurt." What was the best way to convince Dick this would be good for him? "You can go apologize to Damian first, talk to him and then let your family take care of the rest. Jason may be a ticking time bomb, but he'll make sure Damian is cared for in your absence. I assure you."

 

“.... You know Roy’s not going to be the only one to hit on me… But… You’re hot when you're worked up.” He flirt slightly, ignoring Slade’s comment all together.

 

Dick was thinking it over even if he wasn’t going to admit that, he needed to find some way to justify going with Slade. He always insisted on having his way and for the most part people didn't try to fight him… He was tired of fighting and he had to admit… He wanted to let Slade just.. Care.

 

“I’ll go with you… But only if it works for Damian..”

  
  
  
  


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Jason was furious and not thinking straight. The only thing he knew to do in this situation was run away. To pack everything he needed and get away before he could break down completely. That's how he ended up in Africa before all this ... Maybe he should go back. Anywhere sounded better than this right now. He grabbed a large duffle bag from the intake area and headed back towards Roy and his own bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Immediately Jason started packing the bag with essentials. Money, clothes, fake passports, burner phones, his knife and handgun hidden behind the headboard. It all took less than ten minutes for him to have the bag filled on the bed, ready to go, ready to leave. Jason was about to zip it up when he remembered his Mom's ring was still in the dresser lock box. He went to retrieve it and was stopped by a painting Lian had done for him on top of the dresser.

 

Jason couldn't even remember what it was, but it barely mattered. It was just enough to kick Jason out of his thoughts and remember what else he'd be  leaving behind. This wasn't just about Roy anymore, even if he hated him. Leaving wouldn't just affect him, it would affect Lian too. Guilt washed over him like a wave, he almost _left_ his family here because of his anger, because of his inability to fucking cope like a normal human being. He gripped the side of the dresser and covered his mouth with his other hand. Next thing he knew he was sobbing over the top of the same picture, gripping harder trying to get himself to stop. He just wanted to stop feeling, to stop caring. Why did love always have to hurt like this for him?

 

There was the smallest pitter patter behind Jason before the space was filled with nothing but his sobbing, then a soft little voice breaking through the sound.

 

"Daddy?"

 

It was Lian, and she was standing behind Jason with the puppy right next to her. "What's going on?" She asked.

 

She had heard some of the yelling, she wasn't going to get involved until she heard Jason's crying. She didn't like it one bit, she just wanted things to go back to normal. Back to when it was the four of them and they were happy... She didn't understand why things seemed to spiral out as soon as uncle Dick showed up, she couldn't help but want to blame him but instead she just breathed in and reached up to hold the bottom of Jason's shirt.

 

"It'll be okay... Maybe we can go by the water, that always makes me feel better."

 

There was a small creak in the cave, barely an inch deep. Her and Bizarro usually spent a lot of time down there after a fight. Jason breathed in and palmed the tears away from his face with the back of his hand before facing his daughter.

 

"Nothings going on, I'm sorry." Jason tried, immediately getting down to her level taking the hand from his shirt into his own. She was so small, he always remembered that at times like this, but she also wasn't stupid. "Or ... Everything is going to be okay. Maybe not right now, but it will be."

 

Jason let out a small sigh.

 

“I noticed you guys have been fighting a lot…. Maybe we can try getting out of the cave for a bit.. Papa watched the Shining yesterday and I think that everyones getting cabin fever.” The girl spoke as though this was, without a doubt, a fact.

 

"I ... Your Dad said some things that upset me and I took it out on your Uncle Dick. I just haven't been feeling well lately ... Mentally I guess." It was so easy to talk to Lian, because he knew she didn't judge him. Lian loved him, and she'd never view him through the lenses everyone else did because she never knew what Jason used to be. The Jason that wanted to destroy everything.

"I'm sorry there has been so much fighting going on. We all still love each other, it's just ... Complicated sometimes." With that Jason scooped up his little girl and hugged her as he stood up, the puppy jumping up and whining a little that she was left on the ground. "We are late for breakfast and you need to hit up your pirate for his art money." Jason reminded her as he started to walk.

 

“I need to finish my painting.” She then began whispering to Jason, “I drew him on a dragon flying over the moon.” She was clearly proud of her painting and couldn't wait to show Slade. In fact her entire mood turned around at the mention of it.

 

"Have you come up with a name for our new housemate yet?"

 

“I was still deciding. I was thinking either Princess Jasmine or Mia!” The girl beamed, “I thought… I thought I'd let B have the final say to make things up to him.” She said with a gentle shrug, it was the least she could do.

  


Jason entered the kitchen 20 minutes after the fight had initially taken place, by now all of the food was on the table and Dick was working on cleaning some pans. Slade had brought the doctor in from his jet to have breakfast with them. The man was remarking about how comfortable Slade's bed was, in which he could only laugh in return because he spent the previous two nights trying to doze off in chairs. The Red Hood set Lian down so she could go to the kitchen table on her own. His face was red, eyes still shining, yet he was trying to play off like he hadn't just been balling in the bedroom ready to leave.

 

"Hey ... Dick ..." Jason called, but couldn't make eye contact with his brother. Whether it was shame or latent anger was hard to read. "Can I talk to you? ... Alone." Jason asked jerking his head back towards the sparring area. It was going to be the closest thing to privacy they could get at the moment.

 

The raven haired male was silent and stiff a moment before nodding, Lian slipping away to add the finishing touches to her painting.

 

“Alright.” He said, setting the smoothie in the fridge.

 

He wanted to be the one to give it to Damian so he could apologize then run off with Slade. On his way out of the kitchen Dick stopped by Slade who was standing near the coffee maker. “We'll go to Germany after I talk to Jason and Damian.”

 

Clearly Dick didn't care about PDA, again, he was convinced they were official. Not that it mattered, it was so obvious Lian noticed it. Dick stood on his toes pecked Slade's lips before he made his way out to the training area hoping his brother didn't want to fight.

 

Meanwhile, Lian had finished her painting and ran back into the kitchen, the puppy following her oh so loyally and even slipping slightly as it turned the corner and stopped beside her. Lian then tugged on Slades pants.

 

“Mr. Pirate. I finished your painting.” She said before holding up the messy and still wet canvas.

 

Slade was pouring himself and Viktor some coffee when Lian called for his attention, shit she was adorable.

 

"Let's see it." Slade said taking up the artwork from Lian in front of him and looked over the creativity on the page. "Is that a dragon? ... I love dragons ... And in space? This is definitely a keeper." He praised with a genuine smile. "Definitely earned your cash. Let's have breakfast first then I'll cut you your check. Go wash your hands." Slade suggested, looking down at the puppy who was wagging its tail looking at the plate of breakfast too. "... You'll get something too."

  
  
  


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“Listen Jay... I didn't… Mean for that to happen.” That didn't even feel right to say… It wasn't his fault.

 

"Didn't mean? Dick what the actual fuck." Jason started, sounding irritated already, but he took a breath and calmed himself. "Sorry that's not how I want this to go, but ... _seriously_ ? I was there, I saw everything from beginning to end I _know_ you had nothing to do with that shit show Roy pulled." Jason explained, kicking off his boots and socks before starting to stretch a little. He could barely stay still right now, he was a nervous ball of anxiety.

 

"I need to apologize ... Again. I shouldn't have taken out my frustrations on you or Slade. The moment Roy ..." Jason was getting angry just thinking about it. "I was so angry, upset ... Hurt." He admit the last more quietly than the rest. "You ... Fuck I know it isn't your fault but living in your shadow was ... Has been hard. The moment I entered this world everyone was comparing me to you, you were the gold standard, the measuring stick they'd put me up against to judge my worth. Is he as strong as Dick? As kind? As likable?" Jason began wrapping his knuckles with athletic tape. "I failed every test, second best, a placeholder for you. That's how it felt, and you resented me for it... I don't blame you for that either, I certainly gave Tim enough of a hard time as my replacement."

 

By hard time he meant 'almost killed him on multiple occassions'. It was hard to think about that now, considering Tim ended up being one of his favorite human beings on planet earth.

 

"Fuck. What I'm saying is you know why I got upset. It's like he was upset he had to settle for someone other than you... And the comments about you two ... Like why did it matter? Who cares ... Who _would_ care about something like that when ... When they should be happy with what they have. When I've given him everything I have?" Jason felt that twisting in his stomach again. Shit he wasn't going to get this way in front of Dick. "Dick I hate this. I hate it. I don't want to care this much, I don't want to fight with you. This is all just a mess..."

 

Jason swung at one of the punching bags to get some of his anger out while Dick let out a soft sigh, his heart aching for his younger brother. He moved behind the punching bag to hold it steady for Jason to give more blows.

 

"Jason... I never wanted that for you... I always hated hearing people compare you to me it just.... You’re not me, Jason. There’s no way in hell you ever could be and... I don't want you to be. Everyone expects me to be perfect and when I make a mistake its either the end of the world or I'm perceived as naive and stupid... I'm no better than you, Jason. I hate it when people act like I am." Dick sighed and moved to place a hand on Jason’s shoulder.

 

"I know Roys words hurt you because now there’s just one more thing for you to compare yourself to me about... But... What happened between Roy and I wasn't nearly as special as what you have with him.. We were drunk and out of it and I was just being a jackass. He had a crush on me and I completely broke his heart... It would've gone further if Bruce didn't walk in.... Anyways my point is that the moment he saw you? He could not stop talking about you. He completely lit up and just... He was so alive. And... And when you died he just completely spiraled out of control, Jason.." Dicks hand tightened on the others shoulder, "I know it's hard for you not to compare yourself to me but trust me when I say you mean way more to him than I do.."

 

A crush? Roy had a crush on Dick? Of course he did, of fucking course. Yet, he needed to focus on the rest of what Dick said, that Roy saw him as special. That Roy had missed Jason when he died. In his right state of mind he had to know Roy loved him, yet the hurt in his heart wouldn't allow him to even breathe.

 

"I know that he cares its just... My mind is trying to tell me otherwise. It's hard." Jason lifted a hand and put it over Dick's. His big brother was a good guy, Jason didn't think he had earned his patience and forgiveness, but he was happy to have them anyway. "That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. When I finally came home Bruce had me start seeing a psychiatrist. You know the whole 'do as I say, not as I do thing' he liked to pull. They put me on a few medications to help with things. The anxiety, paranoia, depression ... Kept the pit at bay and I was feeling better, so much better." Dick was the first person he was sharing this with outside his doctors and Alfred. "I've been out of them for about a month now. I feel like I'm spiraling backwards again ... So if you and Slade are going to Germany do you think-”

 

Jason was cut off by the sound of Roy’s voice and a hard shove.

 

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" The red head snapped quite uncharacteristically, he was scared and hurt at the thought of Jason leaving and was using anger to hide it. "How could you be so selfish!?"

 

Roy had gotten home with the flowers, first he checked the computer and lab space. Then he went to the bedroom and that's when he saw the all too familiar bag. Roy practically growled as he dropped the flowers, this couldn't be happening. Jason couldn't do this to them! Lian and Bizarro loved the man too Damn much to lose him and Roy knew right now with all the stress Jason was the only thing keeping him sober.

 

Jason didn't back down from Roy, in fact he took a step toward him. "I _was_ standing here talking to my brother, you know the one you had to tell everyone you fucked about an hour ago?" He shot back. "Also don't you _dare_ walk the fuck in here and start screaming at me about being selfish Roy. You have _no_ ground to stand on." Jason had entirely forgot about the bag, so he had no idea what Roy was going on about. "Seriously fuck you. Get away from me. I'm so done with this. Go fuck Dick, Cheshire, who ever the hell you want to Roy."

 

Dick took a step to move between Roy and Jason however the redhead quickly gave Dick a push hard enough to send his ass to the mats before pointing his finger at Jason,"That's not even what this is about, Jason! Just because I slept with someone nine years ago doesn't give you any right to leave us! What, you're going to leave because I have a baby too, now!? You mine as well. You walk out that door and Lian and Bizarro will be absolutely crushed because you'll be abandoning them!"

 

Roy yelled so loud the bats overhead began shrieking, Dick was sure everyone could hear this shit show. Rather than sticking around he slowly got up and backed out of the room. God could anything ever get better? Instead of heading to the kitchen he went straight to the med bay to crawled into bed with Damian, curling up under the covers.

 

"You have no idea what its like when youre gone... The kids need you.... I _need_ you, Jason. I can't keep doing this shit! I can't keep pretending everythings fucking okay because it's not! I know I fucked up but.... You dont have to leave us..." Roy had started crying, all his pent up stress and fear just gushing out of him. Everyone was high strung and emotional today, there seemed to be no escape.

 

Jason now remembered the bag, his blood running ice cold at the thought of it. He had considered leaving, it was a brief fifteen minutes, but it still happened. Of course Jason felt guilty, especially after Lian so sweetly pulled him out of it.

 

"I'm still here, aren't I? If I was going to leave I wouldn't have waited for you to come back to do it ... I never have before." Jason couldn't remember the last time Roy was this upset, screaming, crying. He couldn't help the way his heart felt like it was being crushed in his chest just at the sight of it. "And I love Lian. I'd never-" Fuck, fuck. How was he turning into the bad guy in all this?

 

"I'm not leaving them I'd be leaving you!" Jason yelled back, feeling tears running down his own cheeks now as he grabbed the front of Roy's shirt with both hands. "Do you have any idea what you did? What you mean to me?!" His hands tightened in Roy's shirt even more. "I can't be your second choice Roy ..." Jason's hands started to shake. "... I ... I want to be your first. This is where I wanted to belong. Dick doesn't deserve it! I do! Every temper tantrum, bedtime story, your withdrawal ... _I_ was there. When no one else wanted either of us we always fucking had each other Roy. You ripped me to _pieces_ and the worst part is ... It's like you didn't even know. Now you want to scream at me about leaving? How else  am I supposed to protect myself?!"

 

Roy shook his head, "Jason... What the hell would make you think you weren't my first choice? I'm with you aren't I? I don't want Dick.. I don't want Cheshire or even Kori.. Do you have any idea how much joy it brings me to hear Lian call you 'daddy'?" Roy asked. This fight was all over the place from blaming, venting, to confessing undying love...  "Jason if you weren't here right now I would relapse... You are the only thing holding me together and it feels shitty because my own kids aren't enough for me."

 

It was true, despite wanting to fight for Lian with everything he had he couldn't continue fighting against the Court sober. Not without Jason. He knew he could hide the drugs and alcohol from his little girl, sure she'd figure it out but he was willing to risk that damage... Jason? Jason would be the snot out of him if he even suspected it and that’s what Roy needed.

 

"I don't want Dick... Over the years I've learned that... He's not who I thought he was.. He couldn't take this.. He may like the fighting but when it came down to it he'd never be able to handle an addict but you? You grew up with it.. It hits home for you and... Its fucked up but its so beautiful, Jason.. I don't want to hurt you."

 

"I'd kick your ass if you relapsed." Jason said letting go of Roy's shirt finally, just letting his hands rest on the other's chest. "You won't do that to Lian or yourself." What was he going to do about this? He was hurt and the pit told him to grip on tight and never let go, never forgive. This was Roy though, his Roy. "I know you didn't want to hurt me, Roy, but you did. You left and I went into the bedroom and just ... Broke down. I couldn't stop thinking about you with Dick, you touching him, calling his name, and the pit had me wondering if ... If you ever wished it was him between your legs instead of me. I thought I was going to be sick, Roy, I couldn't even breathe." Jason needed to take Roy through his thought process so he could understand.

 

"I just wanted to run away from it. I slipped backward and I am sorry for that. I'm not going anywhere Roy. I love you. God, I love you, I want to belong here with you. Roy ..." Jason put his hands on either side of Roy's face. "This family is my everything. I've never felt as at home or as wanted as I do with you. I've given this family everything I have, will always. Just ... Give me you, Roy, that's all I want in return. Please."

 

Roy listened to each and every word Jason spoke and his heart just broke. How could he be so stupid? This is exactly what Dick was talking about, Jason was hurt because he began to doubt Roys love for him. He was hurt because he couldn't help but wonder if Dick was better. Roy felt lower than dirt and just shook his head before placing his hands on Jason’s cheeks.

 

"Babe, I have _never_ wished you were him. The moment you kissed me I forgot all about my stupid boy crush because I fell in love.... And I fell so impossibly hard, Jason... You’re my everything." The redhead quickly pulled the other into a tight and crushing hug. "You belong here. We are a band of hopeless misfits." There was the joking.

 

Those were the words Jason needed to hear, the way they soothed his aching heart made Jason feel like he could breathe again. Roy loved him, not only that, but Jason _was_ his first choice, the one he wanted. Dick may have came first chronologically in Roy's life, but Jason was first in his heart. To him? That's all that fucking mattered in the world. Apocalypse or not, Jason had a place he belonged with his family, whether it was in this cave or on the moon. Even with Bruce (as hard as he and Alfred tried) he never felt like he fully had that.

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Damian heard the fighting going on and let out a large groan. Again? Really? Those two needed a lesbian marriage counselor and fast. He was about to roll over to turn on the TV again when Dick came nearly running into the room and under the covers with him.

 

"What did you do, Grayson ..." Damian mumbled before Dick could even get a word out. Though, once Damian got a better read on Dick's mental state his anger from earlier started to disappear.

 

"I'm sorry..... I'm not benching you... I shouldn't have threatened to I'm just.. Scared.." He admit to the boy and laid his head on his stomach letting his eyes close, Roys yelling in the background like a white noise.

 

"I think we are all scared." Damian replied, letting Dick koala himself however he wanted around his smaller body.

 

He waited for Dick to be perfectly still before adjusting just enough that he could put an arm around Dick's back, the other shyly taking the older's hand. It was clear that his brother was upset, and while Damian wasn't always the cuddly type, he knew Dick needed it right now. After everything that had happened? He was done being stubborn in order to defend his pride. Damian loved Dick, so why hide it?

 

"... You and Todd going to be okay?"

 

Dick couldn't help but to sigh heavily, "Yeah.... I think so..... He doesn't want to keep fighting I just think.. He’s struggling right now." The older male squeezed Damians hand and nuzzled into him, "I just want it to stop.... With the Court around the last thing we need is to be at each other’s throats..." Dick looked up at the other, meeting his blues before softly smiling and releasing Damian’s hand to wrap his arms around the boys waist. "I know I'm not helping either.... I'll find a way to let you help. With your injuries I think you should avoid the physical things for now but we can set you up with some other gear when we get back to Slade's... Speaking of..." Dick trailed off and sat up to look at the other, reaching up and playing with his hair. "He and I are flying to Germany tonight to drop off the doctor.. I don't know when we'll be back but I promise tomorrow I'm all yours."

 

"Gross. You aren't to date him, Grayson, I won't allow it." Damian said firmly at the mention of them going on some rendezvous to Germany. "But I accept your offer. I'll play Oracle until my wounds have healed then we will renegotiate the terms of my heroics. Seems .... Reasonable." The boy leaned into Dick's touch and closed his eyes. He was really comfortable, well...

Until his stomach growled at Dick. "That's a message for you, apparently."

 

Dick rolled his eyes at Damian though he kept silent as the boy seemed to accept his terms. "Damian..." He’s have to break the news of him and Slade dating later. "I made you a smoothie, let me go get it." Dick kissed his temple and walked out of the med bay and into the kitchen to grab the smoothie.

 

"I want something solid too!" Damian called after him as he turned on the television. He was giving Dick a bit of a hard time, but then again when wasn't he?

 

Once Dick fetched Damian’s food he stopped to give Viktor a firm hug, "He looks great. Thank you so much." <You're the best. You've always been like an uncle to me> The hero said in German

 

Viktor smiled and put up a hand to pat Dick's shoulder as he hugged him. "No problem. He's been a hand full, but all that energy means he'll heal quickly. Anything for the Bats, yeah?"

 

He had received all kinds of help from Bruce over the years, helping him build his practice and community outreach. He was honored to be able to give back to the family that helped him save lives and fulfill his life's work.

 

Standing up straight, Dick looked at Slade, "I think we're good to go in twenty... I don't hear Roy yelling anymore."

 

"Yeah we could hear it out here too." Slade said trying not to sound miffed about it. Lian shouldn't be hearing those things, though she was already well aware something was wrong. "I'll start up the jet after we clean up breakfast."

 

"You know..." Viktor chimed in pointing his fork toward Slade. "It's Saturday-" Was it? Slade had lost track to be honest. "The wife and I usually have the Grandkids today, we take them to the park or the local petting zoo. It's small, but our community it tight knit, very safe." Viktor looked towards where the fighting had been coming from. "Why don't you ask the Father’s if it’s okay for Lian and Bizarro to come with for the day? I'm sure the Mrs. and I can handle it."

 

Dick couldn’t help but to light up at the suggestion, did he meet Viktors wife? Of course he did! He was little and she was the only thing that actually kept Dick from insisting he went with Bruce on a case while he was injured. They stayed home and baked some cookies, did some gardening. She even let him build a tire swing in the backyard.

 

"That is a great idea, Viktor. I think the kids need to get out and just.... Get to be kids."

His gaze shifted to Lian who was poking at her food, clearly upset from all the fighting.. Hopefully it'd also allow Roy and Jason to get out for a bit.

 

"I'm going to bring Damian some breakfast, finish up eating while I talk to Jason and Roy." Sure Dick should also eat but the excitement of Lian being able to go and pet some baby goats had him so excited it wasn't even on his mind... Not to mention Slade had cereal on the jet.

 

Dick headed back to Damian and handed him his food, "Hey... I need to talk to Jason and Roy real quick...... I know I've been all over the place and I haven't gotten to spend time with you but I promise I will make up for it." The older male said before hugging Damian, "I love you.." He kissed the boys head and began making his way to the training room.

 

"Love you too Grayson ... No sex with Wilson! Did you hear me?" Damian huffed and began sipping on his smoothie, damn it was good.

  


Slade and Viktor finished breakfast with Lian. The terminator focused on the clean up while Viktor went to give Damian a final check up before leaving. Setting up any medications he might need and leaving detailed notes for Dick to have about his care moving forward. Slade made a point to wrap up leftovers for Jason and Roy in the microwave, and even put together a plate for Dick. He could eat on the jet, actually, he _would_ eat. Slade would make sure of it.

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Jason let Roy touch him, and hug him, returning the gesture but just without the same bone crushing strength. Honestly? He felt tired, getting upset like this was emotionally draining for him, more so than physical activity was. When Roy locked gazes with him he knew he should say something, sorry maybe? Sorry for doubting him? Sorry for always being such an angry pain in the ass? Maybe tell him _why_ he was being such an angry pain in the ass? Roy then locked his gaze with Jason and everything went still. Roy thought of all the words spoken, all the feelings felt and then it hit him. Roy would not be satisfied with anybody else. Jason was his one and only, his truest of loves. It was almost like it compelled him and the redhead couldn't help but to blurt out.

 

"Marry me."

 

Jason swore he had a stroke. "... What?" He was wearing probably the stupidest look of surprise his face had ever made, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. "Roy you're not ... Did you just ask me to _marry_ you?" Jason asked with utter disbelief. "I just tried to run away, we just got back together from the last time I did ... I don't exactly meet the requirements of 'husband' material." This wasn't doubt in Roy, it was doubt in himself. Yet his heart was shouting 'just say yes'. "Are you sure?"

 

Roy listened to Jason and he couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes, "I'm a junkie who's been craving nothing more than a swig of alcohol and the prick of a needle." He admit before his hands moved to hold Jason's, "We're both absolute and entire messes.... You have a lot of anger and resentment and I am prone to making bad decisions... Honestly if you ask me we're perfect for each other." The redhead smiled. Asking Jason to marry him honestly felt like it was the first right choice he would ever make his entire life. The moment the demand slipped from his lips he knew without a doubt he wanted it, even more so than drugs.

 

Roy rummaged around in his pockets before he got down and held up a washer from something he must've been working on earlier, still he held it up for Jason like it was a diamond ring.

 

"Jason Peter Todd, nothing would make me a happier man than marrying you." If Jason said yes he'd have to find a legit ring... He'd also have to kiss and make up with Slade and Dick so they can get rid of the kids for the honeymoon because Roy fully intended on turning the cave into a one man choir.

 

"You cheesy shit." Jason said with a small laugh, but was honestly flattered by the gesture.

 

The ring was lacking, but kind of perfect for Roy because ... Of course he'd have that in his pocket. Jason smiled for probably the first time that day and dropped to his knees in front of Roy and kissed him hard. It was probably too dominating for the occasion, but fuck it.

 

"Roy..." Jason took the washer and knew it wasn't fitting on any part of him, but he was going to keep it. Then he remembered what was in his own pocket from earlier. "My Mom gave me something before she died ..." He said reaching into his pocket and pulling out the ring he'd gone back to get while packing his bag, the ring that had been on top of Lian's picture that made him stay. It was weird how the world worked sometimes. "It was my Grandmother's wedding ring. She said someday I'd find someone special and on that day I needed to give this to them. I've held onto it all this time because it was what I had left of her and I never thought I'd actually find someone to give it to."

 

The ring was probably too small for Roy to wear, but the simple white gold band, with tiny sapphires inlaid around it, was luckily already on a chain. Jason had worn it for years before he could trust putting it anywhere it wouldn't be stolen.

 

"I don't want anyone else, it can't _be_ anyone else." He unhooked the chain and put it around Roy's neck before clipping it in place. Jason put a hand over the ring against Roy's chest, it didn't feel wrong giving it to him. He thought he'd experience so much anxiety but it just felt right. "So ... Let's do this. I'm ready." Jason confirmed before going back to kissing Roy again.

 

The way everything lined up was beyond perfect that the male even had that on him and the redhead couldn't help but to light up. This was really happening. Roy almost bounced in his spot as Jason clipped the chain around his neck, he was going to wear this for the rest of his life even when they got real rings.

 

"Looks like the stars are aligned in our favor." He grinned and leaned in to kiss Jason passionately, not hesitating to bring him in close and make the moment more intimate than it should've been given the fact they had kids spies everywhere.

 

Dick had walked in just in time to have seen Jason put the necklace around Roys neck, he quietly stood and watched the  pure joy in the redheads eyes before he kissed Jason.The older male was touched by the aura of love that had blossomed through the air and if he had his phone he would have even take a picture.... That was.... Until he saw a hint of Roy’s tongue intruding Jason's lips and a sly hand slipping up the others thigh.

 

Dick cleared his throat alerting the two of his presence, he really didn't want to see anymore and even averted his eyes.

 

Roy almost flinched but instead pulled away with a sigh, "Perhaps the stars have fallen against us."

 

"I'm not here to ruin your little moment.... Actually." Dick paused and looked back at the two with a smirk, "Viktor asked if he could take the kids to a petting zoo... I went there with his wife years ago. It's a nice place, safe... It'll-"

 

"Yes." Roy quickly interrupted, "Then we can have the good ol' love cave up and running!" He exclaimed, punching the air.

 

"Oh my god ... Brain to mouth filter we've talked about this. Fucking 'love cave'-" Jason couldn't help but laugh a little anyway. It was entirely ridiculous.

 

Dick's face turned a hint of pink as he cleared his throat, "Damian is still here-"

 

"Awww come on.."

 

"Roy, we can't move him... Just... Make sure you give the poor  kid headphones and keep the overhead speakers off." Dick sounded like a parent though... It was likely not something he should ever say to his children.

 

"I'll make sure Damian is taken care of. Scouts promise ... Or something." Jason shook his head and stared down Dick. "Now go ... Go, go, go ... I mean unless you want to watch me fuck my fiancee." He smirked pushing Roy flat back onto the mats. "Get the sliding door will you?"

 

"Toodles" Roy waved Dick off.

 

Roys arms and legs wrapped around Jason instantly as he went back to kissing him, hand in his hair and tongue in his mouth. He even generated out a lude sound to force Dick out. Needless to say it worked.

 

Dick left and shut the door before he could see Roy shamelessly grinding against the other, honestly the redhead could care less if they had an audience. It was kind of hot. Jason was over Roy in seconds and putting on just as much of a show ... Well partly show, partly true horniness.

 

"His face was priceless." Jason just had to mention it. Making Dick uncomfortable was in his top ten favorite activities.

 

However there were more pressing matters at hand, namely the _insanely_ hot redhead under him right now.

 

"There are too many rooms we haven't christened yet in this cave ... It's a shame."

 

Jason dipped down and wound his hand into Roy's hair so he could get full access to his neck, not giving two shits if he left noticeable hickeys on him at this point. He just wanted to devour Roy completely. His other hand went between Roy's grinding hips and straight down into his pants ... Jason wasn't fucking around. Either he needed Roy to get in him now, or he'd be doing it himself. Hm. Actually the idea of riding him sounded … amazing. Especially with the firm, padded floor, better grip and traction after all.

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


Dick made sure to go to by Damian's med bed one more time to give him some noise cancelling headphones, "You'll thank me later... Also.."

 

He paused and opened a drawer under the medbed bringing out some snacks he stashed there years ago. If it wasn't processed junk it'd be bad by now. Dick set the snacks by Damian and kissed his forehead before hugging him one last time.

 

"Oh my god if I hear them again I will poison everything." Not just poison Roy and Jason, he was poisoning _everything_.

 

"I love you... Also.... No promises about Slade." With that he headed to the kitchen.

 

"Grayson… If you and Slade fornicate I will chop it off. Chop.it.off. OFF. YOU HEAR ME?" Damian yelled, then was followed by. "Both of them! So you two can both enjoy the rest of your lives as genderless eunuchs together!"

  
  


-

  
  
  


Lian had helped Slade with cleaning the kitchen. She started by giving the pup some food scraps before she took it upon herself to do the dishes. What was she? Five? Six? So responsible for her age.

 

"So when are you and uncle Dick getting married?" She asked before gasping, "Can I do his makeup and do the decorations!?"

 

The young girl was just beaming with glee and excitement. The question seemed random but the girl was trying to find something _positive_ and recalled seeing Dick kiss slade. Obviously the next step was marriage and a baby. Gah, she loved romance stories.

 

"Married? Ah ... I don't know." Slade admitted, getting a little flushed at how bold the question was. "I've tried that whole marriage thing before ... Wasn't really for me." The merc then decided that probably wasn't the best answer to give a child. "How about this? When we get married I'll tell Dick you are the only one allowed to do his makeup ... Though something tells me you'll have to fight with your Uncle Tim over the decorations." Tim just striked him as that kind of gay ... the kid _was_ gay right? He had to be.

 

"When can I start calling you Uncle pirate?"

 

Now that was sweet enough to leave Slade smiling, then looking falsely offended. "I thought I already _was_ your Uncle Pirate. You wound me."

 

Lian smiled at Slade and hugged his legs tightly, "I didn't wanna make assumptions. You might've thought I was after your booty!" The girl said innocently.

 

Dick apparently chose the perfect moment to walk in and couldn't help but to choke out a chuckle covering his mouth for a moment, "Sorry sweetheart. His booty is mine." He teased before approaching Viktor, "Jay and Roy said yes to the petting zoo.. We can pack some snacks for the kids."

 

Lian wasted no time rushing to fetch Bizarro while Dick spoke to Slade. "I can finish up in here if you wanna warm up the jet."

 

Slade gave no protest and kissed Dick on the forehead before he followed Lian out of the kitchen. After quietly waking Bizarro and assuring him there were pancakes on the plane he took Lian and Bizarro with him to start the jet. First he paid her twenty dollars for the painting, then handed her and Bizzaro about a hundred dollars in mixed bills for their activities with Viktor. Even if the man insisted on paying Slade wouldn't be having that. He was doing them all a favor by taking the kids out for a while.

 

It wasn't long after that everyone was loaded up and flying towards Germany.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be lots of fun! Plenty of fluff and cute moments between Dick and Slade!


	12. When You're Smiling

Everything was going over so well, Dick happily ate cereal in the jet while talking away at Viktor and the kids. He even stopped to sit in the passenger seat with Slade, only to discover that Lian had wrapped her and Bizarro in toilet paper to play mummies. At first the older male told her toilet paper wasn't a toy, two minutes later and it was their own reenactment of 'The Mummy Returns'. He was a child at heart, he couldn't help but to play with the kids even if it meant making a giant mess.    
  


When they landed it was a short drive to Viktor's home, which looked like something out of a BBC special. It was made with a gorgeous old brick and lining the vast gardens throughout the property seemed like millions of flowers, grasses, and bushes. There was even a sizable vegetable garden just east of the house were Ida, Viktor's wife, was. She had long braided white hair and the biggest smile on her face. There were three children, one was a girl older than Lian, a boy who was probably the same age, and another much smaller boy who couldn't have been older than a year or so, barely bumbling around in the grass with his toys.    
  
"Papapapa." The little one started, half a tonka truck in his mouth as he pointed at Viktor.    
  
"A little dirt tastes good, huh?" Viktor chuckled picking up the toddler. "This is my family. My wife Ida, Beth, Jeremy, and this little guy is Daniel."

 

Bizzaro was approaching the baby slowly, it was the tiniest human he'd ever seen. "Hi."

 

He started, the baby just cocked his head and made grabby hands at the giant male, Viktor didn't even hesitate handing him off which just made B  _ glow _ . It was a beautiful display of trust and it was enough to not only make Dick smile but to make Slade smile as well.

 

"Hi baby, me Zaro."   
  
"Zarahhhh." 

 

Before long the other children surrounded Bizarro, "Woah! Is he a superhero?!" The young girl exclaimed.

 

"Of course he's a superhero, Beth! With muscles like that there's no wayyy he's not." Jeremy snort.

  
"He  _ is _ a superhero! And he's fought mummies and robots and even broccoli!" Lian chimed in, vouching for her big brother.

 

Slade was relieved things were going well, his biggest reservation was the family not responding well to the giant grey man they brought with them. Clearly it wasn't going to be an issue, in fact seeing the kids getting along was nothing short of hope inspiring. A taste of normalcy in the midst of all the chaos.

 

After the adults stopped being distracted by the kids Slade genuinely  said, "It's nice to meet you." To Ida.

 

The woman hardly got a chance to respond before Dick broke through them and hugged her tightly.

 

"Ida! You are just as beautiful as ever. Is there some kind of pit of long lasting youth in your garden?" He didn't hesitate to charm the old woman. 

 

"You too." She slipped out to Slade despite being in Dick's arms, "And look at this one! My god, Dick, what do they feed you over there in Gotham?" She didn't hesitate to hug him back. "I'm glad to see you are okay. Is this little one yours?" She asked, looking at Lian.

  
"I wish... She's my brother’s, I'm watching her so her parents can have some personal time." 

 

It didn't take long for his blues to fixate on the baby in B's arms, he just wanted to steal, swaddle and never let go of the sweet little guy. His body even twitched slightly at the urge. He  _ would _ be holding that baby before he left.

 

"Your family is so  _ beautiful _ , I always knew you'd be a good mother. You put up with me after all." Dick chuckled.

  
"I used to have to chase him around the house with beets to get him to eat something healthy. And then he'd always try to sneak away and wear those little green panties."

  
"See? If you can handle a teenage vigilante you can handle anything."    
  
Ida smiled warmly before looking at Slade, "So uh..  Is this your grandpapa?"

  
Dick wasn't particularly surprised at the question, he was sure he would get that a lot. So, he didn't shy away or hide, he just wrapped his arm around Slade's and leaned into him.

 

"He's uh.. Actually my boyfriend." 

 

Surprise briefly flashed across Ida's face though she didn't show any disapproval. It was probably why Dick loved the woman so much. She wasn't judgemental in the slightest. Slade on the other hand? He was probably the deepest shade of red that Dick had ever seen on him. Deathstroke didn't blush, the guy didn't even get red in the face after strenuous exercise.    
  
When had they started dating?  The older man couldn’t help but to wonder, after all it was only a couple days ago Dick still wasn't even sure he could  _ like _ Slade because of moral restrictions. Now they were dating? Enough to tell people? Okay, they needed to have a talk asap. 

 

"Can I hold your little one?" Dick blurt out, not letting the topic sit for too long. He wasn't avoiding it, he just wanted to hold the damn baby.   
  
"Of course honey, one second."    
  


 

  
Bizarro was absolutely thrilled with the attention, even more so that the children thought he was a superhero. He even started to float a little off the ground, the baby looking down as they rose about two feet. In fact he was in such good spirits that when Ida asked for the baby, he handed him over with no argument. If it was cute or fluffy getting it away from him could be a chore, but he had friends to play with. 

 

"LiLi, want to do loops?" 

 

Bizarro was talkin about when he'd fly with Lian, it was always slow, close to the ground, and never when Jason was around (not that he'd stop it, he just about ripped his hair out with worry though). The loops referred to how he would often fly in circles or corkscrews like a roller coaster. In the cave it was nearly impossible to do because of the bats. Out here? They had all the room in the world.

  
  
  


"Dani, this is Dick." Ida introduced before handing the child over to the hero. "He likes to touch and wiggle." 

 

As if on cue Dani reached forward and grabbed the side of Dick's mouth, staring closely at his face, not that it mattered because the second that baby was in Dick’s arms it was as though everything vanished and Dick held nothing but pure love in his eyes. He had just about missed the fact that Slade snickered at the interaction which caused the baby to look towards the older man and nearly glare. It read 'how dare you mock me?' Curiously, Dani stared at Slade's face more closely reaching up to touch the underside of his beard. 

 

"Every time." Slade sighed, but still in good spirits regardless. "Don't get any ideas Dick." He spoke looking at the younger male.

 

It was easy to see by the way Dick looked at kids that he wanted one of his own. Damian was close, but having to co-parent with Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul probably wasn't how he imagined parenthood ... Well just Bruce now.

  
"You like his beard too, huh? It's really soft, like a kitten." Dick said in a soft whisper to the child, gently rocking him.

 

He couldn't deny how right it felt having a child in his arms, it was as though he were holding the world itself. Dick nuzzled into Dani and kissed his head, the child smiling at him and even letting out something of a giggle before squirming a bit. Rather than trying to get Dani to stay still Dick had just begun moving, walking in a little circle and rocking the little guy. He himself always had a hard time sitting still, he knew what it felt like and what was needed. He also remembered how his mom told him that she could never hold him in her lap, that if she held him she had to be moving or he would try and wiggle away.     
  
Ida smiled warmly before chuckling and standing by Slade, "He looks like he's going to steal him."

  
"No... I'll just borrow him for 18 years and give him back." Dick smirked, glancing over at the two.

 

Meanwhile, Bizarro had taken to giving the kids mini ‘plane’ rides, flying low to the ground around the property.   
  


Dani was happy in Dick's arms, seeing how far he could lean this way and that before the hero corrected his balance. Seemed like both Dick and Bizarro were fun toys for the kids to play with.    
  
"I'd take that threat seriously if I were you." Slade smirked looking towards Ida.    
  
Ida began to laugh, "I can think of worse people to raise a child, besides-" 

 

She paused as Dick rounded back to standing beside Slade. Dani reached up, extending fully, and grabbed a handful of Slade's beard and then sat down in Dick's arms. Slade had felt the tug and moved down with it, moving to untangle his beard from the child's fingers ... Who was putting it into his mouth. Fantastic.

 

"... He seems to like you too." Ida finished now laughing harder.   
  
Slade managed to dislodge his beard from the small hands, only for Daniel to grab one of Slade's larger fingers and shove it into his mouth to the side of his gums where he chewed on it like a dog with a kong toy. 

 

"Tasty isn't he?" 

 

Maybe that wasn't the most appropriate joke to tell a baby but Dick figured he wouldn't even know what he was saying. Though, that didn't mean Dani wasn't going to respond, oh no, he let out a few babbles and a scream before trying to stand in Dicks arms and pull away.    
  


"Teething?" Slade asked.

 

"Yes, he has most of them in but those back molars are always a challenge."   
  
"My kids were the same way. My daughter chewed on just about anything, remotes, phones, pens..."   
  
"You have children?"   
  
"Ah ... Yes. They're grown now though. They don't stay this little very long."    
  
"Mm. True..." Ida said watching Viktor while observing the Bizarro Coaster entertaining the kids. "I think we have everything handled here if you two want to take some time to yourselves. It’s a beautiful town ..."

 

"I could honestly play with this little guy forever but... That'd defeat the baby sitting thing." Dick chuckled and kissed the baby's head before handing him back to Ida.   
  
"Someday you'll have your own little one to hog." She smiled.

 

"I hope so..." Dick responded, his face softer than it had been in a while. 

 

He gave one last smile before hugging Ida and kissing her cheek. He then went to give Viktor a handshake and a ‘thank you’ before telling Lian and Bizarro to behave. With that the young hero began heading to the rental car.

 

"Dibs on driving."   
  
Dick called out before hopping on the hood and sliding over the top to the other side of the car. Slade just stood back and watched Dick, wondering how long it would take before he realized he was on the wrong side of the car. 

 

"Or not. I guess you can have  _ some  _ control." The male winked and climbed into the car.

 

Slade let out a short chuckle at Dick's response, "How generous of you." 

 

He walked to the  _ actual _ driver side of the car and got inside. He half expected Dick to just climb over the middle console like the spider monkey he's proven himself to be and drive anyway. Definitely wouldn't have surprised Slade in the least. Dick was full of surprises. Slade set to adjusting the seat and wheel of the car. For a guy his size it was just necessary, thank god they weren't trapped in some tiny sedan. Him and Bizarro would have looked ridiculous driving down the road.

 

"So assuming we're here on a mini vacation and not to stress out about work.. Are you thinking of doing something in town? Or.. On the outskirts. There’s a few abandoned castles we can check out... Or there’s an old tree house I built when I was little... Oh! There’s a little river around here that has a waterfall flowing into it." Dick began suggesting, though shortly after his suggestions he couldn't help but pause and wonder if this was supposed to be a date.   
  
"Sounds like you want to do some sightseeing. I'm up for that." Slade finished with his adjustments and turned to look at Dick. Nice thing about driving in Germany was that the passenger seat wasn't in his blind spot... "I was going to ask if you'd let me take you on a proper first date." Deathstroke spoke as if it wasn't embarrassingly romantic. "Though, we started dating without my knowledge ... Did we have a date too I wasn't aware of?" 

 

Slade was mostly just ribbing Dick for calling him his boyfriend, but there was a little bit of an honest bite there. He liked to do things like these right. Sure, people could call him old fashion, but one shouldn't just ask someone to be their boyfriend or girlfriend without giving them a taste of their romantic side. Sex was one thing, people could be sexually compatible  _ easily _ . As long as physical check marks were made, along with a few social factors, a good time could be had. It wasn't rocket science. Romance, love, and relationships were different. That was part of the reason Slade didn't have a line of girlfriends (or boyfriends for that matter) after his ex-wife. No one met those requirements for him.

  
Dick was different though,  _ so _ different. He made Slade laugh and smile more than anyone else. He relied on Slade in a way that was healthy but made the mercenary feel needed and wanted. Dick let him have control but had enough sense about him to take the reigns himself without hesitation when the situation called for it. More important than all that though was Dick's soul, the way he had so much hope, so much trust, so much need to make the world a better place. Dick had helped Slade see the good in humanity even when he didn't think it was possible anymore. Dick was ... Perfect to him.    
  


While Slade was lost in his thoughts about making the perfect date for Dick, the hero had been mentally cursing himself. Stupid Dick, of course he was jumping into thing too fast, and not only that but he was making his little assumptions and getting everyone else caught in them. Slade, at least, didn't seem to be angry about it though that didn't save the hero his embarrassment.   
  
"I..." Dick started before his brows furrowed, "I'm sorry.. I do this... People set boundaries with me and I let my own feelings conflict with it and I make assumptions. I'm sorry if I put you in an awkward position.. I know you want to take things slow."

 

The merc gave a shrug, it was too late now and honestly? He was more open to try it than he was before. Still, he seemed to ignore Dick all together,"So, what do you say? Let me spoil you for a day?"   
  
A soft smile spread across Dick’s lips, "You know you spoil me just by being here." 

 

That was beyond cheesy but he wasn't kidding. He felt intense feelings he hadn't felt in a long time. He was so cautious at first but everytime he saw Slade's pupil dilate or saw the slightest change in his breath he knew that this was worth pursuing.    
  
Dick picked Slade's hand up and kissed it before resting his cheek against it, "I will never say no to being spoiled... But remember it's a two way street."

 

It sounded ridiculous however, one of Dicks toughest relationships was with a girl who wouldn't let him do anything for her. He didn't have to be in control all the time or even be the 'dominant' one in a relationship but he expressed his love through services. Massages, dates, flowers, cheesy love songs, cleaning the house. Not having the freedom to do something special for someone was almost as much torture as not being touched.

 

"So what do you have in mind? You gonna serenade me with a sonnet?" 

 

"Serenade you? I think you do enough singing for both of us." Slade mentioned as they headed down the road. "I think some sightseeing will occupy the first half of our day, maybe the castles you mentioned. Even the old ‘Robin tree fort’." He smiled at the idea of Dick in scaled panties building a structure of any kind, it was sort of ridiculous. "Then, I know a pub around here, has great American and German style food. Figured you can fill up on your fried delicacies." Slade then looked thoughtful. "We'll leave the evening open, even with the best laid plans there always needs to be a little wiggle room." That or maybe they'd find something else to do ... Maybe more private ... To occupy their time.    
  
Slade flexed his hand in Dick's hold, letting his fingers brush and caress the side of Dick's face.  "I'm not mad that you said we were dating, Dick. I wasn't expecting it though. All the times you said that you wanted to wait, take things slow, said you weren't sure if this was something you wanted ... It was just a shock to hear you say it like that. Like it was no big deal to you ..." He paused realizing he needed to explain more. "Meaning, I thought you'd want something more private. I didn't think you'd want an 'out in the open' kind of relationship with Deathstroke the Terminator." 

 

If Slade was sounding like he  _ thought _ Dick would be so ashamed of Slade and their relationship... That he'd want to hide it and keep it a secret ... Well, that's because it's  _ exactly _ what he believed would happen. He never expected Dick to outright introduce him as his boyfriend, especially so soon. 

 

"It's... Different from my expectations ... But not in a bad way. I should know better than to try and predict anything about you at this point though." Slade's voice held admiration, like he was glad Dick didn't want that, relieved that Dick valued him enough to love him publicly. Dick really was an incredible individual ... Slade was wondering more and more if he really deserved such a person.    
  
"Listen…” Dick moved Slade’s hand off his face and just held it, “I know that in the beginning I had my foot on the breaks... And I know I said I didn't want to jump into this but.... It's what I do. It's not even just relationships I do it in all areas of my life. I either jump in with both feet or I don't move at all..... I honestly lost my ability to take it slow the moment I kissed you." Shortly after that statement came out he realized how one might misinterpret him as the kind of guy who pressures people into- "I mean obviously if you tell me no I'll stop.. I just..... Have a bad habit of making assumptions or projecting my thoughts and feelings onto people..."   
  
Now that that was covered Dick could bring his attention to the other thing Slade mentioned... That he thought Dick would want to hide it or keep it secret. "I don't doubt I'm going to hear a lot of judgement about being with you.... You're older, you're a man, you're a mercenary but.... I've been there." He admit with a shrug, "I'm pansexual or.. Bi, whatever you wanna call it. I've had press and assholes tell me that I'm confused or that I'm being defiant.. I've had people accuse me of trying to make Bruce look bad because I couldn't make up my mind. I've dealt with people talking behind my back because I was with people who were trans or didn't want to use gender specific pronouns... I've been with older men and dealt with Bruce's disapproval... I mean they were still younger than you but..." He stopped and breathed out, "I'm not going to hide who I am because it makes other people uncomfortable... It’s like that Twisted Sister song, ‘I am, I’m me.’ there’s a line that says, ‘It’s my life I’m living, I’ll live as I please.’ If I’m happy then what other people think shouldn’t matter." Damn, that song helped him get through a lot of beef with his sexuality.

 

There was a lot to process from what Dick was saying. The first being that Dick had made a complete 180 in how he wanted to handle his feelings with Slade. The second? Dick didn't give two shits what anyone thought about his choice to be with Slade. That was reassuring to say the least. 

 

"I admire your self worth, your commitment to yourself. You'll take on the world if you have to..." Slade laced their fingers together. "That's why you're different to me. Most heroes define good, bad, and justice by what the masses believe. They look for acceptance in the eyes of an innocent public rather than actually  _ knowing _ for themselves what morality is. You, however, decide for yourself. You decide what is acceptable and what isn't for  _ you _ ." Slade parked in front of a rolling hillside, an old castle was visible about a hundred or so yards away. "I think it's attractive."   
  


"My therapist told me that there is no right or wrong, just our own opinions and perspectives that have been warped by the opinions and perspectives of the people we have in our lives.... My moral code was shaped by Bruce and.. My mom.. And I know how I feel... And this feels right to me." He said offering a sweet smile. “I trust my feelings and my intuition.”

  
Slade shut the car off and turned to face Dick again. "I'll tell you what I did weeks ago. Labels don't make or break things for me. I know how I feel about you, and if being my partner ... boyfriend, is something  _ you _ are ready for then... I am too." Slade mirrored Dick's actions from before, bringing the back of Dicks hand to his own lips. "So Kid, want to go steady?"   
  
Just like that a deep shade of red bloomed over Dick’s face, he swore no one’s ever made him blush like this. He had no idea why he liked it all so much, it gave him goosebumps and he couldn't help but to get the largest smile that he's worn in weeks. 

 

"Is that even a question?" He asked through a short giggle. 

 

The way his hand tightened around Slade's and the way his body moved showed that he was trying to contain his excitement. It was childish at best but he truly couldn't help it. Honestly he'd more than likely wear that smile for the rest of the day. Slade was wearing a pretty large smile too, seeing Dick's reaction was enough to set it off. So what if he still had doubts and questions about whether or not this would work? He and Dick shared a bond that deserved this. Something real and tangible. Even if it wouldn't matter to Slade, it did to Dick and for Slade? That was all he needed. Dick leaned in to peck Slade's lips, the feeling of his enthusiasm spilling over from how sloppy the short interaction was. He couldn't sit still and the next thing he knew he was out of the car and opening Slade's door for him. 

 

"Damian's going to kill me." He chuckled, hand moving to continue holding Slade's. 

 

Slade was happy to take Dick's hand as they walked toward the castle. It was absolutely gorgeous out here. The summer wind was blowing in the scent of wildflowers and rolling grassy hills that surrounded them. Feeling the sun on his skin, being out in what could be considered a normal day was intoxicating in itself. Even before the fall out Slade rarely had a 'normal' day like this. 

 

As they walked across the field towards the castle, Dick began speaking."Apparently a long time ago when Bruce started his Batman incorporated he met a crazy dude who lived in a castle like this... Guy thought he was a vampire, in fact he helped spread that whole legend." Dick walked up the front steps and pushed the large doors open, "He insisted that Bruce train him..... When Bruce refused he stole his costume and put a good scare into a bunch of locals.. Needless to say he got his way... I guess if you annoy Bruce enough he gives you want you want." Dick chuckled though... He didn't really wanna talk about Bruce... 

  
"Isn't that what you did to Bruce? Tim too ... I'm beginning to think that Gotham's Dark Knight isn't as hardened and impassable as he likes to make himself out to be." Slade said it with good humor, though it was a small jab to Bruce too. 

 

No man that constantly adopted wayward children and helped the needy as much as he did could ever claim to be as dark and brooding as he wanted to come off. In Slade's mind? Bruce was a big ol' softie for his kids and anyone else having a hard time. 

 

Sure Bruce didn't really know how to human but Dick couldn't count how many times the man let him crawl into his bed after having a nightmare, or how many times Bruce would sit to talk to Jason before Jason died. He was distant with Tim out of fear of losing him but he came around to holding the kid in his toughest times. He had a heart, he was just angry and didn't know how to express affection. If he didn't bumble out an awkward 'I love you' to his kids it was usually a 'you did good' or a pat on the shoulder. No wonder poor Tim never developed good social skills.

 

"What was it like for you growing up?" Dick finally asked.

 

Slade stayed quiet for a moment, pretending to observe the beautiful archways and stained glass windows around them. "Well, as you probably already know, I was born in the stone age, my father invented the wheel and my mother made the first fruit salad ever." It was an old joke at his own expense, but it was harder to get down to the reality of things. 

 

"How much do you really want to know, kid?"   
  


"Slade... I told you some really personal uncomfortable things that not even Bruce knows about..." Technically he knew about the circus incident but that wasn't Dicks point. "I want to know whatever you're willing to share with me.... You know, moments you felt joy as a child. Moments you were being dorky. Moments you were scared or sad...."

  
His eyes broke off of Slade and wandered around the castle before he pulled him towards the staircase. Dick walked up the first three steps so he was a little taller than Slade and turned to place his hands on the others shoulders. He wanted to know more about Slade, things he never really told anyone. It seemed like a lifetime ago, so far removed from who he was now, something maybe he'd purposefully tried to leave behind. Yet, when Dick put his arms around his shoulders on the stairs, those impossibly beautiful baby blues looking at him and he lost any hesitation he might have.    
  
"I don't think my childhood was nearly as traumatic as everyone probably thinks it was." Slade said at first, running his hands down Dick's sides. "I was raised by my paternal Grandparents for the first part of my childhood on a church farm. Chickens, pigs, crops, the whole nine yards. I even had a pet dairy cow named Dog…. My Mom was young when she had me, sixteen, I think. She wasn't ready for parenthood and back then having a kid out of wedlock wasn't as acceptable as it is today... My Father was in and out of the picture, a war vet ... Which made my Quaker Grandparents thrilled." They probably wouldn't love what he did for a living either. "I wouldn't have had it any other way though because my Grandpa was my best friend. We did everything together. He taught me about the world... Showed me how to be kind, yet strong. He was the best man I've ever known. My Grandmother, was a whip though. She ran a strict household, what she said was law and even my Grandfather was scared shitless of her. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have ever learned discipline and respect like I did." He laughed a little at that. 

 

Grandma Fran was a terror, but she was the one thing that kept a small mischievous Slade under control.    
  
"My Grandfather developed lung cancer when I was twelve. He fought it like hell but ended up passing away three years later. That was probably my saddest memory." Slade trailed off. "I didn't stay around much longer after that. It didn't feel like home without them." He looked around then back at Dick. "He would have loved places like this, always talked about wanting to travel but said the cows would miss him too much." Moving a single hand to Dick's face the merc continued, "I think they both would have liked you, Pops would have liked your 'spunk' and Fran would love that you don't let me give you shit."

 

Dick couldn't help but to smile more, somehow. He remembered brief nights with the Titans when Victor and Garfield would discuss why Deathstroke was such an ass, both determined that he had far worse of a childhood than any of them however, Dick never was so sure. Not everyone struggling with trauma turned out bad and not everyone with a perfect life turned out good. Not that it mattered because they were all wrong about Slade, he and Deathstroke were not the same person.    
  
Dick's fingers moved up to run through Slade's hair as he softly exhaled, "They sound like they were amazing people... Sweet, caring, respectful... But I guess that was the trend back then, huh? Save for the racism and judgemental mentalities." Of course Dick wasn't saying that about Slade's grandparents. "I wish I could've met them, show them that they did a good job raising you." Dick booped Slade's nose before he began walking up the stairs.    
  
"I wish I could say the same for you... That mom and dad would've liked you but... I honestly don't know. They were both pretty laid back. Dad was a little more strict than mom. She had compassion for days." He chuckled, "But neither one of them knew I fancied old men." It was a joke but at the same time oh so true.

 

Dick never told his parents he was pansexual but then again at his young age he didn't fully understand it. He had no doubt his mom would be accepting but his dad he wasn't sure about. Either way he couldn't imagine his parents being okay with him dating someone old enough to be  _ their _ parent let alone someone who killed people for money. It definitely wasn't going to fly with Bruce.   
  
"Dad would've liked how old fashion you are... Shit, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it." Dick admit as he walked around the upstairs landing. 

 

Slade wasn't exactly the guy you brought home to Mom and Dad. It wasn't a surprise to him that Dick's parents would be wary of him. If Rose or Joey brought home a partner his age Slade would have none of it. He'd question the individuals purpose with his child, wonder if they had other plans for them. It all seemed heavily ironic because he himself was pursuing a relationship with a young man for no other reason other than that he wanted to be with him. 

 

"Frankly I'd be worried if your parents didn't object at first. I know I would. The situation isn't exactly 'normal'. Yet what about any of our lives is?"

 

Dick nodded in agreement to Slade's words, the old dog had some really good points in that little statement. He said nothing more on the subject and walked along the upstairs, he wanted to go into one of the towers which wasn't exactly a secret since was already heading there. Dick seemed to have gotten distracted however by a suit of armor on display though it wasn't the armor that got his attention, it was the great sword its gauntlets were resting upon. The hero carefully freed the sword and wiped the dust off of it before holding it up with both hands. 

 

"We did a medieval theme at the circus once, Reya and I stole the knights swords and sword fought while we were waiting for our act.. I tried to show off and broke my wrist swinging the thing around, it's definitely a two handed weapon." He chuckled softly and passed the blade to Slade.

 

Slade smiled, "It's a miracle that you even made it out of childhood." He took the sword and held it in his hand, checking it over with a keen eye and balancing it in different ways within his grip. "This is an actual relic ... Leaving it out like this is a shame. Needs a good polish." Slade muttered the last part flipping the blade around in his one hand. Sure, it was a two handed weapon but this was Slade Wilson, he had the grip strength needed to wield it with just one. "She's beautiful though, great balance, amazing craftsmanship. They don't make swords like this anymore." Oh yeah Slade was in love. "I think she's coming with us. That way we can add theft to our breaking and entering charges."   
  
"Oh so now you're the Catwoman to my Batman? Does that mean you'll purr when I pet you?"

 

That sounded more dirty than Dick initially intended but he honestly didn't care, he didn't regret it one bit. In fact his smile shifted into a smirk as his finger tips slid down Slade's chest before running along the blade of the sword. He could try to wrestle the sword from Slade's grip, or he could see how fast he could get the other on him. 

 

Slade was about to make some quip about him trying to fit into that revealing catsuit before he heard police downstairs. In the middle of a fantastic moment too ... He had two of his favorite things in front of him, a gorgeous man and a perfectly crafted weapon. Distractions were going to be the death of him.

 

"That was fast." Dick muttered.

 

His hand moved to Slade's wrist before he pulled him towards the towers since downstairs would be swarming with cops. Most civilians wouldn't be able to make a rooftop escape but Dick felt he and Slade were trained well enough to at least try. On their way to the stairwell Dick noticed a window that was opened, that was definitely faster. He pulled Slade and climbed in through the window before grabbing hold of the sword to help Slade get out faster. It was evident that Dick was enjoying the chase, god he missed having blood race through his veins. Missed the adrenaline and the chase. Hell he even hesitated to move just to get the thrill of seeing the top of an officer's head as they made it up the stairs. Dick climbed down the weather worn cobblestone and made his break for the car. 

 

Luckily Slade had parked the vehicle on an overgrown dirt roadway so it wasn't overtly obvious they were there. Slade could see three police cars and wanted to laugh just at that. Firstly, because it was really over reacting to a simple break in, but secondly, it was humorous because they'd need a lot more than six officers to take Dick and himself down.

 

The two came to a stop by the car, the young hero choking out a giggle before covering his mouth. 

 

"I feel like our roles should be reversed." Slade mentioned with a smirk. "You're getting  _ me _ into all kinds of trouble today. Aren't you supposed to be the good guy?" There was a teasing sound to his voice, as he approached Dick.

 

Dick rolled his eyes, “See? Everyone thinks I'm a goodie two shoes, as long as no one is getting hurt, I'm happy.” Dick watched the cops in the distance for a moment before he kept speaking, "Damn... We didn't get time to play." He huffed out, "Maybe we can pick up a couple of your swords and sword fight, cause trouble somewhere else."

 

Maybe it was the adrenaline in his system, or the way Dick had been touching his chest back in the castle, or, perhaps, left over possessiveness from that mornings events ... But Slade hungry for some sort of connection.   
  
"Or I could cause some trouble here..." 

 

Slade took Dick's wrists in his hands and used his body weight to trap Dick between himself and the car door. His head arching down to find the side of Dick's neck, pressing teasing kisses under his ear as his leg forced its way between Dick's thighs.

 

"The police could still find us so close to the scene of the crime..." Slade pressed his knee up into Dick, rubbing his sensitive area. "Any loud noises and they'll come running for sure... I wonder if you can be quiet enough to keep us from being caught."

 

Dick's heart rate had picked up and his pupils dilated. Excitement rushed through his body and a soft pant escape him, his body shivering in response to all the touching. He liked how risky this was, it was his favorite thing about public sex. Though he hated being caught.  

  
  


The hero bit back a moan and lifted his leg over Slade's hip, pulling him closer. “You assume I'm loud.” He smirked and licked up Slade's neck before delivering a soft bite, “If you're going to tease me give me something to work with.” He whispered into the others ear before pressing his hips against Slade's leg, his own leg only tightening around the older male.

 

This was the kind of reaction Slade was looking for. He liked to be with people who weren't intimidated by him, which Dick clearly wasn't. He didn't just let Slade pin him against the car and start moaning like some damsel in distress, he was trying to get Slade just as worked up and  _ fuck was it  _ hot. Slade allowed his hands to slip down Dick's forearms. 

 

"I  _ know _ you're loud." Slade said confidently, but slipped into a pleased, low groan as Dick nipped his neck again. This kid really was trying to get fucked on the roof of this car.

 

Dick even decided to up the stakes and run his hand down Slade's chest and stomach, stopping just above the others waistband before just barely slipping his fingers in and giving a little tug. 

 

“You know, I'm a better tease.”   
  
Slade adjusted his position leaving his palms resting against the driver's side window. He was trying his damnest to keep smooth, in control but Dick was pushing him into sexual desperation. "Oh, trust me, I know. I think you forget how  _ long _ you've been teasing me for ... Even before all this..." 

 

His eye raked over Dick's form down to the hand on Slade's belt before shooting back up. He wanted to take Dick then and there, bend him over the hood of the car and just fuck him hard. Dick could take it, in fact, he was fairly sure he could get the pretty bird to sing for him if he did....Yet Dick had enticed a challenge without even knowing it. 

 

He pulled both hands off the window, one snaking down while the second grasped Dick's chin to keep his gaze focused on him. He wanted him to just feel his hand trailing downward. 

 

"...But if you want to be teased..." 

 

Slade moved his leg out from between Dick's just enough to put his hand between them, slipping his fingers inside of  Dick's pants and brushing them along the skin above Dick's member, just micrometers from touching it. It heat Dick up instantly and with how long it's been he was getting desperate. Sure, he would like their first time to be more put together but at the same time why should they put it off to do it in a bed? Dick wouldn't mind taking Slade here, his body ached for it, in fact. His eyes fluttered closed as he focused on Slade completely, the older man's thumb moving over the center of Dick's lips slowly pulling down his bottom lip as he spoke.

 

"...Then I'm happy to deliver."    
  
In a flash, Slade moved. He twisted his hips sideways to release Dick's leg from around his waist and pulled back his hands, side stepping entirely away from Dick. He wore a smug look on his face and just casually pulled the keys out of his pocket as if he hadn't just been seconds from giving Dick a handjob.   
  
Dick's eyelids fluttered as he tried to piece together what just happened before he let out a soft growl... Yes.. He growled and stepped forward to squeeze Slade's waist.

 

"You're an ass." He said, even though he didn't lose the smile on his lips, and nipped at Slade's collar bone in revenge. 

 

That reaction was absolutely  _ beautiful _ . Momentarily, Dick had looked like someone unplugged him, just standing there with confusion. That wasn't even the best part, no, that was when he  _ growled _ and nipped at Slade's collarbone. The actions going straight to his already rising member.

 

"Here, you can drive this time." Slade said handing the keys over to Dick before going around the car and getting into the passenger side.

 

Dick got in and adjusted his pants, there was nothing more uncomfortable than an unattended hard on but... He was going to have to deal with it. He put his attention on readjusting the seat and mirrors.

 

"If I still live with you when all this is over, we're not sharing a car." 

  
Slade leaned back comfortably in his chair, eyeing Dick as he adjusted the settings, it wasn't long after that Dick had turned to look at Slade with nothing but pure love and lust his eyes. Next he took Slade's hand and kissed it, listening to the other speak. 

 

"Who ever said I'd let you drive my cars anyway? You're lucky I even let you land my jet..."

 

Dick bit Slade's hand in response before starting the vehicle, "I have a place for us to go, there's a bit of a hike so you'll have to do without your walking stick." Sure it was another age insult but he earned it.

 

The young hero then drove off heading to whatever secret location he had in mind. Before long they arrived at a more wooded area where Dick pulled over alongside the road and hopped out, he waited just long enough for Slade to get out before he began heading into the treeline.    
  
There was a cool breeze in the air and the sound of birds and squirrels, it was so peaceful it honestly caused the hero to temporarily forget about the Court. To forget about how much pain there was in the world. He walked until they came across a river that flowed smoothly beside a flat smoothed rock, a sign that during heavy storms the river flowed higher. 

 

"I found this place after I got into an argument with Bruce... He did the thing I tried doing to Damian… I was hurt pretty badly, busted knee."   
  
"It's beautiful, calm ... Probably all the things you needed." Slade could imagine Dick screaming mad, hurt or not he always wanted to keep going. There was no stopping or quitting. Honestly it worried Slade sometimes.    
  
"We should probably talk about earlier." Slade suggested, squatting down by the river and putting his fingers into the running water before pulling a few small rocks out to look at them more closely. "I shouldn't have interfered with you and Damian. It wasn't my place." Slade stood back up fiddling with a stone he seemed to like. "At the time, I was thinking too much like Deathstroke and not Slade. I knew he'd go out and try to fight the High Court anyway, and I also knew that he was a valuable asset. That wasn't the point though." Finally he looked at Dick. "I undermined your word. Damian is your brother, your ward really, and I know how incredibly hard it has been for you to earn the respect you have from him. By disagreeing in front of him I know it could have set things off."   
  
"I just didn't want you to make the same mistakes with Damian that Bruce made with you ... But you and Batman are  _ very _ different people." Even if Dick had been Batman for a while it was still true. "I guess all this is leading up to an apology ... That I'm sorry I acted inappropriately."

 

Dick seemed to be thinking about how he wanted to respond, like everything else in this relationship so far Dick felt conflicted. "Listen.... I appreciated your feedback. You've been through the parenting thing, you've got the benefit of an outside perspective I just.... I didn't appreciate that you said something  _ in front _ of Damian and at the same time he needs to know he has someone on his side when I'm wrong..." He said before pausing, "Parents aren't always right.. And I don't want to parent him like Bruce... Everything you pointed out was accurate and it helped me see other options... I'm a hothead though, I don't like being undermined or having my flaws pointed out or being told what to do.. And I shouldn't get snappy but sometimes it's what I do."    
  
Dick approached the other and wrapped his arms around his waist before resting his head against the others shoulder, "I need that kind of feedback even if I don't like it.... Now that being said, I don't want you doing that in regards to things like killing or things that I don't want Damian to be involved in, if that makes sense." 

 

God, he almost felt like he was asking Slade to raise Damian with him but of course that wasn't an expectation. He wanted Slade to say his piece as an outside perspective, he wanted him to offer support. But he didn't expect Slade to discipline Damian or have conversations with him.    
  
"I appreciate you saying something about it though... It tells me I can count on you and that you're willing to be responsible for yourself."

 

Slade put his arms comfortably around Dick, leaning his head down just enough so that he could press his nose and cheek into Dick's hair. It was nice just to be comfortable with Dick ... It had been such a long time since he was able to let his guard down enough to experience intimacy like this. Yet he couldn't remember a single person it ever felt so natural with.   
  
"I've been a parent but I was a horrible parent for a long time. I've learned from making a lot of mistakes. I'm sure in some aspects Bruce did that with you too." 

 

Slade hated to defend Bruce but he couldn't help but understand. He had struggled to get that emotional connection to his children at times and while he always loved them, sometimes he did a shit job at showing them. 

 

"I'm never going to be an expert or pretend I know better than you. You're young Dick, but you have a better grasp on emotional maturity and empathy than people twice your age. I may have pointed you in the right direction, but you would have gotten there on your own eventually. I'm confident in that." Slade slipped a hand up to the side of Dick's face between his hair and Slade's own. "Regardless Damian is your kid. I respect the morals you want to instill in him. Just because I don't believe in it myself doesn't mean I'm petty enough to undermine you to that degree." Slade slid hair back behind Dick's ear. "You  _ can _ count on me. I'm trying my best to do this right ... I want this to work." Slade admitted before kissing Dick's temple.

 

"I trust you, Slade... I know that people will think I'm stupid for it but.. You haven't given me any reason not to since the dynamic of our relationship has shifted... I know you want to make this work.. I know there's going to be conflict between us around morals but I'm willing to ride it out.... And... Even though it's going to piss me off, I do want to learn from you. I know you'll tell me things I don't want to hear but you know at the end of the day it'll be greater than the richest treasure." The male only smiled more as he shifted to put a hand on Slade's cheek before leaning in to softly kiss him. The kiss was very short lived due to a soft sigh that broke through Dicks lips. "You know if you keep giving me butterflies like this it's going to be impossible for me to eat." 

 

Dicks butterflies didn't make him feel sick, if he were to explain it he'd say it was a tingling sensation that spread through his body, a sensation that made him feel light and full. Truly he was full, full of joy and excitement, full of love. It shone through his eyes and his smile.    
  
The young hero then took it upon himself to sit down with Slade at the river, plucking the rock from the older man's hands.

 

"This is a red Jasper.. It's a stone of stability, comfort, strength and healing. It's presence balances the soul to a level of wholeness and peace, it's a reminder that we're not here simply for ourselves, but to bring joy to others."

 

"Where did you hear that?"

 

"A gypsy woman… She was a fortune teller. Very connected to people and nature on a spiritual level… I think this rock is a perfect representation of us." Dick smiled. 

 

Silence fell between them for a long while before Dick removed his socks and shoes to soak his feet for a bit, he even stirred some trouble and splashed the other causing a small war that lead to heavy kissing. As much as Dick would've loved for it to escalate further it never did, in fact it just turned into them cuddling and watching the skies hue turn from blue to golden. It was romantic, perfect. Dick even softly began to hum while he played with Slade's hair just cherishing the moment as though it would be the last.   
  
The moment unfortunately didn't last forever as stars began taking over the sky and from there Slade pocketed the jasper and escort Dick to the car and to the restaurant. Slade was still riding a loving high from being at the river with Dick. He still couldn't quite understand how this kid had managed to run into his heart like this so quickly. Even after years of playful flirting between them he never really thought it would turn into something so meaningful.    
  


Dick held the older mans arm as they walked in and were seated on an outside balcony beneath the starlit sky. A candle sat lit between them as the sound of soft jazz music flowed through the air. The young hero felt like a teenage girl, sitting at the table with his head in both hands staring at the other despite having the menu in front of him. Slade had been looking out into the night sky before turning back to catch Dick’s gaze as he took a drink of his Belgian ale. When in Germany...

 

"I don't think I'm going to be able to walk away from you any time soon, you have successfully seduced me in every way possible." Richard sighed and picked up the menu though it couldn't hold his attention, "No one's gone through these lengths you know... Like... As a man I was always the one romancing my female partners... I mean Barbara and Kori tried but it's wasn't as.. Perfect... And the men I was with didn't have a romantic bone in their body." 

  
"You've fallen right into my trap then." Slade joked putting down his drink and giving Dick his full attention. 

 

"I just feel.... Valued.." 

 

“You  _ are _ valued." Slade said as he took one of Dick's hands in his own. "I know when you have something precious you cherish and take care of it." He pulled his hand up and kissed the back of it, before setting it down but still holding on. "You deserve romance, to have someone take care of you every once in a while. It's a shame you haven't had that experience before now, but I'll give you as many of them as possible from now on, if you'll let me."

 

Dick's face was going to start hurting from how much he was smiling, he swore it. Especially since it hadn't faded since Slade said they could be official. He honestly felt like he was in some kind of trance, distracted from the real world and just fixated on Slade. How couldn't he be? The other was just so perfectly imperfect. 

 

"Well... You won't be the only one  creating these moments.. I don't like things being one sided no matter who benefits from it." 

 

That was half true... It was easier to let things be one sided if the other person benefit from it, it was part of Dick’s caring nature. He was never good at caring for himself, sure he had boundaries and requests of people but when it came to him choosing himself over someone else? He usually chose to serve the other person.   
  
"It’s almost ironic how much of a gentleman you are." Dick chuckled, "It just goes to show how wrong I was about you..." 

 

The waitress soon returned to take their orders causing Dick’s eyes to peel off Slade as she spoke, "Are you ready to order?" She asked the two. 

 

Honestly Dick didn't have much of an appetite but he knew he'd be feeling it later if he didn't eat now. His eyes shifted down to the menu and he just ordered the first thing he saw. It was some kind of steak that he'd get with a salad on the side... Surprisingly.   
  
The waitress then turned her attention to Slade after jolting down Dicks order, 

Slade just so happened to order the same thing Dick did, which  _ was _ surprising considering the fact he'd picked that out before Dick had even said anything. He didn't seem like the salad type ... Maybe Slade was finally rubbing off on him?   
  
Once she got their orders she collected their menus and went on her way. Dick could sense the discomfort she gave off, he figured it'd be something they'd come across often given their age difference. Fortunately it didn't bother either Slade or Dick, so what if other people got uncomfortable, it wouldn't make these feelings fade. 

 

“You know, I honestly had a crush on you when I was with the Titans... Of course I denied the hell out of it but it's not like it wasn't obvious." He confessed, "I used to think about what it'd be like if you were a good guy... Of course I was a kid then so it wouldn’t have mattered." 

 

The hero shook his head though he couldn't help but to wonder  _ if _ it would've mattered. There was the whole thing with Terra though, Dick wasn't entirely sure what was going on with that.. He knew what Gar and Vic thought... He knew how Terra felt... But could he really judge? He made the same mistake as her and he loved every second of it..

 

Slade swallowed down the rest of his beer as the bartender brought him over another, though with the direction the conversation was going in he might want something harder. "I could never quite tell if it was boundless fury or a pubescent crush. Though, at that age most people can hardly tell the difference sometimes." Slade joked at Dick's expense. "You're right though, I don't date children,  or do anything else ...  _ And  _ you're all brats until you reach twenty in my opinion."  Slade laughed a little about what he was going to say next. "Though for you? I think the original baby blue and yellow Nightwing V-neck would have scared me right off anyway." 

 

Seriously what was the deal with that thing? Sure, it was short lived but Dick would never see the end of it. Dick couldn’t help but to roll his eyes and shoot the other a playful glare but he stayed silent and continued to listen to Slade.   
  
“.... By the way you weren't  _ wrong _ about me, Kid." Slade said, feeling the need for that stronger booze hit again. He needed to make sure he drew this line in the sand clearly for Dick, he wouldn't allow him to become disillusioned by who he was now and forget who he could be at times. "I may be a gentleman but I'm still a mercenary, a 'bad guy'. I regret some of the things I did to you kids, but most of it wasn't out of scope." 

 

Actually, he probably wouldn't have regretted it at all if Jericho and Rose hadn't changed his mind and made him wake up. Slade couldn't say he was the same person he was back then, not truly, but it didn't mean he was perfect either. 

 

"It's important you remember that too. Just because we are dating doesn't mean I'll stop being Deathstroke, it’s as much a part of me as Nightwing is to you." Good thing they were out on his patio by themselves. "It's important you don't forget that, because after this is all over ... And it will be over-" Maybe he was too confident, probably Dick's optimism rubbing off on him. "- You and I are going back to being on different sides. Or at least that’s how Bruce and everyone else will see it." Slade squeezed Dick's hand. "I'm not asking you to agree with it, justify it, or defend it. I'm not even asking you to be accepting of it ... However, if you start thinking about me as a hero, holding me to the same standards ... I'll end up disappointing you. Trust me."

 

Dicks eyes fluttered as if he was pulled back to reality. "That's not.... How I meant for that to sound. When I say 'I was wrong about you' it’s  _ not  _ because I think you're going to change.. That wouldn't be fair of me to expect. And the context for good guy and bad guy is different when you're looking at it through the whole hero lens.. Through that yeah.. You're a bad guy... But as a person? You're a good man, you just make bad choices." He explained though that wasn't how he wanted to get his point across, "When I say I was wrong about you it's because I didn't think you were capable of being kind... I thought you didn't care about who died as long as the check was worth it... I thought that you didn't have lines you wouldn't cross especially when Terra got involved.. I know I wasn't completely wrong about you, Slade, but I've made a lot of assumptions about your character based off of Deathstroke."   
  
His thumb softly ran over Slade's knuckles as he broke eye contact, "I really do appreciate you telling me that you're not changing... That you're  _ still _ Deathstroke.. It’s how I know this is real. Because if you were manipulating me then you'd let me believe you were turning into a hero or whatever." That seemed to come out of nowhere thanks to the rabbit hole Dick jumped down.

 

He stayed silent for a moment before looking up at Slade, he supposed it was time for this conversation. "When this is over things are going to be different.. We're going to have more against us than we already do.. We're probably going to fight more... I'll look the other way when you do your job but don't involve me.. Don't let me know what you're doing unless no one's dying and don't kill in my presence.." 

 

Dick was setting up his boundaries. He had to otherwise this relationship would destroy him. Part of him already felt guilty and responsible for letting Slade kill people while being in a relationship with him however, that was something he'd have to deal with himself.

 

"That's all reasonable." Slade confirmed giving Dick's hand a squeeze. "I wouldn't want to put you in a position where you felt like you had to compromise your beliefs. Though ... I can probably promise to stay out of Bludhaven, Gotham might be a stretch." Hell, Slade made thirty percent of his income in that city. Lots of angry people with lots of money.    
  
"I'm going to let you in on something." The merc said leaning into the table. "I don't advertise this, but I have rules. People like to hire me because they think I'll take most any job, keeps me in business. No one likes a mercenary with a conscious." Slade learned that very early on. It was easier to say you were fully booked or you just wouldn't take a job than let them know you had standards. "First, I don't break up families. Second, I don't mess with kids." At least not anymore. "Third, I won't harm innocents ... And I don't consider vigilantes innocents. They know what they signed up for. Fourth, if it doesn't feel right, in my gut, I won't do it." Slade finished and leaned back.   
  
There was something else brought up that Slade needed to address though, something he couldn't just shake off. Terra. "I didn't always have rules. Like I said ... I've made a lot of mistakes, Kid. Stuff that keeps me up at night." Slade didn't want to look at Dick, so instead focused on their joint hands. "Terra is one of those mistakes. I should have never let her get to the point she did. She trusted me, was obsessively loyal, she wanted something from me that I wouldn't and couldn't give her. The right thing would have been to tell her that, to do what I would have wanted any other man to do for my daughter. Yet ... I didn't. I took advantage of her love for me by using it to control her." Slade felt one hundred percent responsible for her death, as he should. She never would have been in that situation if Slade hadn't put her there."I didn't fully realize what I'd done until Rose and Joseph told me, forced me to see how I was behaving. Those kids saved me from myself ... It's a lot more than I ever deserved from them. I'm just glad there were people like you to steer them in the right direction when I was doing the opposite." 

 

Slade sounded absolutely genuine despite having been pissed at the Titan's interference with his kids. Yet now, he could see how they had helped his kids blossom and grow.    
  
"I ... have something else I need to tell you too." Slade actually let go of Dick's hand for this one. "The court has Joseph and Rose. That's why I joined ... I should have told you in the bar, but I didn't want to use it as an excuse for what I had done." He rotated his glass. "They are doing 'testing' on Jericho and just holding Rose. I was hoping to get them back, to find out where they are ... But they are dangling the information out of my reach until they get whatever it is they want from me."   
  
For the first time that day Dick frowned. He just had a lot of things dumped on him and while none of it upset him (a lot of it was actually a relief) the idea of Rose and Jericho going through what  _ he _ has gone through broke his heart. Dick got up and moved over to Slade, arms wrapping around him. "We'll get them back, Slade... We'll do whatever it takes.. I promise." 

 

Sure it was a loose promise because Dick isn't going to be okay with killing people but... He wanted to support the other. Dick softly kissed Slade as the waitress brought their food out and began setting it down. 

 

If Slade hadn't been interrupted by the waitress he probably would have just pulled Dick into his lap and kissed him fully. Dick's nature, a sort of true good with protective elements made him want to swoon because when Dick looked him in the eye and said they'd get his kids back Slade believed him. Anyone else? He would have had his doubts. Slade would have brought up how he hadn't heard from his kids in weeks ... Months, how it was unlikely they were even alive let alone unharmed. He would have spiraled into statistics and been swallowed by the panic and dread he was feeling from the situation. Yes, if it had been anyone other than Dick he would have gone absolutely crazy by now. He owed so much to him, but Slade didn't have the words yet to express it fully, or even the actions to. No matter how much Dick told Slade he appreciated the romance, told him that the way he cared meant so much to him ... Slade believed ... No he  _ knew _ he owed Dick something huge in repayment.

  
The young hero peeled himself away from the other and took a seat, thanking the woman before she left them. He then let his gaze fall back to Slade, "They're your kids... I'm not angry or surprised you joined the Court to find them.. I know I would have.." Dick fell silent a while before exhaling, "Damian's doing better... I think by tomorrow we can transport him... Take him to Bruce. Bruce might have some ideas where Jericho and Rose are.. If not then we'll talk to Benjamin at the meeting." Dick smiled and reached over to take Slade's hand, "We're in this together now..."   
  
"Thank you." Slade breathed out in relief as if a thousand pound weight had been lifted off of him. "Honestly ... I'm worried sick about them. It just feels like I got them back in my life and I don't want to lose them again ... But more importantly ... No one hurts my kids. _ No one _ ." Not even himself, at least not anymore. 

 

Dick couldn't even imagine what things had been like for Slade, what it was like just not knowing where his kids were. Having so many regrets about how he raised him. Dick felt so much compassion and sympathy around the fact because just not knowing where Damian was had been absolute hell and technically... Damian wasn't even his kid. No matter how badly he wanted otherwise.   
  


"...Let's talk to Viktor before we leave about the best way to transport Damian, what we might need. He said he would have some medications for us to take back when I talked to him on the phone in the car ... He said to let you know he was able to get those prescriptions done for Jason." Slade held up a hand immediately. "I don't need to know. Not my business."

  
"Yeah... That’s a good idea... We need to make sure that Damian's wounds stay in good condition and the sooner we see B the better." 

 

Dick sighed, he was definitely going to have to pay Viktor back for all he’s done... Helping Damian, getting Jason his medication... He owed him. 

  
The hero began cutting into his steak, "Let’s focus on this for now.... After tonight we're both going to be in 'work mode'.. We need the mental break." He said though the words felt so... Strange... He almost wanted to jump back into work but at the same time he felt mentally drained, he was starting to feel replenished but he wasn't there enough to be able to dive into work fully.

 

"You're right, we didn't take the day off to sit here and talk about these things." 

 

It was hard to ignore the reality of things, they  _ both _ knew that. For Slade and Dick being vigilantes, fighters, protectors ... It wasn't just work or a job, it was such a huge part of their lives that could so quickly dominate everything if they let it. Slade needed to be more firm about taking time off, for Dick's sake. When he was by himself it was much easier, he knew when he needs a break and took them without a second thought. Dick wasn't the same way, he struggled with ever really putting down Nightwing, being an Agent, whatever it might be, because he was worried about the consequences of his absence. Slade decided he needed to quickly move Dick away from that way of thinking instead of getting dragged into Dick's mental chaos.

  
"I really appreciate having you here, Slade..." The young male poked at his food, "I don't feel like I'm fighting this alone... That means a lot to me."

  
"You wouldn't be alone even if I wasn't here, Kid. You have a network of family, you just need to learn to lean on them more and trust they'll support you." Slade had suggested this before on the jet, and Dick was doing it, but it would be a process. "Opening up to Jason worked well for both of you. What happened earlier today? If it had occurred last week Jason would have  _ shot _ you, but instead he apologized and talked to you ... Because you've  _ shown _ him you're imperfect and shared your life with him." Slade explained as he cut into his own steak, watching Dick just poke at his own. "I understand what you mean though. It feels good to know there is someone in your corner who isn't preoccupied with other things, to know someone is putting  _ you _ first." Slade nudged the back of Dick's hand with his own. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere, Dick. First, because I quite literally own you so I  _ have _ to take care of you-" A joke. "-but secondly, because I need you around just as much as you need me."    
  


There wasn’t a thing that Slade said that Dick didn’t need to hear. He needed all of it. Needed to know Slade was there to support him. Needed to know Slade  _ needed _ him. And most importantly? Dick needed to hear Slade tell him he wasn't alone... No one ever really got him to understand how distant he  _ really  _ was from his family, looking back on it he knew Barbara tried to tell him.. He was just too scared to see it. Slade said it in a way Dick couldn’t defend by using something that hurt Dick to the core.... For that he was grateful because now he could take the steps to let his family in. To finally patch things up with them. The only thing Dick had to disagree with was when Slade said he wouldn't be alone.... Dick would have pushed everyone away... Then he would've likely sacrificed himself to 'protect' them... He would've died alone because he wouldn't have known to lean on his family. He wouldn't know he could trust them as much as he does now  _ because _ of Slade. He wouldn’t be confident in them keeping themselves alive.

 

Dick finally worked on eating his steak managing to finish it and four bites of ranch soaked salad. 

  
Slade called over the waitress and nodded over to Dick. "What do you have for desserts?"   
  
"I'll grab you a menu."   
  
Even Grandpa Slade had to let go of the rules every once in a while...   
  


 

  
After dinner Slade wasn't really ready to go fetch the children from Viktor’s. Even though night had fully set in and Jason was probably worried about them, unless of course Roy was still keeping him preoccupied. He pulled out his phone to text Viktor only to see he already had a message.   
  
'Fireflies are finally out. You two boys take your time, we'll be bottling them up and doing sparklers. Kids are having a great time with each other.' Slade smiled a little as his small wish was granted, pocketing his phone.   
  
"Come on, I have one more thing to show you before we head back."    
  
Slade took control of the car, fiddling with the seats before heading off down the road out of town. There was a large cliff that they traveled around then half way up. It was positioned in such a way that it blocked out all the small city lights from below making the sky absolutely light up with stars. They pulled off onto a dirt road until they came to a small clearing in the pine wood forest that gave a perfect vantage of the starry night. Slade parked the car and popped the trunk, getting out to lay down the back seats and grabbing the two blankets Bizarro had insisted on taking with them. He handed one to Dick and laid the other on the now cleared surface in the back. 

 

"Tonight there is going to be a meteor shower over Germany from here you should-" As Slade spoke he stopped as the first trail of light blazed across the sky. "Speak of the devil..." He sat in the back of the van patting the spot between his legs. "Come sit."   
  
Dick seemed distracted at first, staring up at the sky while studying the different placements of the constellations in this part of the world. Gotham and Bludhaven were always so cloudy it was rare to get a view like this, it was absolutely breathtaking. After a moment Dick went  to not only sit between Slade's legs but to pull the other’s arms around his own torso. For once Dick was absolutely silent getting lost in the golden streaks that glimmered through the sky. He even made a little wish. A with they'd make it through this. A wish they defeat the High Court. A wish he and Slade would last. His body relaxed more until his attention turned to Slade. His eyes were on the male as his head moved to rest against Slade's shoulder, an action that caused Slade to think Dick was growing tired. The older male began rubbing Dick’s arms with his fingers softly to help soothe and relax him before the hero shifted closer, softly inhaling Slade’s scent. Slade was enjoying just cuddling with Dick and found himself staring at the other. The look of concentrated awe on the other’s face made Slade smile ever so slightly.    
  


The two sat in silence for a while before Dick had shifted again, this time a hand reaching up to rest on the side of Slade’s cheek as he planted a soft kiss to Slade’s neck. That wasn’t enough expression for the hero and his need to express his love boiled in his heart, among other areas, enticing the hero to up the ante. The neck kissing turned into him softly sucking on the sensitive skin. His body shifted so he had one leg over Slade's as his hand moved to rest on the other’s hip very briefly before it slowly moved down to Slades crotch where he softly began to squeeze and rub over the other’s member. He wanted to please him.

 

Slade let out a quiet, yet satisfied groan. "Read my mind..."    
  
He admit, moving his hand down to Dick’s lower back. Next, he used a firm grip to move Dick's lip towards his own and kissed him with some damn purpose. His tongue was pushing past Dick's lips without hesitation, that hand on Dick's back finally deciding to push his shirt up on his wrist as blunt nails grazed along his skin. Dick moaned before he continued massaging the others groin letting his tongue dance in the others mouth for a few minutes. He then roughly pulled Slade away by the hair making Slade growl at the lack of contact, but fuck it was hot. Who the hell had the balls to pull his hair? Dick Grayson apparently.

 

"You've been spoiling me all day... I think... It’s my turn." Dick smirked, biting Slade's bottom lip.

 

Slade simply raised an eyebrow, wasn't this reward enough? Then again, looking at Dick between his knees had his hardened member telling him to just shut up and let Dick do whatever he wanted. So, he let Dick peel his shirt off and was on his back, propped up on his elbows because he wasn't going to miss a damn minute of this. 

 

"I think it's time I show you what my mouth can do when it's not talking."   
  
"Listen." Slade said almost authoritatively, reaching forward to push Dick's hair back and grab his attention. "I want you.  _ All _ of you. Tonight. I'm not stopping for anyone this time." Unless, of course, that person was Dick wanting to stop. Slade knew that was a given though.

 

Dick couldn't help but smile subsequently leaning in, "And you can have me." He whispered before planting a surprisingly delicate kiss to Slade’s lips. 

 

The soft kiss was short lived for his tongue grazed against Slade's bottom lip, his mouth then moving to softly bite Slade's jaw. The bite moved to his neck and collarbone while his hands ran along Slade's toned sides. Dick couldn’t deny how hard he got just from admiring Slade's beautiful body. He didn't trail lower until after he licked Slade's neck, finally moving down to kiss his chest and above his belly button. His mouth taking a detour to softly bite Slade's waist while his hands took a firm grip on his hips. Slade let out a satisfied hum with a smirk on his face. No more stopping, no more distractions but each other. Dick was distracting too, especially that mouth of his, running Slade's body and skin with expert care. Apparently  _ all _ parts of Dick's body could move in ways that others couldn't... not that Slade was complaining in the least.

  
Finally Dick made it down to Slade’s pants where he used his teeth to undo the button. That in itself drove Slade crazy and he was already gripping the blanket in anticipation. Seeing how eager Dick was to actually see Slade and to taste him made Slade want to pin the hero down and take him right there but he knew it would be worth waiting. 

 

As Dick pulled Slade's pants down enough to free him he just about choked on the air. The red tint in his face darkened and he couldn't help but to let out a snort before covering his mouth, "Jesus..... You might be the first man who manages to make me choke." Perhaps now wasn't the best time to be playful but this was Dick Grayson.   
  
"You into that kind of thing?" Slade said half joking. 

 

It was obvious Dick had some kinks, Dick liked it when Slade was rougher with him, didn't treat him like glass. Honestly, Slade liked to be more assertive and dominant in bed too. He'd discovered that with a lover he had after his wife had passed. Discovering more about the BDSM culture made him realize he was a dom type. The kind that only wanted to control people in bed if that's what they wanted too. Maybe they hadn't really discussed things like they should have (when would they have had time?). But Slade was reading Dick's body language with each encounter, every motion and reaction ... Dick didn't want him to be placid. Dick wanted to please Slade and get a good handling.    
  
He could do both of those things.

 

Dick took Slade's member in his left hand and bit his own lip as a lust filled expression filled his features. He softly stroked the other, his thumb stopping below the head to gently apply pressure as he rubbed circles around it. Now that he thought about it, he  _ hoped _ he would choke. The young hero leaned down and just barely let the tip of his tongue graze along the tip of Slade's member while his hand moved back down to the base. Fortunately the teasing didn't last long for Dick let his tongue run along the bottom of the head and guided it into his mouth where he softly sucked on the tip provoking a low groan from Slade. He pulled back so he could use his hand to spread the spit over the rest of Slade's length soon taking him back into his mouth only to take him in deeper. Dick pushed the other down so that half of the sensitive flesh was in his mouth, his hand working to massage whatever was still exposed to the cool air. He bobbed his head letting his hand meet him half away and while his mouth moved to the tip of Slade's member his hand moved to the base.   
  
Slade's concentration didn't dare break from watching Dick working his cock. He was nearly instantly moaning. Deep and possessively. Deathstroke pushed his fingers into the side of Dick's hair as he about ripped the blanket in half, tipping his head back before looking forward at Dick with pure hunger. 

 

"This is a much better view than I could have ever imagined." Slade nearly purred out, moving to comb through the top of Dick's hair like he was just pushing it out of the way, but instead grasped it with some force. 

 

With just a second of pause, Slade began to slowly fuck Dick's mouth with the rhythm that Dick set, forcing his member back a little further when Dick bobbed down to the base. Slade was making him take more and more of his cock each time all while keeping an eye on Dick’s body language. He didn’t want to trigger him after what Roman did and was making sure the hero had the most control.

 

Slade let out another low moan and Dick could feel blood rush straight to his aching member, that sound was incredibly erotic and got each of the younger males gears turning. He wanted to hear more of it  and had even let out a moan around the others member. Dick pushed harder, finally forcing the other all the way into his throat. He choked but it didn't make him pull away, instead he let out another soft moan around the others cock making his own throat vibrate around it. He then pulled up almost pulling the other out completely before going back down, he even picked up the pace slightly.    
  


Slade by now was moaning more openly, stopping himself from holding them back. Now they were a deep, rich baritone that smoothly rolled out through his chest in absolute sexual satisfaction. Good god Slade honestly wasn't expecting this absolutely mind-blowing ability Dick had. Sure he heard rumors but that didn't truly convey the craftsmanship he was watching going into, what he could only explain as art, happening in front of him and to him.

  
The aching in Dick’s richard was beginning to grow overbearing, between the rough handling, choking and the beautiful sound of Slade's moan he needed some contact. The hand that was around Slade's member moved, releasing him before slipping down his own body. He undid his own pants before slipping his hand in to begin touching himself. His mouth moving down until his lips touched Slade's pelvis, his throat tightening around the other as his tongue pressed into him. Dick could taste the hint of bitterness from Slade's precum dripping down his throat.   
  
It took nearly every ounce of willpower Slade had to stop himself from fucking Dick's mouth until he came down his throat. He let himself get close, but then suddenly used the grip he had on Dick's hair and a hand on the younger's shoulder to push him up and off of Slade's member. Fuck if he could nearly hear it weeping for being brought out of paradise. He pushed both of them up off the floor where Slade then ripped off Dick's shirt over his head and pinned him against the side of the car. His mouth was on Nightwing next, kissing him hard, teeth biting down on Dick's lip. One hand fetched Dick's out of his pants and pushed it up by the hero's head, while the other replaced it with his own larger hand. He pushed Dick's pants down further to expose his member before working it slowly between them in his palm and fingers. Teeth and lips, meanwhile, had made a nipping line down Dick's jaw to the side of his neck. Not hesitating to work a predominant hickey into the skin.   
  
The young hero didn’t know when he became such a moaning mess, he even seemed to choke some as he attempted to hold back some of the sounds that were spilling out of him but God it felt so good to have someone else touching him. In a matter of seconds Dick hooked his leg around the others waist and pull him closer before hearing Slade growl into his neck.

 

"Take these off." He commanded, pupil blown wide with desire as he tugged on Dick's pants.

 

With a moan, Dick pulled Slade up by the hair and roughly kissed him before licking the inside of his mouth, his other hand gripping his jaw. Dick then pulled Slade's eye patch off and soon after began trying to get the damn pants off.   
  


Slade hesitated still when his eye patch was taken off. He could be fully naked and not care, that was fine, but that was more personal. Slade had to remind himself that Dick had seen it before, asked to take off his patch and said it was okay. That it didn't disgust him, that it didn't bother him. Slade needed to accept that and not let his insecurities ruin their good time. In fact? He should be turned on by the fact that Dick was so accepting of all his imperfections ... And he was.

  
After battling with his pants and removing them, Dick threw them at the other side of the van and practically tackled Slade, rolling on top of him where he pressed every inch of his body into the others.   
  
Slade felt his back hit the floor and his eye focused on  Dick above him who was a sight to see. Naked, flushed, '... Beautiful' he said under his breath as he put his hands on either side of Dick's hips while Dick bit his neck, eliciting a pained, yet pleased moan.    
  


Dick then pulled back, softly panting, "Before we... Keep going.." There was a quiver in his voice, his lust and high was almost overwhelming, "I think you should know it’s been about.... 5 years since I've had a man.." He trailed off, "..He wasn't as big as you."

  
"Scared?" Slade teased at first before massaging his hands into the hips they were resting on. "Don't worry Kid, that part I'm not going to force." He reached behind him and dug into a bag on the floor. 

 

"Me? Scared?" Dick teased back with a soft chuckle, god it was so easy to just be with Slade. 

 

To be vulnerable with him and open, he didn't feel like he had to hide a single thing. His hands softly ran up and down Slade's chest as he watched the other partially drag out his utility belt and popped open a side pocket. Low and behold was a tiny bottle of lube. 

 

"Gotta go prepared for anything." Slade remarked ripping the tip open with his teeth as he sat up, rubbing their members together

  
The hero bit his lip to suppress the whine like moan that was going to escape, "Yeah, you never know when you might end up with someone half your age on your lap." 

 

He shot Dick a glare but figured he would let that one slide, "Turn around, face down, ass up. Trust me ... I'll make it worth your while."

 

"You say that like you have to convince me." Dick smirked and began nibbling on Slade's jaw, pulling away shortly after to pull a small hair from his mouth. "Guess I'm gonna have to get used to that... It’s like having a dog all over again."    
  


"You were much quieter a minute ago." Slade said with humor.

 

“Mom told me it's rude to talk with my mouth full.”

  
Without giving Slade a chance to respond he turned around on the others lap, pressing his ass against Slade's crotch and rolling his hips. The feeling of that shapely ass rubbing against him was all the apology he needed. Part of him just wanted to hold Dick down there and take him … But that would be a painful mess Slade wasn't willing to put Dick through. Finally Dick got into the position he was ordered to. Slade sat up on his knees and leaned over Dick, pressing his chest against the length of Dick's back as his mouth found purchase on the back of Dick's neck, inching itself along his shoulder and down his spine.   
  
At the same time he coated his fingers with lube and began rubbing them in circles on Dick's entrance. He waited for the ring of muscles to relax at his touch before dipping his middle and index finger inside, his palm down towards the ground. The position of his hand was a little more awkward at this angle but doing it the easy way would limit his fun. Dick’s breathing shifted into soft pants as he tightly gripped the blanket, it had been forever since he's felt this and it took him a moment to relax. He could tell Slade used a lot of lube which was assuring though he didn't expect the other to start off with two fingers. It wasn't as though Slade had small hands. 

 

"You weren't kidding about it being a while were you pretty bird?" Slade breathed into Dick's ear, nibbling at the lobe as he began curling his fingers down along Dick's insides towards his prostate. 

 

Dick’s breath hitched and he let out a soft grunt biting his lip trying to suppress the noises. Not because he was ashamed but because he wanted to make Slade fight to hear his voice. His body was feeling a mix of a burning pain and tingling pleasure as Slade pushed in deeper, he knew the stretch was going to be painful so this wasn’t a surprise.

  
"Me? Kidding? Never." He breathed out, he wasn't going to let this stop him from joking.

 

"I'm not exactly a beginner's size either ... I'm going to stretch you..." Slade curled his fingers deeper to hit his spot harder before inserting a third finger. "... But you might still cry.   
  
Another whine escaped Dick as he felt the burning sensation intensify, his entrance tightening and pulsing around Slade’s fingers almost in protest. Luckily the stretch was the only thing that hurt, thanks to all the lube Slade had used there wasn’t a lot of friction so as Slade moved his fingers Dick was hit with electrifying pleasure. 

  
"Oh honey.... You underestimate how much I can take." Dick bit back another groan as he pushed and rolled his hips into Slade's hand, "It's always fun when it hurts a little, don't you think?" He turned his head towards Slade's before licking his jaw. 

 

"From what I'm feeling right now? You can barely take my fingers." Slade replied as he adjusted them inside him. He used his index and ring finger to stretch the walls around him while his middle finger continued to curl and rub against Dick's sensitive inner walls. 

  
Dick could feel his body starting to shake against the others as desire filled him more and more. He wanted to devour every inch of Slade no matter what the cost would be though when Slade felt Dick begin to shake he paused only for a second to read why. Overstimulation probably, he didn't seem scared or anything else. Yet, Slade had to make sure. He pulled his fingers out of Dick's entrance, feeling he was as prepared as he was going to get, and smoothed his hands down Dick's sides. 

 

"Breathe, Kid." 

 

Slade suggested before wrapping his arms under Dick's torso and pulling him up and back into his lap. He groaned at the feeling of Dick's ass rubbing against his sensitive member. 

 

He kissed Dick's abused shoulder in a somewhat gentle manner. "Sure you still want to do this?" 

 

One last check, that final consent he needed to move forward.   
  
Dick couldn't help but to appreciate it, especially with everything that had happened. He paused as he seemed to think before speaking, "Let me see.." 

 

He squirmed out of Slade's grasp, turned around and repositioned them so he was straddling the older male. Legs around the others waist and an arm around the others shoulder. Dicks left hand moved up to run along Slade's cheek before he leaned in and kissed him, softly tugging at the beard. 

 

"Mmm yeah.. I still want you." He smiled and pushed the others hair out of his face. 

 

"Brat..." 

 

Slade knew everyone said Dick was sexy, handsome, probably heard a lot of it. However, Slade was absolutely blown away by how amazingly attractive Dick looked at this moment. Hair mussed, cheeks flushed, body reflecting the beautiful night light filtering into the car. Dick caught that admiring gaze and couldn’t help but smile as his arm then moved from Slade's shoulder and shifted down their bodies. From there the hero took Slade's member and guided it into his body, once the head breached his entrance he let his hand move back up to the others shoulder.

 

Dick could feel himself initially tighten at the intrusion but after taking a few deep breaths he relaxed himself and pressed down forcing more in. 

 

"Go slow." Slade warned barely choking back a moan.

 

He was  _ tight _ and he had to wonder if it was hurting Dick. Slade liked to deal out a little pain but not in a way that would cause actual harm. He trusted Dick to take his own pace though after all there was enough lube to prevent friction. The stretch still hurt but even still the sensation of Slade rubbing against his inner walls was pure ecstasy and Dick couldn't help but to let out a soft moan into Slade's neck. 

 

"You feel a lot… Bigger than you look..." He panted out before he began planting soft kisses to the others neck.   
  
"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Slade mentioned, steadying himself from moving right away. 

 

Dick needed time to adjust, so, Slade slid a hand between them and began slowly working Dick's member. Then, he started with a slow, experimental roll of his hips, enough to just move himself inside of Dick. Thank god he brought good lube otherwise this entire event would have been impossible. Dick’s excitement and lust began to cancel out the pain, as if that wasn't enough Slade felt good inside him. He had begun nibbling on Slade's neck when the other gave some test moves and began stroking him. Dick naturally let out a soft moan against the others skin, his own hips rolling to pick up the pace.

  
"I'm going to move." Slade warned, but didn't exactly explain how. He held Dick flush against him before putting him on his back below him, trusting Dick to position his legs in a way that was comfortable.   
  
From this angle Slade wouldn't be so intrusively deep, plus? He wanted to fuck Dick and a full range of motion was needed for that. Once they were positioned Slade began a slow, yet deep pace, bottoming out each time and paying close attention to what made Dick moan. Dick let out a soft breath as his fingers found themselves tangled in Slade's hair, the other hand tightly gripping Slade's bicep. When Slade found the movement and place that pleased Dick the most it wasn't subtle. Dicks grip on the others hair tightened and he let out a louder moan than he had before. He started moving his hips, flexing himself around the other and tightening his legs around the others waist.

 

"I don't.. Expect you to be gentle.." He invited, he knew Slade didn't want to hurt or trigger him, god he appreciated it. Dick then ran his tongue up Slade's neck, pulling his head to the side by the hair before he began giving the other a hickey.

 

"Good, I wasn't going to be." 

 

Slade raised his chest off of Dick's just enough for him to get a little distance and better placement of his hands on the floor of the car below them. He gave a few more thrusts to make sure he was still hitting the right spot and then started at a nearly brutal pace, quickly building up to it as his own lust hit him hard. Slade could hear their skin smacking together over his own moans. He was definitely feeling amazing, Dick was tight around him but with little friction he was giving him one hell of a pounding. Dick was already leaking and couldn't help but to let out a loud moan just short of a scream as his back arched. His nails ran down Slade's back scratching him while his other hand tightly gripped the blanket.    
  
He let his leg shift off Slade's back, spreading himself wider which got Slade to go in deeper with each thrust. It wasn't much longer for Slade's name to start spilling from the hero’s lips almost desperately. His rolled his hips against the other and flexed the muscles in his lower body to help massage and pulse around Slade's member. He wanted to hear more of those lush moans. Dick could feel and hear the car starting to shake by the time Slade reached between them to stroke the vigilante, a moan escaping both of them. Thanks to Dick, there were red lines trailing down Slade's back starting at his shoulder blade, his other hand held tightly to the side of Slade's shoulder, nails still baring into him. Slade was moaning as well, letting go finally, being vulnerable in front of Dick enough to let him hear his deep alto like moans. 

  
"Sl-slade I-" Dick slurred before a loud scream cut him off. 

 

Dick’s back arched more, his legs closing in around Slade's waist as his entire body tensed around the other. He choked on his moan as his eyes closed tightly and he released on their stomachs and on Slade's hand. It was enough to push Slade right over the edge, cumming deep inside of Dick. He slowed his thrusts until he was just sitting inside of Dick, breathing hard above him.    
  
Slade wiped his hand on the blanket next to them and leaned down to kiss Dick slow for a moment. "Worth every moment of waiting." Slade complimented into Dick's ear.

 

Dicks breathing was hard a soft smile filling his face. "Mmm it definitely beats doing it in the shower.... Not a lot of lubrication." He pointed out as he nuzzled into the other, "It's nice just.... Being with someone.." He sighed and plant soft kisses along Slade's shoulder and neck pausing to whisper into his ear, perhaps more words of affirmation. "I'm pretty sure... I'm going to get pregnant now." 

 

"You idiot." Slade chuckled moving his head and slowly pulling himself out of Dick. "Even if you  _ could _ get pregnant ... I'm not really looking for a kid right now. Think I need to explore myself more first ... Probably wait until my 80s." Slade sat up a little more and rubbed down Dick's thighs and hips.    
  
Dick looked like a beautiful mess and Slade couldn't be more proud of his handy work. He laid down next to Dick next, grabbing the extra blanket and drapping it across them before pulling Dick next to him. Was he an after sex cuddler? Yeah. Would he ever admit it if Dick brought it up in front of others? Absolutely fucking not. Dick let the other spoon him for a while before he turned and hooked a leg over the others hip, hands massaging his chest as he just talked to him.    
  
The topics were random jumping from being in the circus to his time as Robin though after a while he grew more silent.. Tired... He could've fallen asleep, in fact he almost did.   
  
That's when it was determined that they should get the kids. Dick and Slade got dressed, cleaned up the back of the car and got into the front. Dick was already feeling sore and was wobbly but it didn't show too much. He let Slade drive and dozed off on the way to Viktors.   
  
Once they arrived Dick made sure to thank Viktor and his wife, passing out loving hugs before getting the kids to the car. From there it was a short drive and plane ride to get to the cave. They arrived around 1am, much later than they had originally planned. Dick carried Lian in and made his way to set her in the bedroom while letting Slade handle Bizzarro.   
  


  
  
  


  
Meanwhile, Roy was up. After having a few sexual sessions with Jason just to get it all out, he treated him to a small date attempting to cook something that was only comparable to prison food. Jason fortunately turned their disaster dinner around into some high class chef stuff Roy would never understand how the other was capable of that.    
  
Around the midnight hour Roy had gotten to work on the computer, he wasn't worried since he bugged the kids before they left and had been listening in the whole time. He was working on more High Court coding and looking for ways to infiltrate their system. Dick made sure to come in and let the other know they were home. He came up behind the chair however, before he could get close, Roy turned around and crossed his arms. 

 

"What happened to ‘it’s not like that’?"   
  
Dick blinked before scoffing and shaking his head, "I changed my mind... The kids are in bed..."

  
"I know.." Roy said before shrugging towards the screen. Dick looked over and shook his head.

 

"Really? You bugged them?"

  
"Well I had to make sure they were safe.. Fatherly instincts and what not." Roy shrugged.

  
"Pretty sure that's just paranoid." Dick chuckled.

 

“Maybe…. Hey… I wanna say sorry about earlier… It wasn’t fair for me to bring something up that happened nine years ago.”   
  
“You’ve been stressed… I get it… I think everyone just needed an outlet.”   
  
“Or a good fucking.” Dick shot Roy one more glare before Roy playfully hit him, “Your kid’s waiting for you.” With that Roy turned his attention back to the computer.   
  
Dick didn't linger long before heading  to Damian's room, he missed the little brat though... He knew he was in for the scolding of his life. He crawled into the bed as discreetly as he could, hoping the other was asleep as he boa constricted himself around the boy.

 

Damian was happy to see Dick at first, but it had all spiraled into scolding and angry threats the minute he saw the littering of hickies on Dick's neck. "I told you not to fornicate with him Grayson! One simple request!" "Does your penis control your mind? Are you literally a Dickhead??" Damian went from one insult to another until he finally calmed down enough to talk to Dick like a human being. However, it was clear that Damian hadn't dropped the subject entirely, he was just taking a breather.    
  
Damian needed rest too and as payment back for leaving him with 'Mrs. Harper' (as Damian was now calling Jason) again he insisted that Dick sleep with him in a bed that wasn't in the medical wing of the cave. Obvious choice? The jet. The hero gave a sigh and gave the kid what he wanted, moving Damian to the jet bed while Slade was in the shower. He left plenty of room behind him just in case the mercenary wanted to take the chance. The bed was calling out to him, begging him to lay down behind Dick and finally get the sleep he'd been missing the last few nights. Something told him that doing so would only prove to infuriate Damian further, which wasn't worth the battle. Instead, there was lounge seating in the main cabin. It was duel purpose for sitting or lying down. So Slade made himself up a bed with extra pillows and the ridiculous, yet large, hello kitty comforter Bizarro had left on the plane. He slept just enough to feel like he shouldn't have even bothered, but by morning he was still very much unconscious to the world.


	13. Down In A Hole

Upon waking up the next morning Dick carefully slipped out of bed, almost falling from how damn sore he was. As he approached the cabin of the jet he saw Slade bundled up and asleep, he couldn't help but smile and soon leaned in to kiss Slade's head before he got on with packing up. He waited for Damian and Slade to get up so they could say their goodbyes. It was hard to say goodbye to little Lian who looked completely and utterly disappointed. She gave Slade and Dick tight hugs and said her goodbyes after telling them they had to come back sometime. Dick thanked Roy and Jason for taking them in and gave them warm hugs, he even gave Bizarro a tight hug and told him he was his favorite superhero before heading to the jet.

 

Dick insisted that Slade go nap while he began the flight from Belarus to New Jersey in which Slade was more than happy to sleep. In fact, he did for quite a while, longer than he probably should have. The few times he roused from his sleep it was to Damian's complaining throughout the flight.    
  
"He's so old. He looks like a beat up leather bag ... I don't understand you Grayson."   
  
"I'm not asking to jump out of the plane, I just don't see why I can't fly it ... I want to see if it can do better loops than the batwing."   
  
"This sword has nice balance. Can I have it? ... Why not? ... Well if you stole it than by default it isn't yours anyway." Ect ect.   
  
How Dick even put up with this child was beyond him. Slade wanted to shoot him up with more morphine and put him to bed immediately. Shit.

 

They weren't going to Gotham but close enough, it was during the long flight that Dick began explaining to Damian that Bruce was alive. He had to explain why he was the only one who knew and why Bruce hid. He explained why no one else could know… Why was that? Because Batman was a genius… He could stop this and the High Court knew it, they would kill him the first chance they got and then the rest of the heroes would be fucked. The kids couldn't know because honestly? Bruce couldn't trust them not to breach his trust… Not to do the thing Dick was doing now. And if they thought he was dead then the Court would have no reason to interrogate them for answers so there was that little element of protection Bruce was offering. 

 

Either way, Damian didn't take it so well but by the same token Dick had to give the kid kudos for he didn't throw a tantrum. In fact, Damian seemed more disappointed than angry. He would've done the same to protect Dick and so he couldn't be mad at his father he just thought he had earned more of Bruce's trust… Looks like he was wrong. 

 

31 hours later they landed. Dick made sure everyone was rested and fed before he got a rental car and drove along a town that was an hour away from Gotham, from there he turned down a long road and parked outside of a hiking trail head. Of course he went off trail and headed into the wilderness before hiking down a small hill and crossing a river. Through the tree line they could see a fence, ‘No Trespassing’ posted on it. It wasn't easy thanks to being sore but Dick climbed the fence and helped Damian to the other side before approaching an old abandoned building. It looked secure yet like it hadn't had any attention in years. 

 

The young hero walked inside, wandering around the dirt and rubble of what used to be an electric plant before he made it to an old elevator, the shaft was filled with rubble which Dick crawled through before grabbing a small ladder and crawling down to solid ground. The moment his feet hit the smooth surface, lights illuminated the space as a blue scanner scanned Dick. 

 

“Command, open. Password: 356alpha.” 

 

Dick spoke before a soft click was heard followed by humming. The ground beneath them began vibrating as it began lowering them into a dark tunnel. Dick held Damian close until they reached the bottom amd elevator doors opened granting them access to the small bunker.

 

It was different than Bruce's other hideouts, this one was clearly meant for emergencies. Dead ahead was the batcomputer and a workstation, to the left a medical bay with a small kitchen behind it. Passed the med bay and computer were stairs that descended into a bedroom and shower area. 

 

Dick stepped out of the elevator space, eyes scanning the room for Bruce and it didn't take long to find him. Bruce must've been approaching the area the moment he saw the indication that Dick was coming down. Bruce was in front of Dick before Dick was able to step onto the small platform in front of the elevator, a smile on the young heroes face until his mentor spoke.

 

“I told you not to come here.” Bruce's voice was stern, gruff. 

 

He looked exhausted.. Like he hadn't slept in days. Dick could see that he had hardly even eaten let alone rested and could tell the man had a headache.

 

“It's important Bru-” Dick started but was cut off.

 

“You shouldn't have brought  _ him _ here. What the hell were you…” Bruce stopped, eyes examining Dicks neck before he grabbed his chin and turned it upward. His gaze then turned to Slade and read nothing but hatred and murder.

 

“Bruce, he didn't..” Dick had to intervene quickly before a fight broke out.   
  
"Nice to see you too, Bruce." Slade commented as Damian stared in between the two with analytical look on his face.    
  
Damian seemed to pick up on the tense atmosphere and while he did want his father to fully scold Dick for his horrible judgement in love, now wasn't the time. Mainly because Damian really just wanted to eat and lie down. 

 

"I told him to bring me here father." Damian lied with a straight face. "I wasn't going to be stuck with  _ these two _ or Mrs. and Mr. Harper. You couldn't have expected me to go through such torture." Damian 'tt'ed and all but stepped between him and Richard. "I knew you weren't dead. Surprised Todd and Drake haven't figured it out yet."    
  


Bruce's attention quickly shifted to Damian, he knew he was lying. Dick was the only one who he told and if Damian had figured it out then the Court would've as well and he wouldn't be here now. What he liked even less was that it sounded like Slade and Dick were seeing each other more intimately though despite this bothering the older male he quickly picked up on his son's condition.... Damian looked like hell, bruising, pale skin, holding a weak stance. 

 

Damian went to say something else but let out a small hiss before holding his side. He suddenly felt nauseous and light headed. Just normal things after having a spleen removed. 

 

Bruce didn't hesitate to kneel down and even pick the boy up gently. "Take it easy... You're hurt.." He pointed out before glaring at Slade.

  
"Let's take a pause here on the family squabbles and get this brat into a bed." Slade spoke up squeezing the hell out of his own biceps with his arms crossed against his chest. He didn't want Bruce touching Dick like he had been and he didn't like what he was implying. "You and I can square off later, Bruce."

 

Bruce gave a glare that screamed 'damn right we'll square off later.' And with that Bruce had carried Damian to the medbay laying him down on the table. Bruce quickly got to work setting up iv's and other monitors to keep an eye on Damian's condition. This was priority at the moment. 

 

"What happened?"Batman's eyes softened ever so slightly before they turned to the monitors. 

 

He built this bed to run scans on the body allowing him to get a visual on the amount of damage Damian had taken. As images filled the screen, Bruce's fists clenched and his jaw tightened. His attention turned back to the boy as he sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand reassuringly. 

 

Damian stayed quiet, turning his head away from him towards the wall. For some reason now Damian was giving him the silent treatment, at least temporarily. His eyes squinted, eyebrows furrowed together like he was glaring (or maybe more so pouting) at the wall.    
  
The boy glanced over to Bruce as he spoke, "Why would you care? You abandoned us." Damian's voice was just dripping with contempt. He let out another 'tt' before averting his green eyes once again. "I was trying to save Mother. Grandfather pushed her out, she didn't believe in this High Court ... She was hurt trying to escape from Nanda Parbat."  

 

Damian paused eyes getting glassy, but he refused to acknowledge he was getting upset in any other way. "Luthor found us in Saudi Arabia. She couldn't run anymore, infection, fever ... I tried my best to fight them off but-" He tried to steady himself with a breath.

 

The young Robin remembered protecting her bedroom door, pulling himself off the floor again and again even after he felt his rib crack. Even when he was bleeding so much he couldn't tell if the stains on his uniform were from the men around him or his own.

 

"They captured us. Mother started crashing, it was too risky to move her, I told them that… Do they s-shot her." Damian gripped Bruce's hand hard. "She's dead ... They wouldn't even let me say 'goodbye'."

  
Bruce felt an ache in his chest, he remembered the pain of losing his parents so he didn't have to imagine how losing Talia felt for Damian. Throw on top of that the fact he could only imagine that his dear boy was blaming himself.. That he believed he should've been  strong enough to fight off the attack. Bruce felt nothing but compassion for his son and sheer anger and hatred towards Luthor. That son of a…. But that rose the next question… How did Slade get him? The raven haired male wouldn't put it passed Slade to have been paid to snuff him out, God that only made him being here that much worse. 

 

"I'm... Sorry.... I should've let you come with me..." Bruce stated through a sigh, his hand tightening around the others. "Your mother may not have... Been there in the right ways but I do know she loved you.. And she'd be proud that you're alive… That you fought" 

 

He reassured the best he could, fingers in Damian's hair softly massaging the others head. It was then when Alfred came up from the downstairs sleeping chambers.

 

"I see we have guests." Alfred commented, approaching the two, he could read their expressions. See the pain on Damian's face and the anger on Bruce's. “I suppose I should get to work on preparing yet another meal that'll go unfinished.” The butler stated, looking over Damian's vitals with a deep frown… Poor child.

  
  
  
  
  
  


  
Dick frowned, glad Bruce's attention was diverted... It gave him what he needed to talk to Slade, "I don't want you to say anything or justify yourself to him." He said before turning and looking at the other, "I'll do the talking.. I just need you to be supportive. Bruce isn't going to like this and it's not your responsibility to deal with it."   
  
"So, you want me to just stand there like I'm just part of the tasteful room decor?" Slade was being funny, but his tone conveyed that he wasn't exactly thrilled by that plan. "Bruce may not be my Papa, but we have history. I  _ know _ he isn't going to like this. In fact I'm willing to bet my entire antique sword collection that he's going to hate this and suggest all kinds of horrible things." 

 

Slade shook his head. "You cannot expect me to stand there with my mouth shut and let you handle this alone. I won't justify anything because there isn't anything that needs to be justified." He could hear his temper rising as he talked to Dick and this wasn't the person he needed to be taking this out on. 

 

Also, if Bruce was getting him this riled up without even being in the room ...? Shit, maybe the kid had a point. He let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine.  _ Fine _ . I'll ... Do my best."

 

Bruce exhaled and turned up Damians morphine at the sound of Slade's raised voice. "You need to rest... We can talk about this when you're feeling better." Bruce even kissed the boys forehead before getting up and looking at the Butler. "Keep an eye on him." He ordered before walking away.

  
  
  


“Look… I know you have control issues.. That you don't like the fact I'm taking that right away from you right now but I know Bruce better than you think… If you of all people fight him about this, he's going to find ways to tear down everything you have to say.” Dick's eyes softened, his hand combing through Slade's beard before Bruce's voice stole his attention.

 

“So it's consensual.”

 

“You say that like it's a bad thing, Bruce…” Dick said as he turned to face the other, lowering his hand. “Would you prefer it wasn't?”

 

“That's not what I'm saying, Dick…” Bruce sighed heavily and rubbed his temples, eyes closing, “I'm just tired of watching you make poor choices..”

 

“Poor choices!?” Dick snapped, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

“We've been down this road before… Played this same game and what happened? People died… Bringing him here was the worst thing you could've done, this is  _ Deathstroke _ . You honestly think he'd walk away from the opportunity of filling his bank account for you?”

 

Dicks jaw dropped, “Oh my god… Is that what this is about? You think he's just like Adam, don't you?”

 

“Do I have reason not to? Look at me and tell me he hasn't started charming you to bring you in close…” Dicks head filled with all their flirting and playful banter that had occurred before they went to the Gala, “That he hasn't already asked you to do something that challenges your morals…”

'You'd rather hand Damian to Ra's Al Ghul than have me kill a couple people?’ 

“That he hasn't made you feel special.”

‘I just feel…. Valued.’

 

Everything Bruce said made sense… It wasn't wrong and clearly it struck something in Dick, he almost looked doubtful which made Slade furious, white hot angry. It wasn't directly about what Bruce was saying. While he was being accusatory, Slade understood his protective nature and reasoning. Slade couldn't fault Bruce for thinking the way he did about him. If the roles were reversed? Slade would be firmly telling Jericho that Bruce was a tail chaser who couldn't hold a solid, healthy romantic relationship. That it was nothing but trouble.    
  
No, that was the thing, now that he could listen instead of just outright responding he could hear it. It was a flashing reminder of what different sides Dick and himself came from. So why was Slade angry? Because Bruce had obviously pushed Dick too far, watching the hero it was easy to see that with every question, doubt had pushed him closer to the edge. Bruce, instead of heeling in enough to get the truth to make sure his son was  _ actually alright _ , had escalated him to frustrated panic.

 

“Adam did those things to you and you ended up poisoning half the city.”

 

Dick quickly shook his head at Bruce's words, “It's not like that… Believe it or not I didn't fall for Slade because he reminded me of Adam. Maybe at first-” That wasn't supposed to come out, “But I've learned he is  _ nothing _ like that man..”

 

“Manipulative, controlling, intelligent, charismatic… Name one trait that sets them apart.” Bruce challenged.

 

“If he was using me, Bruce,”  The name was filled with contempt, “He would've gotten me in his sheets the second he knew I was interested. He would've kissed me when I laid my feelings out for him. He wouldn't have kept his distance and let me make the choice! Adam played with my feelings the moment he knew I had them.”

 

“Dick… Slade is going to hurt you… Using people is what he does… He even used his own children……” Bruce paused and shook his head at Dick, “I'm honestly disappointed… I thought I raised you better than this.”

 

“You did Bruce… It's why I see that Slade isn't some Damn monster.”

 

“Not a monster? With how many he's killed? Name one good thing he's done Dick. One..”

 

Slade had  _ almost _ pulled Dick back himself knowing this is not how Dick would want this conversation to be going. But Bruce made that comment about his kids ... So Slade let Dick blow up on Bruce with terrible consequences. 

 

“One? I'll name several! He kept us in the loop when this shit started. He got me in communication with Tim. He intervened when Roman was raping me!” He  _ really _ didn't mean for that one to come out, “You don't have to  _ like _ it, you don't have to  _ approve _ of it but you  _ don't _ get to sit here and judge my life or judge him when you haven't taken the time to get to know the real Slade…  _ Especially _ when you've made  _ countless _ mistakes as a father.” 

 

With that Dick stormed off going to the only secluded place there was in the bunker. He went down into the living quarters which had access to a shower and walk in closet. As childish as it was Dick went into the closet, only to his dismay, one of Bruce's batsuits were in a glass case. Richard couldn't help but to growl and start punching it not only cracking the thick glass but making his  knuckles bleed before he sunk down before it.

 

  
Seeing the whole scene play out the way it did had Slade’s heart plummeting into his stomach and him left looking at Bruce's stunned, hurt expression. It was quick, rare ... Slade almost felt like it was something he shouldn't be witnessing from Batman. Bruce's private relationship with his kids wasn't something he'd seen often or ever before then. 

  
Bruce groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, maybe attacking his son wasn't the best choice… He needed to talk to him but he needed Dick to calm down first which made this painful to say.

 

“He needs you.”

 

"I'm aware." Slade replied flatly, uncrossing his arms as he shot Bruce a quick unreadable look before heading down to the living space.   
  
Bruce hardly met Slade's gaze before heading to the med bay, it wasn't as though the two weren't able to hear or see the whole display that took place. Everything was so open and made for little privacy.  

 

  
"Pennyworth, I think I'd like a vegan shake and potato pancakes." Damian said as if he was ordering at a restaurant.   
  
Alfred was going through the few things Damian had on him when he was brought in. Storing them away neatly in the room. He leveled the boy with that famously expressionless stare.

 

"Oh, I was  _ so _ hoping you'd show up and immediately start by assigning me work Master Damian." Alfred delivered with heavy sarcasm. "I suppose a 'hello' or 'how are you' would be far too exhaustive."    
  
Damian gave Alfred a raised eyebrow and then reached out to grab the bottom of his coat. Leaning over to rest his head against the butler's chest pocket, the boy spoke in a soft tone.

 

"I missed you, Pennyworth." Damian head nearly whispered, making Alfred lightly smile, putting a hand on the young boy's head and smoothing his hair back.

  
"I missed you boys as well."   
  
Bruce caught sight of the sweet display as he fully stepped into the medbay and it almost made him smile, instead he opted for sitting on the edge of Damian's bed, softly squeezing the boys shoulder. 

 

"It's good to have you home." He stated before looking at Alfred, "I intend on allowing Dick to stay for the night-"

  
"Are you sure he'll want to stay?" Alfred said, attention not leaving Damian as he softly squeezed him and rubbed his back. 

  
"Maybe not but... We're going to plan on it... I'm thinking we can do moms chili, he always loved that and its something Damian can eat." He pointed out before his attention fully turned to Damian. "How are you feeling?"

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


  
When Slade found Dick the damage was already done, he stopped and examined the scene for a second before entering. Dick was glaring daggers at the floor, his back against the display case as Slade let out a short sigh. The mercenary grabbed a conveniently placed med kit on the wall before sitting down directly in front of Dick. 

 

"I was hoping to get here before you wrecked the place." Slade started in a soft tone. "Looks like the glass lost at least." He reached out and took one of Dick's hands in both of his own. After studying the knuckles, Slade moved one hand to Dick's cheek then to the side of his neck. "Want to talk yet or do you just want my company?" 

 

Sometimes doing some structured cooling off with another person present, but not demanding answers or conversation, could really help. Slade would provide some physical comfort and distraction until Dick got back to a baseline where he could think more rationally.

  
Dick found himself reaching to hold the hand on his neck. "We can talk… I.. Didn't mean to lose my temper I just..." He sighed heavily and let the back of his head rest against the glass, "He's so stuck on what you do as a job that he is unwilling to see who you are and... Just because I've made mistakes he treats me like a child.." 

 

"You're going to need bandages, Kid.”

 

Reaching into the med bin Slade started to pull out materials. He wasn't ignoring Dick's statements, he was just giving himself a moment to think before responding while at the same time making sure Dick didn’t get any more blood everywhere.   
  
"You're allowed to be upset. He knows you well enough to see that he was pushing you. However, raising to his bait wasn't fantastic." Slade admitted. "I can't say I would have fared any better though." Wasn't that the truth?

  
Dick frowned more. Shit.... He said so many things he wished he didn't say... "You... Probably have questions... Don't you?"

 

"A few." Slade responded as he got to work wrapping Dick’s hands. "You kept talking about a man named ‘Adam’, Bruce too. How come I've never heard about him until now?" 

 

Dick could tell by how Deathstroke’s voice sounded he was trying not to sound anything but questioning, even if his curiosity was creeping up from a tad bit of jealousy and possessiveness too which was obvious to the hero.

 

"He's a lot of things.." Grayson shook his head, "My first love and my biggest mistake... You remind me of him in a lot of ways.. You tell me things as they are rather than how they're interpreted... You hold me accountable.. The things I need." Shit that wasn't a good way to start this, "It's... Why I was attracted to you... And I kept thinking it was because you were like him but... You're not... You share  _ some  _ personality traits but you're not him and I'm glad." He fell silent and pulled his hands from Slade's, shame and guilt washing over his expression.   
  
"I guess it's story time...... I met him when I was Robin.. I was about 13 and I stopped him from getting mugged outside his office... He dressed nice and wore a nice watch so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary and...  If I'm going to be honest I thought he was hot.. Tall.. Accent.. Glasses.. We talked for a bit and he ended up offering for me to come inside. I did and I sat on his counter drinking cranberry juice," The same thing he wanted from the bar, "And we just kept talking... I found out he was a psychiatrist and.. We talked about my parents and my relationship with Bruce.. He helped me realize that I kept Bruce at a distance because I was scared to lose him.... Kinda how you mentioned that I don't let my family in." 

 

God it was clear he was still in love with this guy. He cleared his throat and fiddled with his hands, "I knew I shouldn't have...He.... He was 15 years older than me but I kept seeing him.. And we'd just talk... And eventually it escalated.. Shortly after I turned 14 I found out he was going to poison Gotham's water main... It was... Devastating.. I never trusted someone so much or felt so intensely and then I found out he wasn't.. What I thought he was.. But... I couldn't bring myself to arrest him or turn him in so I made a deal.. I told him to go back to England and not to come back and I wouldn't say anything and... He left." Dick fell silent again, "Bruce doesn't know that part.... He only knows what happened three years later... Adam came back into town.. He contacted me, told me he wanted to help people you know.. Blah, blah, blah... But he needed money and he needed resources and he didn't know where to get them and I... I didn't see he was lying to me because.. He wasn't.. In his head he was doing exactly what he said he was going to do... And... After he kissed me I was wrapped around his pinky..”

 

“He used my love for him to get me to steal from Bruce... To steal from hospitals... Then he told me he made some kind of vaccine that would help prevent people from being able to get things like cancer... He needed me to give some people the vaccine in Gotham while he went back home to do it... So... I..." He squirmed, he hated himself for this because even then he knew something wasn't right... But... He ignored it. "I trusted him... Completely.. And I gave the vaccines to people like he said and......." Dick began getting choked up, "People started dying... It took 48 hours but the symptoms normally would show within 24.. Sweating, convulsing, flu like symptoms.. People started to experience internal hemorrhaging and.. Would cough up blood and.." He stopped and shook his head, "It spread through bodily fluid...... They had to lift the bridges and put half the city in quarantine... I was inside the quarantine.. I... I had to tell Bruce what happened.. But things just got worse.. Riots... People dying on the streets.. I did what I could, got some people safe in the hospital and... On the fifth day I was looking for people who weren't sick and..."    
  
Dick didn't know when he started crying but... He never talked to anyone about this, "I saw a little boy... No older than five... Holding his mother in his arms.. She was convulsing and coughing up blood and he was sobbing and... She died in his arms..... I knew I'd never forgive myself for what I did, so I picked him up and held him. We went back to the hospital and they put us in a room so we would be quarantined and.. I knew he was going to die but.. It was okay because I was with him.." Dick paused taking some breathes, "I held him when it happened and I waited for the symptoms to start... And.. They didn't and I kept waiting but..." He shook his head, "I tried using a knife..." He just stopped and shook his head letting some tears fall. "Anyways... We found out that... Somewhere along the lines Adam injected me with a cure... I was immune.. And we used my blood to save the remaining people... Bruce was pissed and confronted Adam.. Sent him to Arkham for a while and.. He  _ talked  _ his way out.. They released him and we never saw him since.. Bruce tried to find him... Tried making me find him but... He's good at what he does..."

 

Slade remembered the incident Dick had inspired. It was all over the news, people were in a panic because this wasn't just a Gotham problem. It was highly contagious, they warned people against even casual contact with other unknown people during the time. It was a mess, a huge mess, with  _ plenty  _ of casualties ... And Dick had been at the center of it all, unknowingly pulling the trigger. He hurt for Dick because it was clear he had regrets, the guilt in his voice, on his face. This man made him do unspeakable things, manipulated him. Slade felt disgusted ... But in the past had he been much better? Was he even better now?   
  


Dick kept his eyes on his hands, "As... Monstrous as he was... He had potential for turning a lot of lives around... Separating interpretation from reality.. Helping find the problem at hand so it can get resolved.... He always pushed me to complete things with people so there wasn't any tension or anger left from a fight..." Dick stopped again, more guilt in his face, "....I… You should know, Slade that I... Still love him.. And... I'm sorry..." Finally he looked at Slade, "But... I want you to know, I love you too.. And... If I had to choose I'd choose  _ you  _ everytime."

 

Part of Slade had believed before this conversation that he'd changed, somewhat, for the better. That the lessons he'd learned, the choices his children had him make, all wound up giving him perspective and improved his humanity. Slade thought, for a moment, that Dick and himself had finally ended up together because Dick could see that change in him too. That Dick could see that Slade wasn't some horrible monster ... Thinking Dick couldn't love someone like that.   
  
He couldn't have been more wrong.   
  
Not only could Dick love such a person, he  _ still did _ .. 'I…. Still love him' had ripped through Slade like he was made of tissue paper. Dick did say he loved Slade afterward, which should have made Slade happy ... But context mattered. He didn't want to  _ share  _ Dick's love with a person like that, and be compared so thoroughly to him as well. Slade's heart was just sinking further and further. Realizing that Dick really was just thinking about and wanting Adam this whole time was the logical conclusion. Slade was a suitable replacement, the 'nicer' upgrade, but not nice enough to warrant his own standing. Call Slade old fashion but there was no fair sharing in romantic love unless everyone involved were on equal footing. It was clear the ground around Dick was shaky.    
  
Slade stared at Dick's tear streaked face and tried to find his answers. A small part of him wanted to just be upset and walk away, but that would mean abandoning Dick like this and he just couldn't do it. Yet, he couldn't just pretend like nothing was wrong.    
  
"Monstrous person with a potential for good." Slade let out a humorless laugh. "Thought I had the market cornered in that particular brand of hypocrisy." He fell silent again for a moment. “... Maybe Bruce is right." The words stung his insides. Slade was shutting down and turning back into himself, a single moment making him retreat back behind his walls for safety and assurance. "This kind of relationship is ..." He sighed. "Regardless of my position or intent Bruce will believe that I'm up to no good, and you'll believe the best of me. Not because I've earned it, but because your  _ Dick Grayson _ and you try to find the good in everyone." Slade said it like he was dumb for not realizing it this whole time. "Either way …  _ Neither _ of you are willing to judge me based on who  _ I  _ am ... Instead your both chasing ghosts from the past." Wilson reused Dick's words from earlier. He didn't sound angry, just flat, accepting almost. "I'm not a replacement, Dick. This isn't some second try where you get to actually turn the bad guy this time. This was supposed to be about you and me ... Valuing each other." Slade wanted to be valued as an individual too. He didn't  _ want _ to share.

 

Dick felt like he was drowning right now. Not just because he hurt Slade but because part of what Slade was saying was true. It honestly disgusted Dick and made him feel sick. 

 

"I... I know you're not a replacement, Slade... You're not supposed to be." Dick said hardly able to meet the others eye, "I... I thought that what I felt for you was tied to him but it's not because you're not him.." These words were nothing more than a cracked whisper, he didn't have the language to explain all these emotions he was feeling which only made it harder. "I kept pushing you away thinking you were like him but you proved me wrong and... And I felt safe because I knew I could  _ actually  _ trust you.. And then I began to see how I misjudged you and... Maybe it's what I do... Find the good in people but that doesn't mean you haven't made strides, Slade... Because believe it or not I've watched you grow too..." He let his eyes close as a shaky hand took Slade's. "Please don't give up on this... I... I know I have shit to sort out but I promise you it has nothing to do with Adam... Not anymore.. I eliminated him from the equation before I dived into this.." He could feel the other pulling away, sense that Slade was throwing up his walls and pushing him out. He hated it. "I don't care what Bruce thinks.." That was a lie, "It's none of his business... And if he hates me for loving you then so be it.. Because it.. It doesn't matter.." 

 

Dick looked so honest and so obviously struggling. None of what the hero was doing to Slade was intentional. Despite Slade's head trying to tell him otherwise. Feeling Dick's hand over his own again was like a tether holding him in place, reminding Slade how much he cared about this person in front of him. 

 

"It does matter. I'm not stupid enough for you to lie to me." Slade commented, sounding almost understanding to the fact that Dick did care what Bruce thought. If his Papa was still alive he'd care what the old man thought about Dick too. 

 

Dick should've known that Slade would catch onto his lying, he was smart.. Not to mention it was obvious that disappointing Bruce absolutely crushed him, it didn't take anyone with half a brain to see that but still... Even though Dick cared he didn't care enough to end things with Bruce based on his disapproval. Slade didn't seem mad though which was a relief. Slade put Dick's hand down in his lap and placed his hands on the sides of Dick's face, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears under his eyes. 

 

"Tell me why I'm different." Slade looked directly into Dick's eyes. "Tell me why I'm worth all this to you ... Tell me you love me again." He just needed to hear it from Dick. The why's that would hopefully keep him from completely shutting off again. Slade didn't want to give up ... Not yet.   
  
"There's a lot of ways you're different, Slade... For one you don't hurt innocents.. Children.... You don't try to hide who you are." Not that Adam could hide his twisted brain from Dick anymore, "I can  _ trust  _ you.. You respect my boundaries and are clear and firm with yours. You don't try to manipulate your way into making me betray my morals.. You helped me look out for my family even though some of them hate you and even though they aren't your responsibility..." He felt more tears stream down his face as he placed a hand on the side of Slade's neck, "You're worth this because..... You  _ care _ .. You're not heartless... You  _ don't  _ like it when people suffer for no reason. And... I think that... Even though I don't like it, you kill people because.. Sometimes people do horrible things to people who don't deserve it and they... Aren't willing to change." He paused and closed his eyes, "It's worth it to me, Slade, because you're not evil... Because if you make a mistake you're open to mending it and because." He opened his eyes looking directly into Slade's, "I love you...." Dicks thumb softly rubbed the side of the older man's neck as he held his gaze, "And I feel it in my entire body.. More intensely than I did with Adam.. It feels electrifying and when you kiss me my fingers go numb and it's just... Like a wave of energy over my body.."

 

Slade listened silently, taking in every word, every syllable Dick spoke like a sponge. He needed to take these words with just as much weight as he had the ones that hurt him, maybe even more so. Why? Because these were intentional. This is what Dick felt for him and the honesty was there, the raw emotion. Even if Slade couldn't love two people like that at once, even if the way Dick had compared him to Adam  _ hurt  _ him ... Dick didn't do either of those things with malicious intent. No, the boy was just sorting himself out, and Slade should just be grateful he was allowing him close enough to help. So when Dick got to the part about loving Slade, how it made him feel, any tiny tendrils of hesitation and doubt started to melt away. However, he did feel a tinge of guilt ... He could see the underlying fear in Dick's features. The hero was scared to lose Slade ... Which meant Slade was valuable to him. What more did he really need to know?   
  
Slade didn't say anything, he just leaned in to Dick and kissed him. It was full of passion and love. It wasn't sexual, it conveyed meaning. He broke the kiss seconds later and pulled Dick to his chest, hugging him securely against him. 

 

"I'm not letting you go. I'm not leaving you." Slade reassured moving one hand to rest on the back of Dick's head. "You mean too much to me. Even if you irritate me sometimes ... You're still the one I want." Hee just wanted to reaffirm his own feelings for Dick because he never wanted Dick to question where they stood. That was an emotional manipulation game he wasn't going to play.

 

Dick let out a relieved sigh, arms not hesitating to wrap around the other tightly. He honestly felt like he might squeeze the life out of the other if Slade wasn't so damn strong. The words soothed him despite making more tears fall and he buried his face into Slade's neck. 

 

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Slade... And.. I hate that I have those feelings and that I did those things but... I can't control it.. I can't change things.. But I  _ can  _ promise you Slade that I'm yours.. I don't want anybody else.. I wouldn't walk away from this." 

 

Dick shifted and kissed the other. After breaking the kiss he just held Slade, he needed to... He knew deep deep down he had abandonment issues... A deep rooted fear of being left alone. He's worked on it a lot and gotten far with people but feeling like Slade was slipping through his fingertips absolutely petrified him.    
  


"I know you didn't. It's alright,  _ we _ are alright." That was all Slade had to say at the moment. 

 

Maybe later they would have a conversation about being more open and honest, but now wasn't the time. Dick was already struggling with now  _ two _ bad conversations, two wounded relationships. Slade just needed to be there right now. 

 

Dick was silent as he let his forehead rest against Slade's shoulder just listening to him breathe, it wasn’t long after that Slade had pulled Dick onto his lap so he could hold him properly. A comfortable silence fell between them and in response Slade carded his fingers through the back of Dick's hair while keeping a firm hold around his lower back. It was a warm and secure interaction, one full of intimacy and promise letting each person know that they had each other. Both men were caught up in the moment solely focusing on the energy and connectivity between them when the sound of Bruce’s voice lulled them back to the present.

 

"Can we talk?" 

  
"Not really my call." Slade answered honestly, loosening his grip enough on Dick so that he could see the other's face. "Are you ready? It's alright if you aren't."   
  
Slade didn't pull away at the sound of Bruce's voice, he stayed put, grounded. He was just as invested in this as Dick was. The hero looked at Slade and nodded before softly pecking his lips, he could feel Bruce look away but he didn’t care. 

 

Dick slowly stood up, offering Slade a hand to help him up off the ground, "No use feeling this way all day.. We might as well get it all out now." He said looking at Bruce who gestured for them to come out of the closet. 

 

They stepped out and back into the small bedroom area, there were only three beds. Dick figured Bruce built this place back when he was the only Robin.

 

When Dick sat on a bed Slade kept standing behind him just to the side. He even rested a hand in between Dick's shoulder blades on his back, just another reminder that he  _ literally _ had Dick's back. Bruce exhaled and sat across from them, silent as he seemed to be thinking. 

 

"Bruce... I'm not going to break up with-" Dick started before Bruce held a hand up telling Dick to stop. 

 

"I wanted to apologize for earlier.... I don't by any means approve of your relationship however, I didn't handle it appropriately. I didn't give you the opportunity to speak and was more invested in.. Making you feel bad about it."

  
Dick was silent for a moment after hearing Bruce's apology, he wasn't really good at these things but he was trying. "I appreciate that... And... I don't expect you to approve.. He’s not Keanu or Barbara or Kori.. I just... Didn't think you'd be such an ass about it."

  
"I'm just concerned, Dick... I don't want you to get hurt.."

  
"You should see how protective he is then..." Dick mumbled, "We're going to fight, Bruce... And have disagreements but he treats me good and I trust myself well enough to know if he’s misleading me."

  
"I trust you too, Dick... I  _ don't  _ trust him." Bruce answered honestly before looking at Slade, "And I can't force you two to stop seeing each other... But I do expect you to treat my son no differently than how you would want someone to treat your  _ daughter _ ."   
  
"Could have picked a better way to convey that message." Slade retorted, meeting Bruce's stare, "I understand your thought process, in fact, if the situation was reversed I'd have to come to my own conclusions as well if it was my own children." 

 

What was Slade saying? Bruce had skeletons in his own closet, mistakes he'd made and some very purposeful wrong doings in his past. More importantly though he was saying that he genuinely saw Bruce's point of view, wholly.   
  
"Nothing I say is going to change your mind. I promise I will treat him with respect, but truth for you is action ... Isn't it?" Slade confirmed the question himself just with his tone. "So, I guess you'll just have to wait and see. I won't grovel or ask for your acceptance, Bruce, and I'd suggest not making your kids beg for it either. Even a manipulative father like myself knows that."

 

Bruce studied the other looking for some sign of deception though he didn't get it. So all he could do was nod, at least Slade was in understanding of his expectations though he still wanted to give the whole 'hurt him and I hurt you' talk... He figured Dick being an adult wouldn't appreciate that.

 

"I don't have much choice but to accept it at this point." Bruce mumbled. 

 

Dick frowned and looked off for a moment before exhaling, "I mean... At least it's not the Joker.." He joked only to have Bruce raise a brow. That was a fair point but completely unrealistic.   
  
"Now that we've got that covered you mentioned something earlier-"

  
"I'm sorry, Bruce... I didn't mean to say what I said.... I know parenting is hard and I'm not exactly easy to deal with.. You've made mistakes but it wasn't fair for me to use it against you."

  
"Not that, Dick... You mentioned Roman..."

  
Dick went stiff, shit... Shit, shit, shit.. "I….Uhh.... Yeah.. I didn't mean to say that either." He admit furrowing his brows. "Luthor called Slade in for a meeting... Left Roman and his men to babysit me and he got handsy.. It's... Not a big deal.."

  
"...Where is Roman now?" Bruce asked, not doing a good job at hiding his anger.

  
"I... Don't know if he's alive.." Dick's eyes were on the floor. "Slade got to him before he could get too far.. I.. Didn't really see what he did but.. It sounded painful." 

  
Bruce was silent as he took in the information, letting out a 'hn' "And are you alright?"

  
"Yeah... Yeah I talked to Slade and Jason about it.. It's done and over with." Dick was waiting to be scolded, lectured, something.

  
"I'm... Sorry... If you need to talk I'm here.."    
  
Well that was unexpected, all Dick could do was nod. It was evident he wasn't quite ready to talk to Bruce and Bruce seemed to be willing to respect that. The older male stood up with a sigh, "You're welcome to stay here for the night.. Just behave.." 

 

Bruce gave Dick's shoulder a squeeze before heading out of the room and going back upstairs. 

  
Dick finally exhaled and looked at Slade, "We should stay for at least one night... The meetings in three days anyways so there's no rush.."

 

"I suppose there isn't." Slade replied, eye looking toward the stairs. "You should take some time with your family. It might be awhile before we can risk coming back here again." He combed a hand through Dick's hair with a face that looked a lot like Tim's when he was trying to sort out a tough case. "You know, if you want-" 

  
"Grayson!" Damian called from the med bay.

 

It wasn't an in danger call, but it certainly grabbed Slade's attention enough to move them back into the main area. Dick honestly thought the boy just wanted attention and flashed an apologetic shrug before making his way upstairs. Despite the High Court taking over the news was still allowed to report on happenings in the world. However, breaking stories were hard to come by, well ... Until today.

Everyone's eyes were trained on the batcomputer watching the broadcast.   
  
"Sources are reporting that the High Court is beginning to release citizen prisoners and captives. This is the single incidence of this type since their arrival here. However, there have been further reports of the recently released exhibiting strange, zombie like behavior with vowed trust in the High Court's ruling. So far, no heroes or meta's have been released from custody. A new publicly released lists the new casualties that, quote 'failed  reconditioning', with some name and age information about those who died attached to their aliases. Notable mentions on the list include Talia Al Ghul, famed daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, head of the international terrorist group the League of shadows. However the list of heroes from this week was shocking as well. Younger members taking a huge hit-"   
  
"Turn it off." Slade suggested as Damian gripped onto the remote for dear life. 

 

"- the report names Superboy, Jon-El, age 9. Beast Boy, Garfield L., age 19. Kid Flash, Bart A., age 17. Jaime Reyes, Blue Beetle, age 22. Finally Zatanna Zatara, age 25." 

 

As the newscaster read out the names photos of the fallen individuals were shown in costume with smiling faces.  Damian was crushing the remote at every picture they showed of Jon, tears welling up in his eyes. 

 

"They need to pay..."   
  
A hand reached up and covered Dick's mouth, each name spoken only breaking his heart more... Those were his friends. He loved them and while he was busy getting laid they were getting killed. Tears began forming in the corner of the hero's eyes as his body softly began to tremble.

 

Bruce's was the only one who stopped staring at the disheartening news channel and took the remote from Damian, flicking the tv off. 

 

"They will." He stated softly, "I'm still trying to figure out what they want... I thought they were here for the meta humans but some they kill and others they employ with no reasoning.." Bruce thought aloud. 

  
Dick shook his head and looked at Bruce, "Slade and I are attending a conference... We'll be meeting with people who are part of a resistance... I'm hoping to find answers." 

  
"Good... You'll have to fill me in.. All I have is a list of who went missing, who's dead and who's with the Court... I managed to track some prisoners and some lists of owners but not enough to go by."

  
Dick was silent as his eyes glanced to the black screen, he swallowed every bit of heartbreak in his chest. "You.... Wouldn't have happened to hear anything about Rose and Jericho would you have?"

 

Dick's eyes moved to Bruce who seemed to shift uncomfortably at the question. He glanced at Slade before glancing at Alfred who had taken post by Damian's bed, hand on the boys shoulder. Slade didn't like the way this was going. The moment Dick mentioned his children's names the atmosphere changed, from shock and horror to ... Sadness. Shit,  _ shit _ . 

 

Alfred gave a nod and Bruce let out a heavy sigh, setting the remote down before gesturing for the two to follow. He sat at the computer and began typing before opening files, on the screen appeared what looked like old surveillance footage of Jericho standing with his back against a wall, Rose in front of him and both of them surrounded by High Court officers. It was a video but Bruce made no move to play it.

 

Slade's eye was solely focused on his children's faces. Rose determined, yet anxious, Joey much more fearful, but accepting. This was the first footage he'd seen of them for months. It inspired a flash of hope that was quickly dashed into oblivion.

 

"This is downtown Gotham... By the bowling alley." Dick said recognizing the building.

  
"They were staying there... Underground.. Victor was helping them but he went missing two days prior to this..." Bruce stopped and turned to face Slade, he himself almost looked pained, "They put up a good fight.... Rose was badly injured... Joseph.. He didn't....... I'm sorry." 

 

Bruce meant that.. He knew what it was like to lose a child... He experienced it more times than any parent should so despite his hatred for Slade he felt his pain and he wasn't the only one. Dick's face shifted into sadness and compassion, a hand reaching to rest on the center of Slade's back while his other hand moved to hold his arm.   
  
A look of gut wrenching sorrow and guilt washed over Slade's features only for a brief second before being replaced by stone cold stoicism. Slade barely even reacted to Dick's touch.

 

"Did he suffer?" Deathstroke asked, wanting to know what his son's last moments were like, hoping the pain wasn't too great, the agony wasn't drawn out. Then Rose ... "Do you know where they took my daughter?" 

 

He still didn't look fully present in the moment. All he was thinking about was getting in his jet, infiltrating whatever hold they had Rose in and making sure his daughter was safely in his custody. He wouldn't lose both of them ... He  _ couldn't _ .

 

Dick was trying to read Slade, he could tell his lover was trying to keep himself composed despite just finding out his son died. The only thing that made things worse was Bruce's reaction to Slade's questions, he broke eye contact and exhaled. How do you tell someone that their child suffered an agonizing death? He knew he couldn't lie to the other, knew he himself would be livid if someone lied to him like that. 

 

"The High Court... Didn't hold back...." Bruce answered honestly, gaze turning back to the screen. "They took Rose in and I tried tracing her to one of their camps but between this point and their base she disappeared.. I don't know if someone else got to her, if she escaped or..." Bruce paused.    
  
"So it's possible she's still out there." Dick said softly before squeezing Slade's arm and rubbing his back. "Hey... Why don't we go somewhere quiet?" He suggested, he didn't want to go out to the jet. 

 

Travelling in and out of the bunker would draw attention but at the same time... Slade needed nothing but support and Dick would give it to him even if it meant risking the hideout. He trusted Bruce's security enough for that.

 

"Dick, I  _ need _ to find my daughter." Slade said in response, looking down at him. 

 

There was so much empathy and care reflected in the youngers eyes, Dick could see through him. Of course he could ... Because Dick knew that he actually cared about his children. People made their assumptions about his parenting, that even now he was a terrible father and his kids wanted nothing to do with him and vise versa. Good. Slade wanted it that way, because it meant no one would try and use them to bait him, no one would hurt them  _ because _ of him.    
  
Still... He was looking at burying another child. That wasn't the natural order of things, parents aren't supposed to outlive their children. They are supposed to watch them grow up, achieve their dreams, maybe start a family and have kids of their own ... Jericho- No. Joseph was never going to be able to do any of that and it shattered him at his core. Slade couldn't save him. What was done was done, and unlike most he wasn't in the business of wanting to raise the dead. So, he could either sit around, cry and mourn,  _ or _ he could go and save the last child ... The last piece of family he had left. Rose wouldn't die by the High Courts hands, not if he had anything to say about it.    
  
"Give me her last location and your evidence. I assume you still know how to encrypt my systems and put it where I can find it." At some point Slade had given up trying to protect his computers from Bat infiltration … Well the ones he they knew of anyway.   
  
"I'll figure out a plan of action from there." Slade was planning on leaving, from his viewpoint he had to. There wasn't any waiting he could do.    
  
Bruce didn't hesitate to start sending Slade the information he asked for, he sent him the location Rose got picked up from and the location that was just on the outskirts of the High Court processing camp. He sent Slade all the routes between those points as well. He even sent Slade the video in case he wanted to watch it for evidence. He intended to help Slade because he figured at the very least the merc wouldn't be working with a group of people who targeted his family regardless of whether or not he cared about them.    
  


Deathstroke was already starting up his jet from his phone. When he turned his attention towards Dick. "Stay here. You'll be safer with your family while I'm gone."

  
"That's not happening." Dick said without a drip of hesitation, "You're my partner, Slade... And I made you a  _ promise _ ... I'm coming with you." He pulled away and looked to the screen, Dick was shifting into mission mode though his hand didn't leave Slade's arm. "We have my suit in the jet, I'll wear it under my clothes for protection.... We can't just storm in and take her when we find her, Slade..... Not unless you're willing to give up being undercover."

  
"Dick has a point." Bruce sighed and looked at Slade, he could talk business easier than feelings, "If you compromise yourself getting your daughter then you won't be able to gather Intel on who the High Court is and what their intentions are..... You could find her and keep an eye on her with less risk." Bruce suggested, would he do that for his kids? No... Absolutely not but... Slade wasn't him.    
  
Dick frowned and looked to the older male, "Tell me what you want to do."

 

He  wanted the other to know that he had his back no matter what. That he was going to support him and fight with him if it came to it.

 

"Being undercover this far has granted me no tremendous opportunities to gather information. If your asking me to choose between my daughter and gathering intel ... Then  _ both _ of you should know my answer." Slade looked between them. "If this was Damian it wouldn't be a question, and the situation isn't like Tim's where he has the unwavering devotion of Ra's." Slade explained. "We don't know that Rose is safe, what they could be doing to her. If I find her, I'm going to bring her home." His voice left absolutely no room for discussion. With or without them he would do this.    
  
Addressing Dick coming with came next in priority to discuss. "If you're coming with then you won't be wearing the Nightwing suit.  It allows you flexibility but it won't protect you against their weapons. Might as well not even bother." Slade said firmly. "Second, I'm not playing hero games. I'm not saying that to upset you, I'm saying it so you understand.  I won't let personal pious get in the way of saving my kid." Bruce might be okay with that, but Slade wasn't. He'd put a bullet onto every skull he needed to save his baby girl.

 

It was very evident that Dick didn't like the idea of Slade killing these people, technically it went against previous agreements however, he knew this would come up eventually. Knew this would be a fight they'd fight many many times. He wasn't looking forward to it but he was ready. Would he lay his life down for these High Court assholes? Possibly but he wasn't going to admit that. Instead he gave a nod. He was promising to be there to save Rose, not to avoid Slade's bullets to save a life or two. 

 

"Lets just see what happens."

  
"Sounds like you two are gearing up for an adventure." 

 

Alfred interrupted, padding over to a vertical rotating storage system on the wall. He pushed in different code markers, letting it rotate before unlocking the access door and reaching in to retrieve the items inside.

 

"Master Dick, I'm afraid that I didn't pack a suit that would be beneficial in a situation like this. However, I did bring with something a little more tactical in wear for Master Jason." Alfred brought over the kevlar and carbon enforced articles. "I'm sure they'll fit, and it wouldn't be the first time you two decided to share personas." Well, not willingly. Sure, Jason dressed up as Nightwing and harrassed Dick and all of Bludhaven for a while. Yet Alfred spoke as if it was just his boys 'playing around'.    
  
"I've been seen with Red Hood. If they  _ do _ spot us at least I won't have to explain why you were being so helpful all of a sudden." Slade agreed, looking over the clothing. 

 

Briefly he considered if it would have any repercussions for Jason and his family ... But like Bruce, they were in deep hiding. Actually ... Had they even told Bruce they knew where Jason was? Or that he was alive and well? Maybe another time.   
  
"Suit up and meet me at the jet in ten." Slade said before turning to leave.   
  
"Wait.." Bruce started, looking at Slade before getting up and handing him some kind of tracker, "You have my son with you... If you run into more trouble then you can handle let me know and I'll see what I can do." 

  
Dick stripped his clothes and began dressing in Jason's uniform, "I'm surprised you have this here."

  
"Ah yes... This bunker was built during your first year as Robin... We knew it wouldn't accommodate all of you but I grabbed what I could." Alfred responded, "You look like you've picked up some new scars."

  
"Yeah... The High Court doesn't really handle their captives nicely but... That's another story to tell." Dick said as he pulled the shirt on and finally the mask. Pros to all of them looking so similar. Dick then hugged Alfred tightly, "I missed you."

  
"As did I... Now go." Alfred responded after giving a tight hug. 

 

Dick grabbed Jason's helmet before making his way out going into the elevator. 

 

Slade pocketed the tracker before following Dick out to the jet. He was silent even as they boarded the aircraft, giving Dick a quick nod to say he was ready before turning toward the back of the plane to get suited up himself.

  
While Slade was changing Dick set Jason's helmet on the table and got to work checking the guns. He hated using these and wouldn't do so unless he absolutely had to.. And if he does then he won't make any kill shots.. 

 

"This feels like Spyral all over again." He mumbled under his breath before approaching the cockpit, "You ready?" 

 

He asked looking over to Slade, his stomach turning. Dick could already predict how this was going to go... He just hope Slade loved him enough to put up with it… That Slade wouldn't hate him for protecting these people.   
  
Slade put on full gear this time, unlike the times Dick and him had been out together before. He was packed to the nines with guns, ammo, and of course his swords. The major difference was the mask, it was like a defining separation between Slade and Deathstroke. Slade set the mask down on the console table in front of the passenger before sitting down himself. This job needed force, cunning, perhaps brutality ... There was a possibility that Dick wouldn't think fondly of him after all this was done. A romantic part of him wanted to put on the breaks, but the part of him that was a father was screaming much louder than that.    
  
The files Bruce sent over were illuminated over the passenger side window of the jet where Slade could view them. He was getting a better idea of what the pattern of travel was, where and how Rose was moved. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the video opened, but paused at the beginning in the corner of the screen. He could see Jerricho's face again, wondered what his son must have suffered through ... God, did Slade wish he could see him smile one last time. Slade wanted nothing more than to hug him, tell Joey how much he loved him, how sorry he was again for everything. How Slade shouldn't have let this happen, that he would have done  _ anything _ to save him. 

 

Dick kept the silence between him and Slade, he learned the hard way with Jason that forcing him to talk would only make him retreat into his walls further and make him more distant. He didn't want Slade to feel pressured or attacked. He wanted him to feel secure and safe.   
So even though it tore the hero apart to watch him get ready for battle, to know Slade wasn't going to hold back and that people  _ would _ die.... He kept silent. He knew they'd fight later, knew it would upset him and that he'd possibly breech the others trust by going off on him but Dick was willing to go through that to save Slade the emotional pain now.

 

His attention turned to the files that were spread across his screen, eyes studying them carefully and analytically. It looked as though there were three possible intersections Rose would have vanished. One near an old train station, one passed the old theater and one near the narrows. Dick only hoped they'd find her trail, for her and Slade's sake. When Dick looked over, Slade's head was in his hands creating a silhouette of a crushed and broken man. It broke the heroes heart. 

 

"This shouldn't have happened..." Slade said with sorrow, his voice lacking the anger he wish he had. "... I let them do this to him. I shouldn't have stopped until I found them alive. I should have never-" Slade stopped, leaning forward more. "Joey didn't deserve this ..."

 

He could imagine his son showing him his first class project, falling asleep in his lap after a long movie night, Slade tucking him into bed with his favorite stuffy. 

 

"Dick ... I just ... I can't loose Rose too. I  _ can't _ ."   
  
Dick didn't hesitate to get up from his chair and  crouch beside Slade, reaching to softly rub his thigh. "We'll find her, Slade.... I  _ promise _ .." He whispered but the other needed evidence, "If they took her then that means they want to break her... They see use for her and want to make her a pet... We might find her at their little lab." He pointed out. They murdered Jericho without hesitation, for some reason they didn't want him but they wanted her...    
  
"And.... I want you to know that..." He paused, choosing his words carefully, "As much as I may not like it, I know you intend to kill whoever has her... I can't promise not to get upset... And I can't promise I won't try to stop you but... I want you to know that no matter what happens I'm here for you.. Even if we end up fighting... And... I'm not going to try to talk you out of it..." Dick paused again, "I ask that you don't try to force your ways on me so... It's only fair I don't force mine on you." He reached up, combing a hand through Slade's hair. "I'm here for you, Slade... I'm not leaving you."

 

Slade knew that Dick was trying to be sweet, to make a genuine and truthful promise to him. However, that was not what Slade picked up from the message despite how it was delivered. Slade's head rose from his hands and looked down at Dick.

 

"Don't get in my way, Dick." Slade warned seriously. "Don't make me choose between your or Rose's safety. I told you to stay, I  _ knew _ what I was coming here to do. You  _ knew _ . If you came along just to try and stop me from killing anyone ..." He sounded angry now, it was being misdirected to all the wrong places. "Those people don't deserve your protection nor my sympathy. But you'd possibly put Rose, my daughter, your friend in danger so you can play hero?" Slade let out a strangled laugh. "I'm taking you back to Bruce."

 

Maybe staying silent would've been better, talking really did get him in a lot of trouble... Maybe he should've taken his dad's advice and thought about when not to open his mouth. 

 

"That's not happening, Slade." Dick snapped just as sternly though he didn't want to attack the other. 

 

He knew Slade was hurting and he himself needed to get a grasp on his anger, "You promised me you wouldn't make me cross my morals... You promised me you wouldn't make me kill.. That you wouldn't make me condone it.... I'm not going to force you to change, I'm not going to hold you back but I'm also  _ not _ going to pretend I'm okay with it. I want Rose safe too, Slade, and I promise you that I'm not going to get hurt.... I swear my life on it." 

 

Dick stood up and returned to his seat, clipping the seatbelt on. He knew Slade asked him to stay so that he could keep his promise. Dick was taking that choice away from him and he wasn't even conscious of it. 

 

"I'm your  _ partner _ , you're going to have to get used to not doing everything alone... Even if you're going to be pissed at me while we do it." First real fight, so exciting. It was good though. Better to get to this point now than further down the road.

 

Slade was about to grit his teeth into stone at this point. "That's why I told you to stay at the cave!" He exclaimed again pushing a hand through his own hair. "Because I didn't want you to have to compromise your morals, for you to be in the line of fire ... Mine or theirs." Slade said as he stood in Dick's line of slight. "I'm not pissed, I'm ..." His words stayed caught in his throat, before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'm scared. I lost my son today, I'm not losing anyone else." Deathstroke gave Dick a firm look, but there was a hint of passion there, love. "Don't do anything stupid. Keep your promise to me. Not a scratch."

 

Dick kept his jaw clenched, it was so easy to snap back but he held back the urge and kept his arms crossed. He knew he was being ridiculously stubborn which wasn't anything new, truly. His gaze returned to Slade and even softened. 

 

"You won't.." He said before sighing heavily, "Slade.... This is who I am... It's what I do... We'll have to find a way to balance it but you can't expect me not to try and protect people.. We'll find Rose and we will get her somewhere safe... She is your priority... I want you to focus on her, I can handle the bad guys.... Bruce said she was hurt so you can't really afford otherwise." Dick pointed out. He finally unclipped his seatbelt and stood up. "I can handle myself... And believe it or not.." He paused and drew one of the guns, "I know how to use these... I'm not suicidal. I'm not gonna get myself killed." 

 

Dick put the gun away and placed a hand on Slade's chest. "Now... Do you wanna fight me all day or are you ready to go? When we get into town I think we should split up..." He turned to the screen that was still over the passenger window. "She could be in any of these three locations.. If not then she's at the base somewhere... I can check the railroads. You can get the theater... We check the Narrows together." He then looked at Slade and arched a brow, "Sound good?"

 

"... Sounds good." Slade let out after a second of extended thought. 

 

The villain couldn't help but to look directly at Dick and melt at the command the other was taking in his absence of strength. Slade always loved having that quality in a partner ... Having someone who didn't mind letting Slade take charge but knew how to pick up and be a leader themselves when the situation called for it. In fact, the last partner that had those qualities was his late wife.   
  
Slade closed the distance between them and kissed Dick, putting the kind of toe curling passion into it that girl's dreamed of. Too bad it was all for Dick. 

 

Dicks felt his hair stand up and couldn't help but to slowly shift onto his toes to make the reach easier until the kiss was broken. He smiled softly at the other and gently rubbed his thumb over Slade’s cheek before sighing.

 

"Thank you for this."

  
"You don't have to thank me, Slade.... You're dealing with a lot... And I'm not the type that pushes away easily."  

 

"No. You're the type that pushes back ..." Slade said almost as if it was a dig at Dick, but then a small smirk spread across his features. "I need that. Besides, I find your anger and passion ... Attractive." More like sexy as all hell.    
  
Slade was the type of person who needed to let out frustration occasionally. One might think he got that on the job and for the most part that was true, but not necessarily. Bantering, arguing, the heat that fueled it, sometimes even the physicality with someone helped. A few of his partners had rather tumultuous relationships with him. Mostly it was because they weren't a great fit, but it was also because Slade  _ enjoyed  _ arguing. Dick, at least in Slade's observations, seemed like he might be the same way.    
  
Dick had a history of explosive episodes. Unlike Jason, they weren't always predictable. In some cases he could hold it together, even when he shouldn't, and other times he snapped when it wasn't appropriate and regretted it afterward. He'd seen examples of both behaviors since Dick came to stay with him. So, the question was, did Dick know he had this problem? Even more importantly than that, had he ever considered trying to do something about it?    
  
Slade would have to talk to Dick about it first, but play arguments or screening had worked for himself in the past. He remembered doing it with William after he'd lost his wife and kids to his job ... Staying with his old friend in a small apartment on the east side of Star city. Bill would just  _ know _ when Slade needed it. So, he'd start up some ridiculous arguement about trash around the apartment, Slade waking him up at night, anything to trigger a screaming match ... Them fucking didn't come until a few times in and while it was never romantic, the release was everything he needed to pour out his frustrations. Wintergreen would always turn to him with a knowing smile.

 

'Better now?' To which Slade always replied, 'Yes'. 

 

Slade didn't miss the slight excitement in Dick's eyes when Slade started to fight with him. Something told Slade this would be an idea they could both get behind.   
  


  
Before long they were at the Gotham airport, the private sector Bruce owned. Dick pulled on the Red hood helmet and made his way out of the jet, looking at Slade. 

 

"If I find anything I'll let you know." And then the two split up.   
  
When Slade arrived on location he found little to nothing in ways of evidence. The scene was contaminated, obviously, far past recognition. It was clearly a lost cause but he still quickly combed through it just in case. After he started heading towards the narrows, figuring he could start tracing a trail before Dick arrived so they could get a head start.    
  
Just outside he noticed a partially disintegrated throat lozenge on the ground. Then, another, ten feet from that. Anyone else wouldn't have thought much of it but these were medication, ones his son Jericho took to help coat and soothe his damaged throat. Whether it was Rose or Jericho (Slade wasn't sure where exactly Jericho had died), someone left him a trail to follow. Even if it resembled the tale of Hansel and Gretel, he was proud and relieved to find it. He clicked on a communicator in his ear.

 

"Meet me at the narrows. I've found something you'll want to see, Handsome."

  
  
  


Dick had gone down to the old train station. First he walked along the old and abandoned tracks looking for signs of Rose. Eyes peeled for traces of blood, footprints or even items she possibly dropped. It was noon by this point and so the sun was directly overhead producing the perfect lighting. When he came up empty he expanded his search to train carts, they provided perfect shelter and so it was no surprise he found a great deal of homeless people in each cart. Dick asked them if they had seen her only to come up empty.   
  
He found prostitutes, junkies, homeless people, drugs, food, trash and even coal but no sign of Rose. He was frustrated, disappointed, but he didn't stop searching. He moved to the train station which had far more ground to cover. It had been abandoned after a massive portion of it sunk down into the Nethers. Not only was it catastrophic but it flooded half the station. 

  
Dick searched the high grounds, every crook and cranny before moving into the tunnels. He kept walking even as water began flooding his boots… That's when he noticed an orangish hue to the water… Blood.. It was fresh. He didn't know how long ago Joey died but regardless this was a lead worth looking into. He headed down the track, meeting waist deep water before slipping into one of the sinkholes, briefly he was under water but he quickly splashed to the service and gasped for air. 

 

Dick took several deep breaths before plummeting down, swimming through some rubble and deeper. Damn it.. There was nothing but a bludgeoned man down here, likely murdered and dumped. He swam down further to see if he could cross over to the Nethers however, found that rubble and an old train blocked the way. Maybe if Rose was in good health she could've broken the train glass and gone further but she was hurt and the glass was in tact…  It was a dead end.   
  
Nightwing swam back to the surface, bringing the corpse with him and dragging it to the dry portion of the train station. He put a call in to the police before receiving Slade's transmission. He didn't miss the way his skin prickled with goosebumps at the sound of that deep voice. He had it bad. After giving the dead man a quiet Romani prayer, Dick headed off towards the Narrows, meeting Slade in an old alley.   
  


It was near Harper Rows apartment but he didn't plan on risking her safety by stopping in.    
He crawled down a fire escape before hanging upside down beside Slade.

 

"What'd you find?" He questioned, mimicking Jason's voice almost perfectly. It was easier to pick up his more gruff tone within the Red Hood helmet than without it.

 

"A drowned rat, apparently." Slade said as he took a look at him, still wet from his adventures into the depths of the train station. "You smell like groundwater." How did Slade know what ground water smelled like specifically? The world would never know. 

 

“Plot twist, I  _ am _ groundwater.”

 

And that made the top five list of the dumbest things Slade had heard Dick say. Honestly at this point the best course of action was to ignore it.   
  
"You look ... Convincing. Enough, it feels weird to flirt with you. Otherwise ..." Slade taped the helmet in the area where Dick's lips would be underneath. "... You're distracting." 

 

Slade mentioned as an off hand comment, shaking his head to get himself out of his current train of thought. He needed to focus, now was not the time to get a stiffy over his hot boyfriend.

  
Dick couldn't help but smirk under the mask, "What? You mean to tell me temperamental and mercenary like isn't your type?" He teased, he could honestly flirt all day but he knew that Slade was still undergoing emotional stress. His son just died.... He didn't expect Slade to be flirty and happy.

 

Slade lifted up the lozenge to Dick's face before handing it over to him. "Found a trail of these heading south towards the old base. Their Jerricho's ... I don't know if it was Rose or him that left them behind for us but it'll give us a clear trail of where they were taken and what entrance to avoid." 

 

Primarily the one they took Rose through. It would likely be the busiest of them, most of the foot traffic being funnelled through that intake area. Then, all they'd have to worry about was a possible employee entrance. With the sun being so high in the sky it would be too dangerous to go in right now anyway ... 

  
Dick looked at the lozenge before taking it and studying it, dropping from the fire escape and onto the ground beside Slade as he stood up straight.   
  
"What is this, a Grimm fairytale?" He asked before storing the item in his pocket, probably not sanitary but still... It wasn't his suit.

 

"We can stake out the building while we wait for the sun to start going down.  Trying to blend in midday isn't going to happen."

 

"I've been to their bases... They have cameras posted outside covering every angle.. And guards.. Lots of guards. Big ones too, different than the officials we've seen around. I don’t know if the one Rose was taken to is the same but the one I went to had a hallway they lead people through to take everything you had on you.. Then they had everyone wait in a large room where they slowly pulled people one by one into another room. They gave us injections and lead us down a hall and into private rooms.... Judging by how many people there were my guess is that each base has hundreds of private rooms, probably even multiple floors..... What I'm saying is it’s not going to be easy in the slightest." Dick explained as he looked at Slade. If he was even half right then the two of them would get murdered before even stepping through the front door.    
  


"So, heavily guarded and monitored fortress with armed men at every corner..." Slade nudged his side into Dick's. "Seems like the perfect mission for a Bat. Just the right level of possible death and impossibility." 

 

Deathstroke then started walking forward towards the sight in question however, they stayed close to the house and tree lines, not wanting to walk so openly in the roadway that they could be easily spotted. No one really caused them problems, this was the grittiest part of Gotham after all. Even the muggers and rapists knew better than to make an advance on two armored and armed men. The gangs seemed to avoid them as they walked which surprisingly enough allowed them to blend in behind the movement of bodies.

 

When they approached the vicinity of the facility everything around them started looking more abandoned. Less signs of life and looking more like people just dropped things where they stood and left. The only other sight that could equate it to it was Chernobyl after the meltdown ... Life forever frozen still after a moment of chaos. 

 

Slade spotted an squatty apartment building a block and a half away that they would use. There was a small community park between it and the facility that would allow them to watch the premises easily. Also, the Court would be less likely to find movement in an apartment building suspicious. They'd likely suspect they were squatters or looters.    
  


Once they were inside it was agreed the second highest floor would be their best bet. The windows on the top were too large and having an extra layer of concrete blocking their voices from being picked up by any devices  on the third floor was a plus. Slade ungracefully kicked down the front door to a small one bedroom apartment. It must have belonged to a young woman, decorated beautifully with a mix of eclectic pieces and hand me down furniture that gave the place a homey feeling. What gave away the sex of the previous resident were the bras still air drying in the otherwise clean kitchen.   
  


Dick entered behind the male and closed the door before setting his guns on a nearby table. His gaze shifted around the home, the state it was in... Whoever was here was likely forced out when the High Court came.... A lot of people in this neighborhood must’ve been forced to be prisoners, murdered, or forced to leave. It broke Dick’s heart but that's why they were here... To stop these assholes.   
  
Slade got to work setting up small surveillance cameras in the bedroom and living room windows so they didn't have to be stuck by them all day. He was able to get the TV working and connected the network together to give a perfect display of the facility next door from the couch, which is exactly where Slade went. He sat down with a huff and took off his mask, setting it to the side of him and looking up at the ceiling. 

 

"You're going to have to pin me down here ... I'm two seconds from just running in." That wasn't the smart thing to do but his heart was telling him that waiting around while Rose was in danger was wrong.   
  
By now Dick had removed his helmet, he was finishing setting up one of the camera’s before his attention shifted to Slade. He knew sitting and doing a steak out while his daughter was in danger was going to be hard...  Fuck, Dick had a hard time with steak outs because he was impatient and had itchy feet. A primal need to keep moving so he got it. 

 

The hero exhaled and approached the other, straddling his lap and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Slade immediately adjusted to compensate for Dick's presence, putting his hands on the hero's hips and mindlessly running them up his sides and back down again. It was weird having Dick on his lap while he looked so much like Jason, but that tone, the feeling of these lips as he was kissed ... No it was definitely his Dick.. Not that he knew what it was like to kiss Jason, but still.    
  


"While I'm not opposed to going Rambo on these assholes.... I'm not willing to let you get hurt... We need to know what we're up against... You can't save Rose if you take a bullet to the head. I'm not going to insist we sit and wait... That'll drive me just as crazy.... But.. I will insist that we put some kind of plan together... We need an excuse to be at their base.."

  
"I've taken a bullet to the head before ..." Slade said with a small shrug. "Nowhere serious though." 

 

Would it kill him? He never really thought about it. Slade's healing factor wasn't something he liked to push the limits on. It was nice to always heal from his injuries but it didn’t stop them from causing him agony before then. Slade liked a little pain but not like getting a broken leg or taking a bullet to the chest. Thanks, Jason.

 

"You have to be okay with me getting hurt though, Dick. It's not a death sentence for me. I always get back up. But you?" Slade took a hand off Dick's hips and pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal the line of hickey's there from the other night. "You're much more vulnerable."

 

Slade's own hickies, even the scratches down his back, were completely gone without a trace as though they were never there in the first place. 

 

"Just worry about yourself ... I know that’s impossible for you to do, but just try." Slade's tone was light, not scolding. 

 

Dick had a big heart and would take a bullet for about anyone, it was something Slade liked about him. But, he didn't need to take any bullets for Slade. 

 

"I know you’re all macho and strong." Dick said with a sigh, fingers carding through the older man's hair, "I just.... I care about you and these guys took down  _ Superman  _ like it was nothing... You can heal but you're not bulletproof.... But I will make a promise." Dick paused and took Slade's pinky in his own, "I won't take a bullet for you in there......  _ Unless  _ it's a killshot." He smirked and kissed the others lips.

 

"No kill shots either." Slade grumbled under his breath knowing it would fall on deaf ears. 

 

Trying to convince Dick not to put himself in danger for  _ strangers _ was impossible. Slade didn't think it would be any easier being his romantic partner. He just needed to accept that ... Might make for a fun fight later though.

  
"Anyway ..." Deathstroke sighed out. "I have an idea, it'll be a little tricky but I think you can pull it off." A pause, "We'll just walk through the front door."   
  
Hands moved to rest on the others shoulders as Dick’s brow furrowed. "Walk through the front door?" He asked, "What are you going to ask them if they believe in our lord and savior, Cthulhu?" 

 

"I left my religious pamphlets in my other suit, unfortunately." 

 

Slade slipped a hand down the front of Dick's suit, his eyes just studying Dick's figure as though he was trying to distract himself. It seemed to distract the hero more though which wasn’t a surprise. With how tactile Dick was, every touch was a taste of heaven.

 

"There is a thick line of bushes around the building and looks like no external security. Either they are too confident or they have enough surveillance to cover the grounds. Latter is more likely. If I go to the front door by myself, they'll be focused on watching the security footage of me, they won't even notice you sneaking up to the front of the building next to the bushes. If we wait until twilight they won't have switched over to their night vision cameras either. Between your bat training and flexibility you should be nearly invisible."    
  
"I pulled up the blueprints of the building online. The front door leads right into a central intake room, however, right off to the side of that are service hallways that lead back to the containment rooms and an elevator ... That had an outer access maintenance door. Three feet by three feet. While I'm distracting them up front you can go in, take the elevator shaft in and find out where the security is. Cut the surveillance and then ... We can get to work." Slade explained.   
  
"That sounds like it'll work... It won't be a problem for me to get inside either..." Dick paused seeming to think. "It sounds like fun." Smiling, Dick kissed Slade.

 

He then got off the others lap. Dick grabbed one of the guns off the table and sat beside Slade, one leg over his lap. He pulled the clip from the weapon and looked the bullets over once more, it felt like a full clip. He hoped he wouldn't have to use it. Dick put the clip back in the gun and put it in its holster.

  
  


It didn't take too long for twilight to spread across the sky. Dick had gone over the plan and means of communication with Slade several times making sure all the bases were clear. During the few hours they waited he had begun massaging Slade's shoulders and leaving the air open for communication. He wanted Slade to talk about Jericho if he needed to. When it came time to strike, Dick gave Slade a heavy kiss and pulled on his helmet letting the mercenary go ahead of him. Getting to the base went without a hitch. Dick managed to stick to the bushes and get up against the side of the base.

 

Slade didn't even have to knock before the door was opened, a large brute standing behind it with a gun. It was a High Court guard. A scanner ran over Deathstroke's body before his  information was read off to the guard. 

 

“State your business, Wilson.”

 

He just needed to buy some time for Dick to get control of the place. So, he shouldn't have to keep these assholes entertained too long (hopefully). 

 

"I had two uncooperative priority listed metas transferred to this facility site a few months ago for recondition training." Slade said catching the attention of some sharp featured woman behind a desk in the intake area.   
  
"I'm afraid you've arrived at the wrong facility Mr. Wilson. We are in the process of transition." Her eyes were nearly cat like in the way they followed his every move. 

 

She had to be directly with the High Court ... The behavior was definitely weird enough.

 

"They told me to come  _ here _ ." He was going to play the 'unrightfully pissed off customer' role. 

 

Complain about something that was clearly not their fault until they caved.

 

“Perhaps you were misdirected.”   
  
“Misdir- You mean to tell me the High Court can’t sort out it’s facts enough to keep track of what location their prisoners are at?” Slade’s tone was nothing short of condescending.

 

They got a few more exchanges in before he heard a gunshot.    
  
Sharp and short, hand held, deep with no afterhand echo, magnum. Sounded exactly like Jason's .44 research, Roy Modified, dessert eagle should. Not exactly something one of these guards would be hauling around. It had to be Dick and if he was using the gun then he was in trouble. Fuck.   
  
Both the guard and woman's attention was diverted toward the sound and Slade didn't hesitate to act. He drew his own weapon and fired off two shots into the large behemoth to his right, one square in his chest and the other at his knee cap to send him down to the ground.    
  
The woman watched him go down, but just looked up at Slade with a dangerously flat look. "You'll regret doing this Slade Wilson."

 

"Really? I'm already feeling  _ much _ better." He shot her as well. He only used one bullet that time.

 

Just to be safe he severed both of their heads using his sword, some of these High Court characters could be nearly impervious. Slade then took a key card and some kind of remote device with him as he began running through the halls to find Dick. The place was all but abandoned, every cell he passed by was labeled empty. In the back of his mind it became clear that Rose wasn't here. Dick first though.

  
  
  


~Fifteen minutes earlier~

  
  
  


Dick had crept into the building. He made his way down the elevator shaft before stopping along a door. 

 

“If only I had the Mission Impossible soundtrack.” He whispered, prying the doors open with Jason's knife.

 

The doors were only opened a crack before he squeezed through and into a hallway. Dick’s eyes dart around before he got up and moved to a map that was conveniently displayed on the wall. 

 

“Perfect.” He whispered.

 

The hero found the security room with no problem, it was locked, of course, but it took the hero less than 2 minutes to pick the lock. Dick was expecting this to be hard and much to his own dismay he had drawn one of Jason's guns. He didn't plan on shooting it, no. After all he was Agent 37, the spy who  _ throws  _ his gun. 

 

He quickly opened the door and readied the weapon only to find the room empty. He slowly lowered the gun and entered, eyes glancing around only to find that the room was completely empty.

 

“Must be their dinner break.” The hero grumbled, sitting down at one of the computers. 

 

It was easy to pull up footage of the base, he could see Slade and began hacking into the systems so he could send the other a coded transmission. Before he could get to the hacking his blue eyes shifted to a screen on the upper left catching some movement. 

 

He saw a man, he didn't seem to be an official High Court guard, he was smaller no bigger than Dick. Likely a mercenary the Court recruited for their ways. From what Dick could tell he was a marine however, that didn't hold his focus for long. In front of this man were three kids, one dead with a smashed in skull. A boy and a girl. The man held a bloody club and quickly whacked the boy with it killing him instantly. Dicks stomach turned, his blood boiled and he darted out of the room completely abandoning his mission. The camera told him which room this brute was in and Dick pulled up a map using Jason's hood. The hero was in the room at the same moment the man raised the club above his head to strike the girl.

 

“Freeze!” Dick yelled, aiming the gun at him. He was in cop mode.

 

The man turned and smiled, making eye contact with Dick before going in for a swing. Dick had pulled the trigger at the same time hitting the man's hand but it didn’t stop him from beating the girl with the club. It was too late, the child was a bloody mess on the floor.

 

“No!” Dick screamed out, charging at the man. He swung at him with the gun only for the man to grab Dick’s wrist and stop him.

 

Everything went dark, rage possessed Dick completely and he ripped the helmet off his head and backhanded the man twice. Dropping the helmet and gun Dick grabbed his wrist and threw him over his shoulder snapping the bone in this monsters arm. 

 

“She was a child!” 

 

Nightwing growled out not sounding like himself. Next was a kick to the head, then the gut. Then Dick climbed atop the man and began beating him with his fists, blood spurting everywhere as Dick let out a hateful scream throwing more and more punches. 

  
Slade had heard Dick yell. It was faint but enough for him to track down his general location ... What he found he wasn't prepared for. The bay doors were thrown open on each side. Off against the wall were three horribly beaten and now deceased children. Then, a few paces away was Dick beating a man to an absolutely unrecognizable pulp. Slade's stomach was turning at the sight, this man deserved to die in the worst way possible. He didn't move closer for a second until he looked more at Dick's face. Covered in blood, a nearly unnatural anger to his features. If that hadn't spurred him into actions, Dick's hands moving to the man's throat would have. He was going to kill him and while Slade wanted this man to die, Dick was not the person to do it. If he did? Dick would  _ never  _ forgive himself.   
  
The merc moved forward quickly and hooked his arms under Dick's, pulling up quickly and stepping back in an attempt to pull Dick off of the beaten man. 

 

"Kid! Stop ... Stop." Slade said in an authoritative tone to grab Dick's attention away from what he was doing, hopefully get him to snap out of it. "You are going to kill him,  _ stop _ ."

 

Unfortunately, Slade’s words weren’t breaking through and he got an elbow to the rib cage,  "Get off me!" Dick growled.

 

Slade was a little shocked at Dick's resistance, his rage. For a moment wondered if he was doing the right thing, if he should have even stopped Dick but that was only for a split second. It was obvious to tell Dick wasn't in his right mind, that the upsetting scene before him triggered feelings and rage that was absolutely out of his control. As much as Slade wanted to watch this man choke on his own blood, die as slowly and painfully as possible ... He couldn’t let Dick do it.   
  
"Kid, calm down." 

 

Deathstroke took the blows but held Dick firmly. His hands slipping from Dick's torso to his arms when he tried to elbow him in his face. Dick even made the move to bite Slade in which he wrapped an arm around his neck and shifted his tight grip back to the others stomach. 

 

Dick didn't like that Slade wasn't letting him go, "No! Let go!" He squirmed and struggled more, tears streaming violently down his face.

 

“Dick, this isn't you.” Slade whispered softly.

 

The blows towards Slade began turning more into squirming and struggling, the blackness around his vision was slowly starting to clear up but his head felt foggy.

 

"Let go." His voice sounded more broken this time. As he came to, he honestly had no idea what was even happening.

 

It felt as though Dick were opening his eyes for the first time, eyes on the man in front of him before shifting to the children. His stomach twisting before looking back at the man, he couldn't tell if he was breathing. His face completely paled and his body began shaking violently.

 

"Oh my god..." Dick winced. How could he let this happen?

 

The sound in Dick's voice just about broke Slade's heart, the look on his face just dug the feelings even deeper into his soul. That's when they heard a sharp breath from the person before them and Dick began squirming in Slade's arms again. 

 

"We need to get him on his side, he's choking on his blood."

 

"Look at me." Slade said turning him around as he continued to struggle. "I'll take care of this. You need to get out of this room." He barely gave Dick a choice taking him to the nearby door and setting him in the hallway. "Stay here."    
  


Slade went back into the room and set the man onto his side, using a firm smack to the man's back to dispel the pooling blood in his mouth and nose. The man was wheezing, but breathing. By the looks of it? He'd make it if he could get medical attention in the next hour or so. Slade looked up at the doorway, making sure that Dick wasn't watching as he pulled out a dropper from his belt pocket. 

 

"Ever heard of VX?" Slade whispered so quietly he himself could just barely make out what he was saying. "Neurotoxin, very painful you'll... Well ... You'll see." Slade dripped two drops into the man's eyes before tucking it back out of sight.    
  
"He'll make it." Slade said loud enough for Dick to hear as he got up from the floor, catching sight of the children in the room once again. The parent inside of him couldn't leave them there.    
  
There were three beds in the room, all made up with sheets, one even had a beat up, well loved, teddy bear on it. The intention was to kill these children ... There was a gurney with an adult sized body bag on top of it. It took about ten minutes but Slade carefully picked up each child from the floor wrapped them in the white linen from their beds and placed them next to each other in the bag. The teddy bear belong to the littlest girl, Charlotte. He made sure the bear ended up in the shroud with the child's body. 

 

Slade enclosed the white plastic sheet and zipped the felt cover up, carrying it out to the hallway and gently set it on the floor before putting himself at Dick's level, laying his hands on the side of the hero's face. 

 

"We need to go ... Rose isn't here." Slade looked over at the bag and remembered Jerricho, Grant. "The High Court will be here soon to investigate and we ... We can't leave them here."   
  
Dick was still trembling, pale, he looked sick. He felt more loose tears stream down and nodded. He wanted so badly to insist on looking for evidence of Rose but... His head was burning.   
  
"We need.... To find out what base they transferred everyone to." Dick whispered, eyes closing tightly as he slowly dragged himself off the ground. First he grabbed the helmet and the gun, then he looked at Slade, "We.... We can find it in the surveillance room."

 

"Kid ... Love. We don't have time." A lie, but they needed to leave. Had to leave. "I'll call Benjamin. Now that we know where she was we'll have a better idea from him where she might have gone from here." 

 

That's what he should have done in the first place, calmed down and planned more thoroughly before just rushing into the nearest option that would let him just do  _ something _ .  He acted like a child and Dick was suffering the consequences of his actions. 

 

"This is a dead end. "   
  


Slade took the hand Dick had the gun in and slowly slid it away from him, clipping it on the holster on the hero's belt before going back to hold the trembling hand. 

 

"We will find Rose, but you are my priority right now." Slade said so firmly, putting a gloved hand on the side of Dick's face and wiping away some of the tears from under his eyes and on his cheek. "Come on, we are leaving." 

 

He didn't want to let go of Dick but they really couldn't stay here. They needed to get back to the jet ... Which he may have remote landed closer to their location for a quick extraction. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the younger’s other cheek that was still wet.    
  
Slade grabbed the gurney, waiting for Dck to lead them out.   
  
Within 25 minutes they were on the jet. Slade first focused on getting the thing off the ground and out of the area, setting it on autopilot to their next destination. Next, he took the children's remains to the small medical room and firmly shut the door behind him. 

  
Dick had begun removing the Red Hood gear, setting the helmet down and pulling off his gloves. As he did so, blood got onto his hands briefly making him pause as he stared at the crimson fluid, it hardly took any time for him to rush to the bathroom to wash it off. He couldn't have this on his hands. On his face. Dick felt like a scumbag and even worse like he let Slade and Bruce down. Here he is preaching about keeping people alive and it's his mercenary boyfriend who stops the hero from killing someone. From there his mind jumped to the sight of the children. If he didn't waste time arguing with Slade they wouldn't have... No... Thats not true but fuck, it was so easy to blame himself... Then he thought of Rose... How scared she must be.... Then Joseph... How much pain he went through. How much pain Slade was in and here he was struggling to breathe, it wasn't right. The hero gripped the edges of the sink with his wet hands, holding his breath as he tried to ease himself or... Force himself to stop feeling.

 

  
Slade noticed Dick was still in the bathroom. He stripped down to his undershirt and boxers before finally entering the bathroom. He wanted to give the hero some space just to get his head together because that is what _ Slade _ would have needed. Dick wasn't Slade though. Not at all. That became extremely obvious the moment he saw Dick's position at the sink, saw the way his chest wasn't rising. Dick was on the verge of having a panic attack.    
  
"Dick..." The tone was soft and just alerting Dick to his presence. 

 

Slade didn't know how far the younger and slipped into his own thoughts and the last thing he needed to do was shock him out of them. He grabbed a fresh, plush towel from the stack next to the shower (an arm's reach away in the small space) and wrapped his arms under Dick's. He slowly picked a hand off of the sink, forcing Dick to lean back into his chest, as he meticulously dried off each finger, letting his own hands touch and massage Dick's at the same time. It was enough to get the hero to stop holding his breath though there weren't any words yet, just a silent touch and presence that said Slade was here. After a moment though, Slade did speak.

 

"Tell me what you're thinking..." Slade laced  his fingers in with Dick's left hand.

 

Dick had heard Slade's words though he didn't say anything, he couldn't. It was against his nature to hold these things in and so opening his mouth was like opening a floodgate. 

 

“I’m here for you.” The merc reassured through a delicate whisper into Dick’s ear.

 

"I almost killed someone." Dick finally winced,"Sometimes.... I get so angry that everything goes black and I lose control and.... I do things. I don't know how to stop it, Slade." Finally he turned and wrapped his arms around the other, head against his chest as he softly sobbed. "I don't want to kill people... I can't.. When I killed the Joker it felt like a part of me died too." Luckily Bruce brought the man back which just barely helped Dick forgive himself, "I'm not like you... I just cant..."

 

Slade let him speak without interruption, standing firm like some kind of barrier to protect Dick from the world. He could hear the self loathing in Dick's voice. Dick's natural inclination towards kindness, believing in the good of people added to years of Bruce's no kill mantra was making the kid before him wilt and detest any time he even  _ skirted _ the line of causing someone real, permanent harm.    
  
"Don't be so hard on yourself Dick." Slade replied embracing the younger with an enveloping hug, even pressing a soft kiss down onto the top of Dick's head. "Sometimes you need to remind yourself that you're human, that you'll make mistakes, get angry, do things you wish you didn't. But ..." Smoothing a hand along Dick's back. "... Those things don't define who you are. If you mess up once out of a thousand times that's not a failure, Dick ... Thats nine hundred and ninety nine successes and one mistake. You can't hold yourself to those kinds of standards ... You'll make yourself crazy."    
  
Slade slipped a hand between them so he could grasp Dick's chin and have him look up at Slade. "We may not agree on our morals ... But I will defend and respect yours because it's what you need. I'll always do what I did today ... I won't let you kill someone, regardless of whether or not I believe they deserve it." He brushed the back of his fingers on Dick's jaw and cheek. "I'll give you the control you need when you've lost it. I'll stop you from crossing the line ... I promise."

 

Dick listened to Slade's words and felt a great weight off his shoulders... He was expecting himself to be absolutely perfect. Every time someone died in the same space as him he took it as a personal loss, blamed himself. He couldn't separate his grief from being responsible for something he couldn't control.    
  
As Slade looked into his eyes and promised him he would keep Dick from killing people he felt a great sense of partnership... That he wasn't alone. That he could stumble and mess up. Sure, he was a hero but there was only so much he could do. Dick stood on his toes and softly kissed the other.

 

"I know we just started dating but.... I mean it when I say ‘I love you’... You're exactly what I need." Dick smiled a soft smile, his hand reaching to rest on Slade's cheek. "I didn't want to.... Make you feel like you can't have the space you need to deal with what happened with Jericho. But I know the whole emotions on your sleeve thing isn't your style." 

 

He still felt guilty for having his own problems while Slade was dealing with having a dead child, shit Dick needed to stop comparing things. "If you need to talk to me I'm here..." He said, arms wrapping around the other again hugging him firmly.

 

Slade wasn't exactly sure what to say about Dick offering to be there for him. He was upset, of course, but everything he was trained to do told him to just  keep moving forward. Don't stop to grieve until the mission is done. The military taught him that ... Though he never thought he'd be using it to grieve his child. Slade  _ shouldn't _ be. 

 

"Thanks I ..." 

 

Slade started before just letting it drop off his tongue. He didn't want to start focusing on himself, it was easier for him to just support Dick ... It made him feel better too. Just being around the younger did that. The look in Dick’s eyes seemed to show that he understood that Slade didn’t want to talk about it, in fact he dropped the subject.

  
"I appreciate having you here..." The hero pulled away and began stripping off the Red Hood uniform, he wasn’t done cleansing himself of blood.

  
"Where else would I want to be?" Slade asked, turning on the shower to let it warm up “....Maybe back at the forest house. Now that I think about it, you've never been in my bed there. You'd like it. You'll just have share a shower for now." 

 

Dick wiped some loose tears and softly sniffled, "Well, if I'm going to be honest? I'm looking forward to making a mess in your bed." 

 

Who could blame him? He's thought about this plenty of times before. He tossed the shirt aside, unaware of the fact Slade had given him some bruises. There were marks around his neck and arms from the other grasping him in attempts to keep him from squirming and with how hard Dick had been thrashing around it wouldn't have been possible  _ not  _ to leave bruises. 

  
"Come on I'll wash your back ... Anything else you want too." Slade said taking off his own clothes. 

  
"You can wash whatever you want.... I like the way your hands feel on me it... It feels safe." 

 

Dick took Slade's hands, placing them on his waist before his own fingers trailed up Slade's body. He didn't hold the pose long before he had finished removing his pants, attention shifting from their playful banter. 

 

"What do we plan on doing with the kids?"

 

Slade kept the door to the shower open long enough for Dick to get in before shutting it. He lathered his hands with soap, working them across Dick's shoulder's and back. He noticed the bruises, fingers trailing over the areas in a seemingly apologetic manner.   
  
"Give them a proper burial. Somewhere their families can come visit them when this is over." Slade paused, thinking about how or if he'd ever find Jerricho's remains to do the same. "I was able to find their names, the cities they came from. All from upper Iowa, lower Minnesota ... I know somewhere for them."

 

This conversation wasn't fun but it was entirely necessary. Saving people who deserved to live was always the best outcome but if that couldn't be accomplished, then remembering them, respecting their life was the next best option.

 

"Everything has changed but I won't become so desensitized by these inhumane people that I don't stop to do the right thing by those kids."

 

God how didn't he see it before? Slade's humanity? It was absolutely stunning and beautiful. "They would appreciate that.... I... Appreciate that it's really sweet." Dick acknowledged, he had to. How could he pretend this level of compassion wasn't a turn on? "This is one of the many examples you give me when I say I was wrong about you.... Two weeks ago and I would've expected you to whack me upside the head and drag me out of there but... You didn't... You stabilized me and then you went out of your way to give these kids the respect they deserve." His fingers began trailing down Slade's chest admirably. "Keep this up and your skeletons will never scare me away."    
  
Finally some light in the darkness, Dick gave Slade a nice, big, authentic smile.  He then turned and got some soap on his hands before working it into Slade's beard. 

 

"Is this how you keep it so  soft or is it part of your superpower?" He asked changing the subject completely, he had to... If he kept talking about those children he was going to throw up and the last person he barfed on dumped him. 

 

Slade just chuckled at Dick's antics. "It's probably the moisturizer, honestly." 

 

Did Slade have special product he put in his beard? Damn right he did and it was manly as hell. To Slade, men kept up their appearance and used what was needed to do that ... Boys were the only one's concerned with being too feminine in lew of personal hygiene. 

 

"Maybe I should grow one out... Be endowed with wisdom and sexiness."

 

"The 'sexiness' and wisdom is just part of  _ this  _ package ... You are not growing a beard." Slade said as if it was non-negotiable. "Your face is too handsome for one. Also ... Just no." He rubbed his hand along Dick's jaw. "If you're going to wash my beard I'm shaving your face." There was no razor in Slade's shower, the old man (of course) had a pristinely kept straight razor that didn't agree with moisture in the medicine cabinet. 

  
“If you're good I might make you help me shave my legs." His tone was playful though Dick was dead serious. He liked the intimacy of such actions and it wasn’t a secret he shaved. Skin tight clothes did  _ not _ work with leg hair.

 

Slade paused at the thought of shaving Dick’s legs, going along all that well trained muscle, the curves, the touching. He could do that, he definitely  _ wanted _ to do that. Mentally, he put it on a checklist in his mind.

  
The merc continued washing Dick up, letting the hero do what he wanted with his beard. Once they were done Slade got them both towels and got out his shaving equipment on the counter, motioning for Dick to sit on the toilet while he quickly cleaned up the sides and shape of his own facial hair like a damn pro. 

 

Dick got a towel around his waist, sat down and looked up at Slade, his eyes sliding down from Slade's handsome face and slowly running down his body. He truly couldn't get enough.

 

"I should probably tell you where we are going..." 

 

Slade spoke, turning to Dick with a towel around his waist, hair pushed back. He began applying a thin layer of cream along the underside of Dick’s neck, jaw, and cheeks.  He picked up the straight razor and quickly cleaned it with the hand towel he had to the side. Placing a curved finger under Dick's chin he tilted his head back and began with smooth strokes up the side of his neck revealing perfectly smooth skin underneath. 

 

"We are going to my Grandparent's farm house. I inherited the property though ... It's been a while since I've been back. " Slade admitted, eye concentrated on his work. "It's in southwest Wisconsin. We should be back to Gotham by tomorrow afternoon."   
  
Dick jolted slightly, a light shining through Dick’s eyes as a large smile spread across his face. "Really!?" 

 

Slade quickly brought the blade back so it didn't knick him before he leveled Dick with a look that he usually only saved for his children when they were misbehaving. "Be still, do you have any idea how sharp this is?" 

 

The villain didn't sound upset in the least, just more so concerned. If Dick kept bouncing around this would go from an intimate shave to a bloodbath in seconds. 

 

"I imagine it's sharper than you are." Dick teased.

 

The vigilante was excited, he felt like Slade was letting him in, sharing his past with him. It was exciting. "There better be baby photos there."   
  


"I'm sure there are pictures ... Probably etched into stone tablets somewhere." Slade joked flatly, moving Dick's face slightly to the side as he started on his jawline and cheek, using shorter strokes on the softer areas.

 

The young hero waited for the razor to move off his jaw before responding to Slade's own age joke, "That's right cuz you're from the stone age... I  _ will  _ figure out how old you are whether you tell me or not. I already know you're a Taurus which places your birthday somewhere late April or early May."   
  
Did he believe in astrology? Yes, of course, he learned it in depth from the fortune teller at the circus. She gave him a chillingly accurate book that he studied inside and out and since then has been pretty damn good at guessing birthdays, birth years were more tricky but he could do it. Judging by the fact Slade ignored him all together? Dick figured he guessed right.

 

"I have a couple people I've hired to keep the place clean and insure the animals are fed and taken care of. It should be ready for us." 

 

The property meant a lot to him and while he hadn't been back in years, Slade insisted on keeping it beautiful and running. It was no longer a church farm but from what he understood his old childhood friend still brought kids there on field trips and for riding lessons. Honestly? As long as it was being well loved by someone ... That's all he cared about.   
  


The hero just about jerked, he had honestly expected the place to be run down but it seemed that Slade was somewhat sentimental. This time he gripped his towel to contain his excitement, "Do you have horses? I love horses." How couldn't he? Horses were not only beautiful and majestic creatures but they were creatures that read emotions like they were a book, creatures to be respected and treated nicely.

 

"If I remember correctly, there are horses. My mare had six grandchildren, three of which are still there. If there are more I'm not aware of them." Could be. He basically told the staff they could do as they pleased with the property as long as it remained functional for the schools.

  
Slade finished the rest of Dick's face and then wiped it down with a soothingly cool towel before applying a thin layer of relaxing moisturizer to the now baby smooth surfaces, before he ran the back of his knuckles on Dick's cheek. 

 

"Perfect." Slade  leaned down and kissed Dick. "I need to get dressed for landing, otherwise... Well..." He wanted more of Dick. Always did. Guess it was about time he christened his childhood bed.   
  
"Mm, I guess we'll have to save that for later." The hero winked and got up though he couldn't stop himself from softly biting Slade's collar bone, it was his turn to be a tease again.   
  
Moving out of the bathroom, Dick hung the towel up and began getting dressed. From there he went to the front of the plane and sat down in the passenger seat staring out the window for a silent moment. He needed to keep his mind occupied from all the haunting thoughts that kept trying to creep in, he briefly wondered if this is what Adam meant when he said the hero struggled with depression but in this world was it truly uncalled for? He shook the thoughts from his head and worked on sending a message to Bruce letting him know they would be staying out late, he didn't want the man to worry after having just gotten him back. Slade dressed himself in a rather lax manner, sweats and a t-shirt, before joining Dick up front at the controls. He leaned over the back of Dick's chair and caught the look on his face. 

 

"You know ... It's alright to be upset about what happened, right?" Slade explained, putting his hands on Dick's shoulders. "I know your type, Richard Grayson ... The Uplifter. You try and remain strong, positive, moral no matter the situation because you know there are people, lots of people, who would crumble if they saw you falter. Am I close?" He was analyzing Dick, sure, but it wasn't meant in a cruel way.

 

"I'm not going to fall apart if you do, Dick. I'll be concerned but my world will stay intact and I can support you. It's like you said to me earlier, we are partners, right? You have to get used to not doing everything alone anymore." Slade finished as the navigation beeped at him to land the jet. Slade kissed the top of Dick's head and slid over to the pilot's seat, taking hold of the controls beginning their descent into an empty dirt road strip in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

 

Dick took a deep breath, it felt nice to be supported again and to have someone who could not only see through his bullshit but to read him. The only people he remembered having that super power was Adam and Barbara although Barbara wasn't as keen as the other. 

 

"I know... I'm not trying to keep you out or anything I just don't like to dwell... Moving on is kinda my thing and... When I don't I guess I get depressed." God that felt weird to say, he never thought of himself as a depressed person, especially with the way people describe him. "I'm... Upset with how things went today but I don't want to be stuck on it...... And honestly if I don't keep moving forward then either I won't have it in me to fight or this will happen again." His attention shifted to the dirt road they had begun their decent on.    
  
"I think I'll feel better when we get the kids...." He couldn't even finish it, he had such a soft spot for kids it hurt to consider having to bury them. 

 

Dick cleared his throat and fell silent as they landed. Once they had come to a complete stop Dick got up, kissed Slade's cheek and headed to the small area the children were in, "I'm guessing we're doing it here." He said looking back at the other, was he going to cry at their little funeral? Probably.

 

Slade had planned waiting until morning to bury the kids but it was clear by listening to Dick talk that it had to be tonight. He parked the jet in a metal hanger structure at the end of the dirt road, some automatic lights coming on from within. 

 

Slade got up, standing just behind Dick."You don't have to do this." Putting his hand on the shorter's shoulder. "I'll come back and get them when it's time." He pulled on that same shoulder, turning Dick around and away from the med room door. "I can get things ready tonight. First, let's take you up to the house. Get something to eat." 

 

Slade also might just try and convince Dick to go to bed while there. He had put his hand on Dick's waist while he was speaking,  massaging his hand along Dick's shoulder and neck. 

 

"I want to be there for them, Slade... They died alone but they don't have to be buried that way." He said relaxing into the others soothing touches. 

 

Dick was so grateful for the fact that Slade seemed to just know what he needed.... That he knew how to touch and comfort him. He couldn't help but to flinch slightly when he heard a knock on the door, his attention turning to the monitor.

 

"Boss, that you in there?" Came a heavy midwest accent from outside the jet.

 

There was a man shown on the alert feed displayed on the main monitor toward the back of the plane to the left of them. A large, muscular man, with heft to him stood looking right into where the camera was. He looked like the kind of man who worked hard all day and came home to eat large, rich family dinners with a beautiful wife and kids. Why? He had on a pair of old, washed over blue jeans, and a faded shirt that read 'Best Dad' with a tiny ‘Best Husband too!' under that, it was clearly was homemade by the tiny hands that left their prints all over the surface in blue, yellow, and purple. He had coarse black hair that was tightly curled against his head, with dark skin like milk chocolate.   
  
Slade had a rather lopsided smile on his face as he moved from Dick, pressing an intercom button. "Sure is Llyod, with a guest. Unofficially though."    
  
The port door opened on the side revealing the man in real life. Shaking his head a little. "When do you ever visit 'officially'?" Llyod asked, Slade just shrugged his shoulders.   
  
"Come on kid, let's head up to the house. Maybe Llyod will cook for us?"   
  
"I eat food, I don't cook food. You pay me to watch the property, being a chef was not in the list of job duties." Lloyd quickly said with a big joking smile.   
  
"Alright, I'll cook." Slade laughed a little, reaching to take Dick's hand. "Let's go."

 

"How about I cook you one of my moms favorite dishes... It's only fair since you brought me here." Dick offered without hesitation, he was relaxing more, moving on. 

 

He wasn't sure if Slade would wait for him to bury the kids but it wasn't relevant.. They wouldn't be alone because he knew Slade would honor them in some way. The heroes attention then turned to the other man, holding out a hand. 

 

"Hi, I'm Dick." He introduced with a nice firm handshake before letting his hand move to hold Slade's, he still got butterflies.

 

"Hi Dick. I'm Llyod Carter, property manager here. Nice to meet you." Lloyd said, matching the enthusiasm in his voice with his hand shake.   
  
Once Dick moved to join Slade, Llyod shot the older a look between their joined hands and Slade's face reading, 'Are you and him 'together'?'   
  
Slade gave a head nod with an 'obviously' look on his own face. Llyod let out a long appreciative whistle before walking ahead of them. Llyod was a married man but that didn't mean he was blind, and anyone from a mile away could see Dick was a drop dead gorgeous knockout.

 

The hero had blushed slightly before he followed the two to the house, eyes studying the property on the way. It was dark but Dick could still see that the place was flourishing and lively. The sound of a soft breeze and crickets filling his ears, the smell of dirt and grass with a sweet undertone from the flowers, he could even see a couple lightning bugs. He used to catch them with his dad. There were a few lights emulating from inside the house, and half a dozen tress lights hanging from the ceiling in the wrap around porch. The house's wood exterior was stained a beautiful white, with crisp blue shutters and dark grey roof. It was huge looking from the outside, two levels at least with a sizable attic. To the right was the first barn, probably the original based on the wear, classic red with a large attached fenced area next to it. It definitely looked like a horse barn.   
  
Once inside, the house looked  _ exactly _ like any good grandparents house should. Clean, with photos of family all over the walls and in frames on various surfaces. There was comfortable, yet somewhat dated, furniture spread throughout the open first floor, boasting a sunroom, living room, formal dining and kitchen with an eat in breakfast bar. To Slade? It still looked like what it did when he was a kid ... When his  _ kids _ were kids and he brought them here for the first time. He even remembered bringing Grant to see Grandma Fran before she passed away a few months later. He'd sent her back photos of her holding Grant, the baby boy smiling and grabbing at the frail hands that still held so much strength in them despite her age.    
  
‘You'll be a good father to him if you don't think too much... And keep yourself out of trouble.’ Slade remembered her saying that to him as clear as day. How wrong she had been when Grant ended up dying because of him. Now Jerricho too?    
  


Dick removed his shoes, it was a custom his mother taught him. 

 

"Do what you need to do. I got dinner handled."

  
When Dick talked to him it was like Slade was off in his own world, attention focused on a single picture frame sitting next to a comfortable looking lazy boy chair. It was Grant, sitting on Fran's lap but reaching up to grab at Slade's jaw and lips who was sitting next to them. Grant looked determined, a younger, raven haired Slade was halfway between fake surprised and amused, leaning in a little to get closer to his tiny son while Grandma Fran had her head half tipped back in laughter. 

 

Dick had noticed that Slade had checked out, his gaze following the older males right over to the photo. He had assumed that the picture was of Jericho initially however, the time frame in the photo didn't seem right. Not only because Rose wasn't in it but because Slade looked considerably younger. Perhaps it was Rose, that didn't look quite like her but hey... Sometimes people really grew up. From there his eyes shifted to the other photos around the house, he spotted some photos of what he had assumed was a young Slade. He wanted to go around and examine each one, find the joy and happiness in Slade's eyes. Get a sense of who his grandparents were but he had promised to cook, something he hadn't done officially. He's thrown together some sandwiches and grilled cheeses, even spaghetti for, Slade, elementary stuff. But tonight he intended on going all out.

 

"...oss?" Llyod's voice finally broke through to Slade who snapped back to look at the man and then back at Dick.   
  
"Sorry. So dinner..."   
  
"He's got it handled. I'll show him around the kitchen, get him what he needs. Then I'll be out of your hair for the night." Llyod offered and Slade nodded.    
  
"Right then I'll ... Go deal with things." Slade paused when a hefty orange tabby jumped up on the top of the sofa next to him and began rubbing against his arm. The collar it wore read 'Larry'.   
  
Dick walked up to the older male, scratching the cats chin for a brief moment before standing on his toes to peck Slade's cheek, "We can talk more later." He said with a soft whisper. 

 

He didn’t have a problem being open about their relationship with family or strangers, he had no reason to hide it because he was dating Slade due to his intense feelings for him. Not for someone else’s satisfaction.

  
"Okay." Slade answered, it was strange how walking into this house seemed to put things into perspective for him. Nothing else had made all of this seem real until now. The death and loss? Why was it always this place?   
  


Slade left the house after that, taking to the newer barn behind the house. He loaded up some supplies into the backhoe tractor before taking off to do the necessary work. Sure, he could have asked Llyod to do it and the man probably would have, but this was something he needed to do personally. 

  
Dick turned his attention to Larry petting him in all the ways Selina taught him to pet a cat.... Innocently.. "Why hello there, I guess I'll have to feed you too." He didn't hesitate to talk to the feline.   
  
Larry gave deep appreciating purrs at the talents of Dick, rubbing his chunky body all over the hero. When Dick spoke of dinner and headed toward the kitchen Larry quickly and fairly ungracefully, thudded down onto the wooden floors and scurried to meet Dick in the kitchen. 

The young man headed to the kitchen area, taking direction as needed while he worked on gathering the ingredients. He started off with the spices, naturally there wasn't the exact mix he needed. Most people didn't carry Garam Masala in their cabinet which was why mom taught him how to make it. It was simple really, coriander, cardamon, pepper, the works. Once he had the spices prepared he got to work cutting up some chicken and preparing it to be left in a marinade. Larry just  _ barely _ managed to make it onto the countertop, watching Dick cook patiently with a swishing tail and deep, rumbling purrs.

 

"So, how long have you known Slade?" Dick asked Lloyd, he was seriously having to resist calling him 'La-Loyd' thanks to the Lego movie. 

  
His then attention then turned to preparing some rice and then after sauteeing garlic and onion.   
  
"Hmmm. Long time ... My Grandfather was friends with his, they were bowling buddies. Well, maybe more beer than bowling." Llyod spoke freely, helping Dick get what he needed and doing just a little clean up. "Think I first met him when I was ... Oh just a tiny tot. Or at least that's what it felt like. He was real big, even as a teenager. Used to watch my siblings and myself occasionally here at the farm until his Grandfather died.”

 

“I didn't see or hear from him again until his Grandma Frans funeral, then he was asking me to take over watching this place for him. Offered me more money than most Doctor's make a year. I thought at first he was out of his mind. But I found out about the whole killing business afterwords and it made much more sense." Llyod didn't seem phased by it in the least. "Haven't seen him back in years. Last time he brought his little girl with him ... Though she must be a woman by now. Sweetest little thing though, my wife adored her."

 

"Yeah that's his daughter, Rose... She's a fighter just like her dad, stubborn too. I think it’s a family gene." Dick teased with a chuckle.

 

Llyod laughed a bit. "Definitely a family gene. Fran was stubborn as a mule and would put up one hell of a fight, Pops was about the only one who could calm her down. Her son was just as bad, not in a good way though." Llyod trailed off.

 

 Llyod then stopped himself. Shaking his head. "I talk too much. So, what's your story? It's got to be good if it got you involved with a mercenary twice your age."

 

Dick couldn’t help but smile softly, he had started on cutting a single jalapeno, nibbling a piece to test the spiciness before grabbing some heavy cream and tomato sauce. He set those aside and added the chicken to the pan.   
  
"Don't worry, I talk a lot too...  I've known Slade since I was about… 14, maybe 15.  I actually used to hate him in a way. I'm one of those hero types so I made it my business to stop him from hurting people. I got to know his daughter, heard her very strong opinions of him... And admittedly I had a crush that I thought was naive of me.. But then all this High Court business happened and Slade reached out to me... He helped me keep my family safe and then asked me to get captured and since then I've been in his care. I got to see how wrong I was about him. I used to think he was a heartless killer but I know he isn't." 

 

Dick put the chicken in the pan and began stirring it around, "My feelings intensified and now here we are... He's been exactly what I've needed my whole life so I'm willing to go through the turbulence to make things work."   
  
God he had it bad. Dick added the cream and tomato sauce to the pan stirring it before adding some seasoning and putting a lid on it, reducing the heat. Dick then dug through the cupboards finding a can of tuna that he opened and set down for Larry. 

 

"Sounds like the Boss made it out alright though. Temper or not Wilson's help people, or at least in this community they do. Good to see he's still got some humanity left in him." Llyod referred to the comments Dick made about Slade helping to protect him and his family.    
  


"How long have you been married?"

  
"Oh ... I've had my wife picked out since childhood." Llyod chuckled again. "Officially? Let’s see now ... Take away ten, carry the two ... When was Genevieve born? ... Oh, I'd say about twenty some odd years." He smiled. "Like I said though, knew the moment I saw her when I was eight years old. Saw her coming home from school, high schooler's uniform on, long legs, long curly hair, I marched right up to her and asked her on a date.”

 

“Then she smiled at me, laughed a little and I was hooked. Then I just managed to close my gaping mouth in time to tell her to marry me instead." Llyod spoke fondly of her, looking to Dick once more. "Took her until I was eighteen to finally give me a chance. Well worth the wait." He pushed himself off the counter. "It's funny you say what you do about Slade. My wife always says that I was what she needed in her life but that she just needed some time to realize it. Sounds like Boss and yourself just needed this moment to bring you together. Sounds like fate if you ask me."   
  
Larry was about to push the tuna can off the counter as he smashed his face inside of it and chomped down every last morsel. Llyod went and pushed the can back up for the cat, getting a pleased 'murph' from the cat before it went back to shoving it's face full. Dick was silent, he couldn't deny being a total sap, he loved listening to love stories. Feeling the experience others felt when they fell in love and to be honest? Lloyds story on how he met his wife was absolutely precious. He could just see the small child running up to the beautiful high schooler asking her to go out with him. It was so innocent and sweet he just couldn't stop smiling. Then to top it all off, ten years later he got the girl. Married her. Started a family. It was absolutely beautiful.... Then that comment he made about Dick and Slade? That this event brought them together like fate? It made his chest and stomach tingle.   
  


Llyod ended up leaving shortly after Dick was done cooking, getting a call from his eldest daughter that swore Mom was going to kill him if he didn't come home soon. So, with a couple servings of tikka masala he left thanking Dick and promising to be back in the morning. Just before he left he handed Dick a set of keys, letting him know he had full run of the house and maybe suggesting where the baby photos were hidden in the small office/library tucked at the back of the house. Dick couldn’t help but to give the other a firm hug before he went on his way.

 

Much to Dick’s surprise, he enjoyed his brief moment alone. As an extrovert he got energy being around other people but sometimes he'd over do it and neglect taking any time for himself which made him feel agitated, he didn't like being alone but damn sometimes he needed it. Dick took the empty tuna can and rinsed it out before setting it aside to be recycled. He then picked up the giant kitty and walked around the main room looking at all the photos.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who's interested! Here is a copy of the recipe that Dick made! 
> 
> Ingredients.
> 
> Rice
> 
> Marinade (Mix these ingredients and marinate them for at least an hour for best flavor)
> 
> Chicken Breast  
> 1 c sour cream  
> 1 tbl garam masala   
> 1 tbl lemon juice  
> 2 tsp black pepper  
> 1/4 tsp ginger spice (you can use fresh ginger too)  
> [If you don't have garam masala here's how you make it, mix together;  
> 2 tbl cumin, 3 tsp coriander, 3 tsp cardamon, 3 tsp pepper, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tsp cloves.]
> 
> Sauce
> 
> 15oz tomato sauce *  
> 2 c heavy cream *  
> 1 jalepeno (Be careful, if it's too hot it completely overwhelms the recipe)  
> 5 garlic cloves  
> 4 tsp garam masala *  
> 1 tsp paprika *  
> 1/2 tsp salt *
> 
> Directions
> 
> After marinading the chicken, cook it in a lightly oiled large pan on medium high heat. Once the chicken is cooked, reduce the heat and add the jalapeno and garlic. Cook for about five minutes and then add the rest of the sauce ingredients (these have stars by them.) Simmer for 20 minutes occasionally stirring.   
> Meanwhile you'll want to cook some rice, I usually make two cups of rice to serve with it. 
> 
> Enjoy!


	14. Three Little Birds

Slade had returned to the farm house about twenty minutes after Dick had finished cooking. Kicking his shoes off in the small foyer and hanging up the jacket he had been wearing, he moved into the kitchen. 

 

"Whatever that is it smells amazing." 

 

The merc commented as he took his shirt off, scrubbing some of the dirt from his face with it before he just tossed it in the trash. He moved to the large farm sink and began washing the mud from his arms, neck and face. Once he was done he grabbed a dish towel hanging from the cabinet above and dried off his face, slinging it over his shoulder so he could look at Dick. 

 

"I didn't keep you waiting too long did I?"   
  


“Hmm?”

  
Dick had been looking at a photo of Slade riding atop a horse with a dorky smile on his face. His attention swiftly turned to the other and he set the cat down letting a smile spread across his face.

 

“Oh, not at all. You just gave the flavors time to set." 

 

The hero had to admit.... Slade looked hot when he was a mess and to make it better, Slade had removed his shirt. Dick honestly felt like a horny teenager when the sensation of warmth filled his face, it didn't take a genius to know that meant he took on a reddish hue.

 

"Tsk, I clean you up just for you to get all dirty again." The hero teased having to push the fact that Slade was digging graves from his mind.   
  
He went ahead and began serving them, putting some rice in a bowl before topping it with the Tikka Masala. Turning around with a smile on his face, Dick handed the bowl to the other. 

 

Now that his hand was free he plucked the towel off Slade's shoulder and ran his fingers down the others chest, he just couldn't help himself. 

 

"Go sit down while I get you a drink." Dick ordered as he hung the towel up and poured Slade a glass of scotch and got himself a glass of orange juice. 

 

"Don't take this as an insult, Dick, but ... I didn't know you could be so domestic." 

 

Slade commented as he sat down with his food at the table. He was able to appreciate the dish in front of him now. With his heightened senses he could smell the beautiful combination of spices and ingredients sitting on top of the modestly perfumed rice. He picked up his utensil to eat just as Dick sat down with his scotch. The first bite burst across his tongue in layered perfection that was clear on his face. The meal was very rich and savory, silky and smooth. It had a hint of spice and an undertone of a sweet flavor due to the tomato sauce while the garam masala provided the primary base flavor.

 

The expression on Slade's face made Dick's stomach do flips as the sensation of butterflies scurried in his chest.

 

"When you said you were cooking ... I'll be honest, I was a little scared." Dick's diet of cereal and take out gave no indication that he even knew how to use a stove. "But this is ..." 

 

It seemed to come into focus all at once. Dick sitting at the table with him, home cooked meal between them. The only thing that would make this absolutely perfect would be if Rose was there with them.

 

"... I could get used to this." 

 

It honestly made the hero's night hearing that he succeeded in making his mother's dish perfectly, she would've been proud. 

 

"I'll cook for you at least once a week... Maybe twice."

 

The male negotiated before taking a bite of the food. It was complete bullshit because Dick loved to cook and would love nothing more than to cook nightly with Slade.

 

"Your grandparents have a lot of pictures of you on the walls.... You were a cute kid growing up." Dick said with a warm and friendly smile, he felt absolutely honored that Slade was letting him into his past. It was honestly a gift to him.

 

"Cute huh?" Slade said after a small pause to eat a few more bites. "My Mom ... Fran I mean ... She loved photos and keeping things to remember the past. I guess her own parents suffered pretty badly from dementia, not that they knew what it was back then but ... Anyway. She never wanted to forget a thing, and she never did. Sharp as ever until the day she passed. Never let me get away with anything." 

 

A fond expression fell over the others features as he looked back toward her little photos of Slade's family by her chair. She asked constantly for more photos of Grant, he always regretted that he never sent more than three or four. When he focused back to Dick he looked as tired as he'd been feeling lately but wore a small smile anyway. 

 

"She would have liked you. At first, she would have complained you were too young, too pretty ... But if you had cooked this for her? She'd have given you her blessing."

  
They way Slade spoke about Fran was so pure and sweet that it just about made the hero melt. It was an honor having Slade open up to him, having him show a side of himself that Dick doubt many people saw. A smile was set on Dicks face and he almost spent more time staring at the other than eating.

  
"Well... You can thank my mom for this..... She's the one who taught me to cook... She said that if I wanted to make a girl feel special that I had to learn how to cook for her." Dick chuckled at the memory, funny how now he's using the skill to seduce an older man. "But dad did always say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." 

 

The hero ate more not taking too long to finish his meal off. Once they were both finished he had taken to clearing the table, doing the dishes and putting the food away. Slade had  _ tried _ to help clean up. He was raised right and part of that upbringing stated that if you didn't cook the meal, but you enjoyed it, then you were to clean up any mess the cook left after. Dick was having none of it and sent him to go rest while he took to cleaning the kitchen and dishes. Slade leaned over the wood island and just watched the hero work. It was a nice view ... Dick from behind that was.

 

"Why don't you take me to your old bedroom, I can give you a massage and help you relax." Dick smiled as he finished up.

 

It was after the last dish was set to dry that the hero approached Slade and placed his hands on his waist. Sure he wanted to massage the other to help him relax but he also wanted to feel those amazing muscles. His hands shifted from Slade's waist to his hand, bringing it to his lips and planting a kiss. Slade returned a small smile and leaned over Dick, getting just a small touch of soft ebony hair on his face before Dick was off again.

 

"Before we do that though... Quick question..." 

 

"Better be  _ real _ quick ... Because I've been waiting since I was fourteen to get an attractive man into that bed upstairs." Slade pointed out with a playful tone and smile.

 

Dick stepped back and approached the armchair where he picked up the framed photo of Grant before bringing it back to Slade. 

 

"Who's that? You're too young for it to be Rose and you didn't bring her here before Fran..." He didn't wanna be insensitive and just say 'before Fran died' so he hoped the suggestion would be enough.

 

Slade's smile had faded as he leaned back into the island and took the picture from Dick, rubbing his finger over those adorably chubby cheeks and toothless grin.

 

"That ... Was my son ... Grant." He let out a short breath after. "My eldest." 

 

How could he even begin to explain Grant to Dick? A whole life that Slade told /

_ no one _ about. Not because he was embarrassed of Grant. No. Not at all. It was more about what he'd done to cause his death, his suffering and pain. 

 

"...Needless to say he isn't with us anymore."

 

“I’m…. Sorry..” Was all that could spill out of Dick’s mouth but it wasn’t the cliche, ‘Sorry for your loss’ It was so much more. 

 

Slade was trying to ready himself for the questions that he was nearly certain Dick was going to throw at him. Part of him wanted to fudge the truth, make it seem like he hadn't lead Grant down the path that killed him, anything to make him seem less like the monster he was. Yet Dick deserved the truth and nothing but that. Lying to Dick, manipulating him into staying with Slade because of falsehoods was unfair. He cared too much about the hero to mislead him like that.    
  
The surprising part? Dick didn't pry. Slade could tell he wanted to, questions must have been dancing on the tip of the younger's tongue but they didn't slip out. Slade wasn't sure he deserved. Yet ... he was immensely grateful for it.

 

“I feel like a total asshole right now…. Back in the cave.. When you confronted me about holding Damian back and.. I accused you of not knowing what it was like to lose someone like that…..” The male shook his head and exhaled before looking at the photo, then back to Slade.    
  
Dick gently took the photo from Slade’s hands and set it on the counter behind him. He couldn’t even imagine losing two children. 

 

“As much as I want to know everything, I know that you need time to let me in and I don’t want to violate that… Especially since you’ve taken a big step in bringing me here…I care about you… About your thoughts and feelings..”   
  
Slade put his strong arms around Dick and pulled him in until the smaller was flush against his chest, holding him there silently for a moment. He just needed to feel that Dick was there, alive, warm, present. So much in his life had slipped through his fingers, whether by his own work or just by horrible chance. Slade didn't want what he had with Dick to become part of his personal tragedies. 

 

Dick fully eased into Slade's arms and turned his head to the side so that he could listen to Slade's heart.

 

"You don't need to apologize to me about anything." Slade said finally, all but nuzzling his face into Dick's hair. "I want to answer all your questions ... And I will just ... Not tonight. Not right now." 

 

He couldn't handle another conversation about loss and death tonight ... Especially when he'd been digging tiny graves not that long ago.Slade slowly let go of Dick, cupping the side of his face before leaning down to give the hero a short kiss. After, he ran a finger under Dick's eye along his cheekbone. 

 

"You're too good to me. You know that?" Slade stated in absolute earnest. 

 

"I just think it's about time you got loved in all the right ways." 

 

Slade smiled, "Come on I'll show you upstairs."   
  


  
Slade's room was on the second level, the second door on the left. He paused at the doorway and looked around the room that was in near pristine condition to his absolute horror. God. He didn't remember it being this embarrassing. 

 

It was much like a time capsule from the sixties and seventies. Posters were just about everywhere, some for the military, others of Star Wars, Star Trek, Led Zeppelin, Queen, different magazine clippings of attractive women  _ and _ men celebrities of the time. It would appear Slade's bisexual tendencies weren't anything new. On the shelves were sports trophies of all kinds, football, baseball, judo, but most of all hockey. So many hockey trophies. Next to on of them was even an acceptance letter into the University of Wisconsin, Madison on a full ride scholarship with 'conditions pending successful graduation'. Slade never got that far. 

 

The bed was queen size with added length. Poor Fran had to have it ordered special because her growing son was nearly hanging off of every other bed in the store. The sheets were crisp white, and on top was a beautiful, obviously handmade quilt with patterned fabrics alternating between various shades of blue, grey, and teal.   
  
Quiet honestly Dick was not disappointed. He couldn't help but smile as he began looking around, letting out a soft snort as he imagined a teenage Slade laying in his bed while blasting 'Black Dog'. The next thing that got his attention was all the trophies and the acceptance letter that he didnt hesistate to pick up and read. Damn... He honestly didn't expect that.

 

While Dick looked at the trophies, Slade slowly covered the old comics on his desk with some paper laying nearby. Though, when he looked up he saw Hans Solo looking at him. Fuck, there was no way he could cover this up.

 

"Wow... I'm surprised you were so athletic.." Dick said in amazement before setting the letter down, "I mean... It makes sense but still, you got a scholarship. Did you go to college?"    
  
"I was the tallest kid in my class,  built like a brick house, and I knew I wasn't going to college any other way. Kept me out of trouble ... Mostly." Slade smirked looking at the letter himself. "I never ended up going. I illegally joined the military at seventeen and missed the last few months of High School. Never even graduated." 

 

He didn't want to bring up death anymore, so he skirted over the fact he was running away from home after his Grandfather's death, not that Dick would know anyways. 

 

Again the hero wanted to pry but instead turned his attention to the desk, glancing over some of the Marvel comics the other collected before his attention shifted to the bed and the beautiful quilt. His hands ran along the fabric as he slowly took a seat on the edge of the bed.

 

"Did Fran make this for you?"

 

"She did. She made most of the curtains, pillows, and blankets in this house. If she was still alive I'm sure she'd be the one demanding to patch up my suits and clothes still." Slade said fondly, approaching Dick. "Now, I have to tell you something..." 

 

The older male started slowly leaning himself over Dick, landing one knee on the side of Dick's seated spot as he spoke. 

 

"I was never allowed to have girls up to my room and none of the boys were as eye catching as you ... So-" Slade put a hand on Dick's shoulder to push him back on the bed before smoothing it down his side to his hip. "Want to have the pleasure of taking my first time? ... In this bed of course."

  
"Mmm let me think about it." Dick smirked clearly just being a little brat, "It would beat doing it in the back of a car.." 

 

He seemed to think out loud as his leg moved to rest on Slade's shoulder. Dick slowly slid his leg along the other until the underside of his knee was rested against Slade's body, his leg then pulling the mercenary  closer.    
  
"Slade Joseph Wilson-" He saw the name on the scholarship, "I would be honored." 

 

Dick's eyes seemed to light up with desire as he removed his own shirt, he was eager to feel Slade's skin against his own. Especially with how deliciously attractive he was.... Especially with how warm it made him feel.

 

"It was either the car or we waited another week." And neither of them were willing at the time to wait even one second longer than they already had. 

 

It was funny, Slade should be slowing down, and Dick wasn't exactly a teenager anymore, but the way they were behaving it would be hard to tell otherwise.

  
"Yeah.... It was torture waiting to feel you.." Dick admit, how couldn't he? He wanted Slade so bad he was starting to get body aches. "You mentioned that you've been waiting to get someone in your bed since you were fourteen... Is that when you lost your virginity?" 

 

Was that appropriate? It wasnt necessarily off topic but Dick didn't know if it was a taboo thing to ask someone who was about to have sex with him.   
  
Slade dipped his head down to the side of Dick's neck, laying a line of fervent kisses complimented with his supple tongue along the sensitive skin. At that same moment Slade moved fully onto the bed, trapping Dick's hips between the spance of his legs. Dicks breath hitched, the sensation of pressure on his body only encouraging him to wrap his other leg around Slade's hips while the one on his shoulder brought him closer. 

 

"Hm. No, that's just when my brain and body caught up with each other ... I was sixteen when I had my first 'full' experience." Slade didn't mind the questions, in fact he wanted to ask some of his own. 

 

They were still getting to know each other intimately, physically and emotionally. Knowing more about a person's past, where they came from, helped all that.

 

Hands ran up Dick's toned sides, feeling the textured difference of soft skin and smooth scars as he went along. Being with men was different surely, but physically  _ very _ much so. They were naturally more angular with less of the inherent softness woman had in their curves. Dick was something else entirely though, each muscle laid under the skin in beautiful perfection, touching him was like personally examining a work of italian and greek sculptors. Add to that a ridiculously handsome, yet expressive, face that just lit up with color everytime Slade touched him ... Needless to say Slade was  _ deeply _ attracted to Dick.

 

All this attention had the hero feeling worshiped and with the way Slade looked at him he definitely wouldn't have put it past him. Dick pressed his hips up against Slade's, grinding against him. Honestly Dick's favorite thing about being with men was the fight for dominance... Having the freedom to just let go. Sure he could have a run with a dominatrix or two but they didn't carry the same weight or build that completely trapped him and made him feel like captured prey. 

 

While Dick did have a romantic preference for women and typically fell for them more often than men, he couldn't deny that sometimes he craved this kind of overpowerment. Craved wrestling around with a man, feeling the sharp toned abs against his skin.

 

Strong hands continued upward, moving to push Dick's arms up and over his head. Fingertips grazed over the delicate skin of his under arms, scratching blunt nails along the inside of Dick's wrists. 

 

Slade pinned one wrist down, but brought the other up to his mouth, teeth nipping there before being replaced by his mouth. An action that earned a soft moan in response. Slade was just concentrated on tasting and kissing every inch of Dick that he could, his own face and body language showing how absolutely enthralled he was with Dick. 

 

Dick was covered in goosebumps, laying perfectly frozen as he seemed to be thinking. Slade watched Dick's face closely as he battled with his own thoughts, quirking an eyebrow well before Dick took Slade's hand and placed it on his neck. However, once the younger did ... Slade instantly understood. Not only that, but he felt deeply honored that Dick trusted him enough not only to let Slade touch him in such a manner but also believed Slade would respect his wants and desires. He felt a tingle of satisfaction knowing that Dick trusted him enough to let Slade put his strong, deathly capable, hands on his delicate throat.

  
Slade was far from turned off and it showed. He let out a deep, nearly feral groan and quickly took over for Dick, needing little prompting further from the blatant suggestion. His gaze raked over Dick, he used the arch between his thumb and index finger to push down on his throat just below his Adam's apple. His thumb hooked up to push under Dick's chin, head leaning down to the younger's ear. 

 

"Pretty brave of you, Kid." Slade started, putting just a bit more pressure down on Dick's throat. "Lucky for you ... I prefer playing rough."    
  


Dick was nearly embarrassed by not only how hard he got but by the soft sound that had escaped him.   
  
Slade let up the pressure on Dick's throat, but kept the hand on his neck, kissing Dick with more lust and urgency in his movements. Apparently, Dick had chosen just the right thing to set Slade off. He was now grinding down into Dick's hips as his tongue invaded the other's mouth. Dick's hand moved to the back of Slade's head where he tightly gripped the others hair while softly sucking on the older males tongue.    
  
Pulling Slade's hair, Dick had broken the kiss. His tongue sliding against Slade's lips before he bit the soft skin and softly pulled. 

 

"How hard can I bite you?"

 

"How hard? I have a healing factor, Dick, I doubt you could bite  _ too _ hard." Really, even if Dick sank his teeth into Slade's neck until he was bleeding profusely the wound would be gone by morning. 

 

Besides, Slade liked the idea of giving Dick the freedom to do as he pleased. It hadn't disappointed him yet. Still, Dick wasn't so much concerned about injuring Slade but hurting him. 

"More importantly, how hard am I allowed to bite  _ you _ ?" Slade asked as he teethed the faint pressure left on his lips by Dick, his eye was analyzing.

 

It was him wondering if Dick  _ really _ trusted him enough to let Slade dominate him in such an intimate way. Especially after what happened a couple weeks ago. He was running an analysis on whether or not he could put that uncertainty and caution aside because the look in Dick's eyes, the way he reacted to Slade's touch around his throat? Dick was throwing huge hints for Slade to know he  _ liked _ things a little harder. Slade still needed to make sure ... Didn't mean he couldn't make it fun.   
  


Dick chuckled and bit his own lip, "You can make me bleed." 

 

Sometimes he wondered if he was a masochist. Usually that thought was dismissed when he broke a rib or was thrown out of a window but this was different. It wasn't so much that the pain felt good per say but that it excited him and from that excitement he was filled with all sorts of endorphins making him crave that sweet mix of pain and pleasure.

  
Slade smirked and hooked Dick's other leg over his other shoulder. He then pressed his weight forward and down into Dick effectively stretching Dick's hips up so his compacted torso and compressed chest would struggle to take in a full breath. Sure, one could asphyxiate their partner by traditional choking. But when you have a strong, flexible gymnast in your bed like Dick? There were other fun ways to create the same high, head-floating feeling of oxygen deprivation. 

 

He watched Dick's reaction closely, smoothing a hand over Dick's cheek just to pull the younger's bottom lip with his finger. With a sultry look on his face, Slade began push his thumb into Dick's mouth. Dick moaned, his body feeling electrified and tingly as lust filled him. His head feeling that erotic pressure of limited oxygen. Dick could feel himself dripping small beads of precum and within no time he was flicking his tongue along the others thumb. He already missed Slade's taste. He wanted to blow Slade until he came. Dick couldn't help but to feel dirty as the thoughts raced along his mind before Slade asked the money winning question.

 

"Let's just get it all out of the way … How hard  _ am _ I allowed to go on you, pretty bird?"

 

"Slade..." Dick started, his breath nothing but soft pants, "I once dated a guy, who ended up smashing my head into a wall, because I liked it when he'd get mad and push me around.... You can go hard as you want. If it's too much I'll tell you but... I like it when it hurts." 

 

Sure he liked the sweet and soft passion of gentle love making but it grew boring and tiresome... Dick liked to play. 

 

"Your  _ head _ ?" Playing the lines of sexual sadomasochism was fun ... Just as no one got  _ seriously _ hurt. "Let's keep away from hospital trips." Slade suggested, lifting his hips enough to give Dick some air.

 

"I mean..  I didn't like  _ that _ part so much, I'm not completely insane... It was just the fighting that I loved.." Dick softly nipped at Slade's thumb before gently sucking on it, "Now... Will you let me taste you again?"   
  
The movements that came next were quick and succinct, Slade taking advantage of his obviously larger built and superior physical strength to move Dick like he weighed absolutely  _ nothing _ . It turned the hero on more than he could possibly imagine.

 

Slade was able to pull himself up and then hoist Dick out from under him, unlocking the legs around his shoulders. Next place Dick went was against the backboard, his front being pressed flush to solid wood by Slade's hand on the dorsal side of the hero's neck. The top half of Slade's body loomed behind him, another hand moving to pull down the back of Dick's pants, sliding down the back along the line of Dick's ass. 

 

Dick couldn't stop himself from shivering. The older man's lips found his neck too, leaving a purposeful bite over the old one he'd left on Dick before at the joint of his neck and shoulder. His teeth found Dick's ear next before laying a firm line along the abused cartilage with his tongue. 

 

"Funny, I've been dying to get my first taste of you." Slade smiled against his ear. "Think you can manage to keep up if I play a little while you work?" He asked, a finger running along the underside of Dick's richard all the way back to his entrance where Slade traced his finger along the circumference of it.   
  


The young hero felt more goosebumps on his skin as he let his head fall back, resting it against Slade's shoulder while his hand ran up Slade's neck and jaw. "Only if you promise to play as hard as you've been."    
  
Dick licked the side of Slade's neck before starting to softly suck the flesh, "Show me what that mouth of yours can do." He smirked and nipped at Slade's jaw while his hand shifted up to softly tug on Slade's hair.    
  
It was amazing how heated Slade got him, how easily Dick melted in Slade's hands like putty. Every touch was electrifying. Every kiss arousing. Dick's head was spinning, he felt high having the other male against him.

 

"I can promise to give things to you rough ... But I think we both know your mouth is the more impressive of the two. So, while I  _ can _ be patient for my turn, I don't  _ want _ to." Slade gave Dick another bite along his neck, working a dark hickey into the skin there without the hesitation he might have had before.    
  
Slade moved the pressure of his body off of Dick, using the now free space between them to turn Dick back around and kiss him with eager ferocity. A kiss that made  Dick let out a moan that held nothing but pleasure, it was quiet but sounded louder in the small space. He eagerly kissed the other back, tongue slipping into his mouth as his fingers tangled up in Slade's hair and eye patch. The way his tongue moved inside of Slade's mouth, grinding and dancing against his tongue, showed that he was getting as much of a taste out of the other as he could.

 

Somewhere in the midst of touching and kissing the mercenary was able to work Dick's pants and underwear off of him, tossing them somewhere off the bed so they were out of sight. His own pants still hung onto his hips, but frankly they didn't need to come off for what he had planned anyway. 

 

Slade manhandled Dick, "Come here." He spoke as he flipped them, pulling Dick onto his lap. "Turn around, ass up." 

 

By the time Slade finished, with Dick's cooperation of course, Dick would be positioned over the top of Slade's stomach and hips on his knees. His head in perfect  placement for Slade's now throbbing cock. While, at the same time, Slade remained partially sat up with Dick's bare ass facing him. Good thing Dick was flexible, because Slade needed him just a little higher, good thing he had a plan for that too. 

 

"Put your knees legs on my shoulders."

 

It was his last command and it would be a near impossible one for most. The strain on the core muscles would be intense in a near planking like pose for so long, but Slade was confident Dick could handle it. If not? Slade was strong enough to keep the hero in position. 

 

While Slade waited he gave Dick's ass a firm squeeze and raked his blunt fingernails along Dick's hips and spine causing the hero to get goosebumps before letting out another soft moan. Dick used his free hand to reach into Slade's pants, softly stroking his member before pulling it from its cloth prison. 

 

"I don't think I'll ever get over how big you are." 

  
Slade began smoothing a hand along Dick's now taught abdominal muscles, all but moaning by the feel of their firmness under his fingers. He was at the base of Dick's stomach by the time the hero began kissing the tip of Slade's member and down the shaft before tracing the flesh with his tongue. Slade barely restrained his hips from bucking into Dick's teasing mouth. He'd let Dick take this part at his own pace.   
  
Finally, the mercenary leaned forward just enough to shift Dick's hips toward him. His teeth and lips nipping a trail along the inside of Dick's thighs, only moving forward once he was fully satisfied with his work. A hand moved to Dick's member, positioning it back only slightly so Slade could run his tongue along the underside of it, pausing to suck yet  _ another _ hickey onto the small spance of skin leading to his entrance. It was a highly intimate place to leave such a mark, and it would leave absolutely no doubt what Slade's mouth had been doing down there. He  _ loved _ that kind of possessive marking.

 

It seemed as though Dick liked it too based off the sounds he made. He planted a firm kiss to the side of Slade's member before softly sucking on it, his hand moving along the underside of the sensitive muscle softly stroking him. His mouth finally wrapping around the head of Slade's cock as he started to bob his head taking him in half way before pulling back up. Dick was in the process of spreading the spit around Slade's cock when the older male continued licking up the hero's body until he reached Dick's opening, tracing along the tight ring of muscles with his tongue. 

 

Nightwing shivered and gasped, his breath hitching in his throat as he released a broken moan. All while Slade switched between the flat expanse of tongue and a stiffened tip, in between he let out moans and made sure he was keeping an appropriate pace stroking Dick's member.

 

"That's...A first.." The hero gasped.   
  
His legs and arm started to quiver as though the pleasure was causing him to grow weak. 

 

Slade felt pure amusement at Dick's response. Of course the kid hadn't ever been eaten out before. Slade didn't have nearly the kind of talent Dick did at taking a throat full of cock, only partly because he didn't have as much experience (a lot of Dick's talent was purely natural Slade was sure). He had very few male partners, Dick only being his third. However, Slade had plenty of female partners, many of which he'd used his own oral talents on. 

 

Pleasuring a woman with one's mouth and tongue was a task that required different motions; firm versus flat tongue movements, gentle sucking, having to  _ really _ pay attention to what makes her quiver and moan. A blow job was a more rapid affair, requiring stamina, pressure, friction. More about how deep, fast, and enveloping it is. To Slade it was like comparing a detailed painting to a complex piano piece. Both were art and thoroughly enjoyable- but that is where the similarities ended. 

 

After a couple minutes the hero tensed his stomach and arm to get control of the shaking before he let out another long moan around Slade's member. Pushing him back down into his mouth, the tip of his tongue rubbing against the skin as it traveled back into his throat. His moaning caused his throat to vibrate around Slade's member before he flexed the muscles and constricted the other. It was a trick he learned from a sword swallower at the circus. Dick had full control of  _ all _ his muscles.    
  
Dick switched hands since the one holding him up was starting to fall asleep. He reached up and got to work gently massaging and rubbing Slade's balls while he bobbed his head letting the others cock grind against the roof of his mouth and the back of his throat. He gagged and choked a little bit but took it like a pro. His experience came from his need to please his lover. Men, women, non specified. Hearing his partner moan, feeling them shiver, that's what got him off.

 

This pulled deep, heated moans from Slade's own throat in response to his pleasure. He continued to lick around Dick's entrance, slowly letting his tongue wet the area before pulling away. He needed to physically fuck Dick  _ somehow _ .   
  
Slade barely hesitated pushing two saliva wet fingers into Dick's ass, pushing past the tightened rim and forcing their way inside earning a louder choked moan. He licked a small ring around the abused entrance against his own fingers, letting out another moan. Then, Slade curled his fingers down toward Dick's prostate and began dragging the tips of his fingers along the length of it from inside the hero. 

 

At the same time Slade began to lift his hips and ever so slightly thrust into Dick's mouth wanting to gauge his reaction before trying anything more forceful. He wanted to create the sensation of being double penetrated simultaneously, at the same tempo.   
  
As Dick choked on Slade's cock and felt himself getting stretched he let out soft screams of pleasure between each of Slade's low baritone moans. His head was spinning, every inch of his body was buzzing with lust and pleasure, there wasn't even a lick of pain.     
  
Suddenly Dick pulled Slade from his mouth with a soft gasp, "Woah, woah wait... You're.. You're gonna make me cum if you keep doing that." God why did that feel so embarrassing? Maybe he thought he had more endurance?

 

"Is that a problem?" Slade asked, the grin as evident in his tone as it was on his face. 

 

To Slade, Dick's reactions were hot, arousing. Slade wouldn't outright say how close he was to cumming before Dick had pulled himself off of Slade's cock ... But it was close.   
  
"Don't hold back on my account." 

 

Deathstroke teased, shifting himself just a bit more back so he could thrust his fingers deeper into his younger lover. Slade even went so far as to add a third finger which had the hero's toes curling.  He put up a hard pace, kissing and biting at Dick's thighs. 

 

"Cum for me beautiful."

 

Dick felt like he was somehow falling more in love with Slade. He let out another loud moan, heavy pants escaping his lips before he took the other back into his mouth. Slade wanted to keep pushing? Fine. But Dick was going to work to get Slade off too. 

 

He took Slade down into his throat, sucking with force as he began bobbing his head at a quicker pace. In fact he was keeping rhythm with Slade's strokes since Slade had started stroking Dicks cock faster. His tongue swirled around the head of Slade's member everytime the tip was in his mouth before stuffing him back down into his throat where he'd release his held in moans. His member was leaking precum and he could feel himself growing closer with every stroke. Dick's hand worked Slade's member to make sure there wasn't an inch untouched when his lips were around the head. 

 

Slade was floating between trying to concentrate on giving Dick a thorough finger fucking and the sensation on his cock. So naturally, the thrusts of his fingers became less controlled at the end. Slade dropped any plan that he had in his head and just started  _ doing _ . The build up was incredible, his entire body was affected by it. The sensation began sparking tingles throughout his extremities, his abdomen sharply pulsing more quickly with every movement of Dick's mouth. Any precum he had folded into the tight, slick and warmth around him or was swept away by Dick's expert tongue.   
  
The mercenary was in bliss and it was all over his face, head tilted back against the headboard, mouth slightly open, eye peeking out under a heavy eyelid because he couldn't take his eye off of Dick (watching him was half the fun). Even if Dick couldn't see him, he'd be able to hear him. Slade had moaned the first time they had sex but this time it was more raw, deep, and visceral. He was relaxing more and letting go. He was trusting Dick more. 

 

Suddenly, Dick's entire body tensed, his legs and arm began trembling as some of his weight shifted onto Slade. His grip around Slade's cock tightened as he let out a loud scream. His mouth was open but Slade's member was still against his tongue when he came in long spurts on Slade's chest.   
  
Slade was rising to his peak, the poor boy atop him was collapsing under the weight of his pleasure. Lost in his own, Slade began thrusting his member up into the younger's mouth, pushing his cock back into that sweet tightness it had been in before. It was just a few seconds of frantic thrusts that made the hero gag and choke until he too came down Dick's throat, Slade's hips off the bed as every last bit of cum filled him. Slade let out something like a growl that morphed into a lewd, low moan. Heavy breaths left him once his ass hit the sheets below them again.

 

It took a few moments for Slade's mind to come back to him, the fog produced by such a powerful orgasm wanting to just take him under. However, there was the realization that he'd just done to Dick what he promised himself he  _ wouldn't _ do during this interaction. He wasn't going to panic though unless Dick did. And Dick, despite everything that's happened to him, didn't seem to have minded Slade thrusting up into his mouth. His mouth was still closed around Slade's length, sucking to get a taste of his bitter-sweet fluids. Dick didn't pull the other out until he was sure he had gotten every last drop out.

 

Gently, Slade pulled his fingers out of Dick and rubbed a hand down his spine before using his superior strength to pull Dick's legs off of his shoulders and lay him down on his side next to Slade in the bed. His next step would usually be to clean up but sheets could be washed and he could deal with that later. He went to lay down on his own side instead. The hero honestly looked exhausted, his face and body red, his breathing hard and heavy. 

 

For a moment he caught a glimpse of Dick's body from above, covered in a trail of dark love marks and bites. Fuck if Slade didn't find that kind of all over visual claim hot as hell. Dick smiled lazily at the look in Slade's eye before sliding a finger up Slade's stomach and chest wiping the cum off of it before licking his finger clean. He didn't mind his own taste, even though it wasn't as sweet as Slade's. 

 

Next,  an arm fell over Dick pulling him in close and before Dick knew it, Slade was kissing him. Slowly. Deeply. Dick couldn't help but to melt into the kiss just taking in all the tastes that were left over from the both of them. 

 

"You can do that again  _ any _ time." Slade sighed blissfully.

 

"Same goes for you." Hand moving to caress Slade's beard. "I'm a little surprised you wanted to kiss me.”  

 

Slade just chuckled at Dick's comment. Boys got concerned about stupid things like that, men didn't. It was Dick and Slade solely between them, there wasn't anything to be put off by. Dick was a pleasure best experienced fully without hesistation or stupid hang ups.   
  
“You were.... Amazing... " Dick leaned in kissed Slade again, slowly, as he pressed their chests together. “I like the way you feel….. The way you sounded”  He whispered and nuzzled into the other before letting his mouth rest against Slade's shoulder.

 

"I think I'm officially addicted to you..... I want to know what else you can show me…” The hero paused, “I don't know what all you're into but… I want to experience it.. Share it with you..” 

 

Dick's fingers ran down Slade's arm and to his hand so he could hold it. He was so damn in love and as much as he wanted to say it he held back since he knew he already said it way too soon earlier. 

  
"You certainly have a way of making a man feel exceptional." Slade squeezed their joint hands, looking over Dick's face. Every time he found him more attractive … Maybe he was just as addicted to Dick. "I'm sure I can show you a few things but, Kid, this is a partnership. You have a serving personality. You like making people feel good, it inflates you.. However, you need to let me take care of you every once in a while, explore your own wants too. Because watching your face when you've been lost to your pleasure? Men would die to see it I'm sure." Slade could be a shameless flirt too and Dick seemed to bring it out in him. 

 

"I... Am open to that. Slade.... I'm not really used to people focusing on me." Dick confessed, though it were obvious, "It's easy for me to be vulnerable with my thoughts, feelings and boundaries but... It's going to take me time to get used to being put first."

 

God that sounded horrible. Dick wasn't mistreated in relationships or neglected, he just invested so much time in the other person there was no room for himself. Slade knew there were a lot of people who would and probably had taken advantage of Dick's generosity and selflessness. Dick lived his life in service of others. For Slade? He just always had to wonder who was taking care of Dick. He didn't want to take advantage and he wanted to hold Dick up like he did for so many others ... Like he did for Slade. 

 

These weren't things Slade wanted to do for anyone else, his relationship with Dick was already so different from anything he ever had. Was he in love? Probably ... No,  _ definitely _ . He just couldn't say it yet, especially when he could barely admit it to himself. But with the way he looked at Dick it wasn't a secret. 

 

"I cherish you, Dick Grayson. Let me show you that."    
  
"And _ I _ want you to have the freedom to express how much you care.. So when you want to spoil me let me know and I'll work on fighting my need to make it about you." Dick already failed in that department. The one day Slade made things about him Dick managed to flip the script... 

 

"I'll get us cleaned up so we  _ both _ can get some proper sleep."

 

The hero relaxed against the bed and let Slade work on cleaning him up. His legs were somewhat sore from being stretched and his abdomen carried that same burn but he didn't mind it, he was exhausted. It was a miracle that he even stayed awake while Slade cleaned him because the moment Slade was in the bed Dick had fallen asleep. It was around 1am, who could blame him?

  
Unfortunately, that sleep was disturbed. It was by 3am that the hero was tossing and turning no.... He was struggling and squirming, teeth clenched. 

 

"No… Let go..." 

 

Slade was generally a pretty light sleeper. His time in the military ingrained a sense of twenty four hour awareness in him that he was never able to fully shake, yet tonight, he was dozing more heavily than usual. It probably had to do with the quiet, familiar atmosphere, the handsome man in his arms and the calming scent of the farm blowing in from the open window. Instead of fully waking up he put his arm around Dick a little more firmly and muttered.

 

“Go back to sleep.”

 

"Stop..." Dick grimaced, "It's not real...... Let… Go.." Dick struggled more. 

 

"Kid ..." Slade tried softly, sliding his heavy arm off from around Dick so he wouldn't feel trapped underneath him. "I'm here Dick, you're-"

 

"LET  _ HIM  _ GO!”

Dick's yelling and sudden movement had Slade leaning back and just observing for those few brief seconds. The young man’s body was clearly ready to fight, every muscle tense as he had his fist clenched and ready to swing. His eyes focused on the empty darkness as he came to terms with the fact that it was just a dream but that didn't stop the flow of tears from streaming down his face. Watching Dick have this night terror broke Slade’s heart thoroughly.

  
"Hey, beautiful." Slade started, sitting up, reaching back to turn on the dim bed lamp before facing Dick's back once again. "You're safe, everything is alright. You're at my Grandparent's house. Can you look at me?" 

 

His tone held the up most calm but betrayed him by exposing a bit of his concern. Slade reached out and put a hand on Dick's shoulder, moving to rub it down the side of his arm. Dick’s breathing was shaky, when did he even get this bad? His mind was still coming to, his body slowly starting to react to the boost of adrenaline it underwent by shaking in short bursts. His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears he honestly barely heard Slade. All Slade could see were tears and fear clear on the other's features as Dick turned to look at him.

 

"I'm sorry.." Dick whispered, he didn't mean to wake the other. 

 

His body slowly eased and relaxed into Slade, his head finding solace on the other’s strong chest where he could hear the firm beating of his heart. Strong arms enveloped the hero as Slade let Dick use his inner bicep like a makeshift pillow, the same hand cupping the bottom of his head and neck. The other arm wrapped around Dick's waist and then up to splay his hand on the middle of his back.

 

"Dick..." Whispering empathetically.

  
More loose tears fell as Dick’s grip on the other tightened, "I... Dreamed I lost you.... They took you from me.... Because... I didn't do what they wanted me to.." He murmured. He knew it wouldn't make sense to the other but he himself was still trying to wrap his head around it. "I... I thought I was back in captivity... I kept seeing the same things but this time you were there and.." His voice trembled, "They wanted me to hurt Damian... And because I didn't, they started hurting you..."   
  
Slowly rubbing circles into the tense skin below his fingers, Slade spoke in a gentle tone, "That sounds horrifying. Damian is okay though, he's with Bruce and I'm right here. Everyone is safe." That wasn't true, but Dick didn't need the truth right now he needed comfort. "Tell me what happened. Get it out of your head."

 

"..... When... When you're captured by the Court they take  _ everything  _ from you... You don't even keep your clothes." He began explaining for some context. "They put me in a dark room.... I... I was completely alone. I couldn't see anything and I couldn't hear anyone.. I don't know how long they left me there. I felt like I was going crazy, everything hurt.. But... One day the light came on... And I wasn't alone. Barbara and Adam were there but they were upset. It was just the three of us and a gun. They said I had to shoot one of them or they were both going to die and that I only had a minute to decide." 

 

"I didn't make a choice and... Then I heard this beeping and.." Dick’s voice began to quiver, "Their heads exploded and I was covered in blood..... I could hear Bruce say how disappointed he was... That I should've just shot Adam… Then it went dark again and... And when the lights came on it was Damian and Tim... The same set up... The same rules..." He paused and shook his head, "I tried to shoot myself because I thought they just wanted someone to die but... It was empty and the same thing happened again.." 

 

Taking some breaths he worked to steady himself, it was clear this little cycle just kept going. Likely until he actually did it.. But he didn't touch on that.   
  
"In my dream it was the same except... You were in a different room and Damian was chained to a chair.. There was a hammer on the table and they said I had to kill him or they'd hurt you... They gave you something, you were barely conscious and.. They started just.. Cutting into you.. Dismembering you.. They wouldn't stop.." Dick closed his eyes tightly, "It was the Joker... They were making him hurt you but he kept laughing... Mocking me... Bringing up when he rr.” Richard couldn’t say it. “It showed on screens around the room and he just kept laughing while he tore you apart..."

 

Slade had heard some rumors about what they were doing to people in custody. Some of it was physical but so much of it was experimental and psychologically horrifying. Slade had no doubt they'd done all that and more to Dick. People like them didn't stay up screaming at night over just any old scary situation. No, they usually had to shake you to your core.   
  
"I'd never let that clown get his hands on me." Slade tried to lighten things but then quickly sighed. 

 

That wasn't what he needed to do. Ignoring this issue wasn't going to make it better. He pulled away enough so that he could get a look at Dick's face, caressing the side of it. 

 

"I know it doesn't change what happened to you but I'm okay and  _ you  _ are here with  _ me  _ now." Slade couldn't dismiss him, not after what he'd been through. "They set those scenarios up to try and tear you apart. You won though, you're on the other side of it now. We'll destroy them together." 

 

Oh how Slade wanted to kill every last one of them for doing this to Dick. He wanted to make them suffer just like they'd done to so many others. 

 

"I know it just… It feels so  _ real _ , Slade… I’ve never  experienced anything like it before. When I was there with Barbara I felt her touch my arm.. It felt just like her and..” He stopped and shook his head.

 

Just then the bed dipped behind Dick. The fat cat from before rubbing himself along Dick's back with loud purrs, seeming concerned. 

 

"Looks like I'm not the only one worried about you."

 

Dick smiled softly and rolled so his back was against Slade's chest, his hand moving to caress the kitty’s head. "Mmm, Selina said they can sense your emotions... I mean all animals can. But it's supposed to be special when a cat tries to console you.." He mumbled before reaching back to take Slade's arm and wrap it around himself, holding his hand firmly. "... I didn't say this earlier but.... I cherish you too.... It's been a long time since I've been with someone who meets my emotional needs... Someone who can make me feel this safe. I know we'll beat them... Because we're in this together." 

 

Slade felt a little jealous of the cat as the adorable fluff began to lay down on Dick's chest. Did this cat even know that the mercenary paid for his food and home? Probably his vet bills too. Now he had the audacity to steal his boyfriend right in front of him? Heathen.    
  
"You're right. We will….. You deserve someone who can support you, Dick. If someone can't be there through the good and bad then they aren't worth your affections. Children shy away from handling things that are difficult or uncomfortable. Women and men support the people they care about."    
  
With that Slade leaned over Dick to give him a short kiss. After that he cuddled the man up against his chest, he wanted to feel the figure of Dick as he breathed. "Alright pretty bird lets get some sleep." 

 

"You did tell me to come to you when I was ready for maturity....You're so... Perfect.." 

 

Dick shifted against the other and focused on the sound of him breathing, usually he liked sleeping in the dark but, like a child who just had a nightmare he was grateful that Slade had left the light on and had fallen asleep so much faster than he would have otherwise. The young vigilante only turned and coiled himself around Slade like a koala sometime later. 

  
  
  


Waking up around 6:30am, Dick was tired and groggy with a headache coming on. As he looked over to Slade he could tell the other was out cold. He knew that Slade hadn't gotten a decent night’s sleep in a while and the last week or so he hadn't been sleeping at all. It would seem that the stress of all this wasn't just getting to Dick but was getting to Slade as well. It showed even more when Dick kissed Slade’s scar and forehead before slipping out of bed, getting no response from the other whatsoever.

 

Larry crawled over to the hero, meowing desperately at the now awake food deliverer. 

 

"Shhh." Dick soothed, a finger in front of his lips. 

 

He scratched the cats hips before pulling on Slade's sweatpants. They were too big so he rolled them up at the waist making them a little tighter, still they sunk down showing off Dick’s hips. Larry ran in front of the hero as he made his way out of the bedroom, heading down towards the kitchen.

 

“Mrrroww.”

 

"I know, me too. Let me have a look okay?" 

  
"Meow."

  
"Thank you." Yes... He was talking to the cat.

 

Dick opened a few cupboards before he found a can of tuna that he opened and set on the floor and some cereal he poured into a bowl. He may have sipped out of the milk carton before pouring it over the cereal but that was a secret he would take to his grave. Dick then leaned against the counter, stirring the food with his left hand before taking a bite.

 

As he stood there he remembered that Lloyd told him where Frans photo albums were. "Hm.. Think he'd be mad?"

  
"Mmmrrrrrr." 

  
"Me neither.." Dick picked up his cereal and walked upstairs. 

 

He went into the library/office area where he successfully found two photo albums. He collected them and headed back to Slade's room quietly crawling back into the bed. Once he was settled he opened the photo book and took a bite of cereal. God Slade was so precious and little. The first photo was of Slade, no more than a year old wearing an oversized cowboy hat sitting in a field.   
  
By now, Slade started coming around. First, he turned toward the other, throwing an arm on Dick's lap against his abdomen. Then, his head laid to rest against Dick's hip where the hero softly rubbed his back. He stayed like this for a while until he heard ... Crunching and the smell of pure sugar with milk. 

 

"Where in the hell did you find cereal?" Slade muttered out barely coherent, pulling himself from around Dick and scrubbing his face to try and wake up.    
  


"It was in the very back of the pantry.. If I had to guess? Lloyd got it for his kids but they didn't like it and so it made it’s way to the back... Forgotten.. Neglected." Dick of course sounded dramatic over the fate of his favorite food.

 

Slade yawned seeming to forget about the intimate and embarrassing nature some of the photos had. "You drip any milk on those and Mom will haunt you."

 

Dick rolled his eyes at Slade's comment, "I'm not going to spill my cereal. I'm not a heathen." 

 

Slade turned to look more at whatever it was that Dick was up to, he shouldn't have been surprised to see that Dick had gone through and found his Grandmother's photo albums.   
The first was a ridiculously thick leather bound binder like album with Slade's childhood in it. Every Christmas morning, birthday, halloween costume, all his milestones, athletic pictures. It was an absolute encapsulation of Slade's life from birth to sixteen.

 

It had cute pictures: like baby Slade taking a bath in the kitchen sink or tiny toddler Slade helping Popop Grant do farm chores with a nearly matching outfit of plaid, jeans and work boots. Embarrassing: like Slade's obsession with pirates, eye patches, and Star Wars. Memorable: pictures with different people Fran had detailed and named underneath each. One kept popping up, a man that looked so much like Fran and Slade, labelled 'Danny'. A picture labeled '5th Father's Day' with Slade watching Dan opening some sort of gift was a dead giveaway that this man was Slade's actual father. In this album Slade's hair was dark black through all the photos, both blue eyes shining in all of them. 

 

Dick had made some comments about each of the photo’s in the album ranging from small, ‘Awes’ to laugh’s, to comments such as, ‘I think you have the eye patch on the wrong eye here. Dream come true huh?’. Aside from teasing Dick asked questions about who was featured in the photo’s, most of the guests being family friends with the exception of Danny though Slade didn’t go into much detail about the man. Finally, Dick reached the back of the album finding a sixteen year old Slade smiling as he brushed one of the horses.

 

"You're an  _ adorable  _ baby." Dick began to summarize, "So.... You were an adorable, farming, pirate loving, nerd.... I love it." 

 

Closing the album and setting it aside, Dick drank the milk in his bowl and set it down on the nightstand before opening the next album. This book was thinner. It had plenty of blank pages toward the back that Fran had probably intended to fill with even more memories. The first few pages were pages of Slade in his various military uniforms, copies of his medals and accomplishments. While Slade didn't view his time in the service as anything to be proud of, Fran had obviously thought otherwise. Though, one had to wonder if she could see the way her son's eyes lost their spark and dimmed down to nothing more and more in each photo. There were a few holiday photos, mostly labeled with things like 'glad to have Slade back for Christmas' and so on.

 

"You're pretty hot in uniform." Dick commented despite feeling his heart break at how much sadder Slade had looked.

 

Next up were Slade's wedding photos. It couldn't have been more traditional looking. Slade, was dressed up in a black tux next to an absolutely stunning woman in a crisp white dress who had shapely arms and scars she wasn't afraid of hiding. No doubt Adeline Wilson. They looked happy in all the obligatory photos, the best being the cake photos where it appeared Adeline had completely  _ trashed _ Slade's suit and face with frosting. In every picture after that one Slade was in nothing but a white undershirt and black suspenders as a top. It didn't stop him from dancing with his new wife or posing for photos. 

 

Maybe some lovers would be put off by these but Dick actually thought they were beautiful. He smiled and shifted, his body turned towards Slade as a leg moved over the others legs. Dick put the book between them so that Slade could see better. 

 

"Wow... She's beautiful.." He said as he studied Adeline.

 

"She was beautiful.  _ Always  _ was, even on her worst days she took my breath away." 

 

Slade remembered vividly the moment he saw her walking down the aisle in her white dress. He kissed her the moment she got to the altar, people laughed lightly the pastor making a comment about Slade being too eager.

 

Next was a few scattered images, then an ultrasound. Photos of an insanely pregnant Adeline and Slade on christmas at the farm house. The cutest one was of her cuddled up to Slade's chest by the fireplace with them both sleeping soundly together. 

 

"Awww.” Dick smiled.

 

After that the book became baby Grants with so many pictures of Slade being an adorable father. The spark in Slade's eyes seemed to come back if only a little. Then... There was a single blank page before a few more. They were pictures of Grant Wilson and Slade as Grant grew older with new hand writing under each. The kid looked  _ just _ like Slade and they seemed close. Even photos of an older Grant showed Slade's son looked up to his father ... Even if Slade was growing distant. Dick couldn't help but wonder what happened, he had to remind himself that Slade said he'd tell him when he was ready. Dick wasn’t going to push it. 

 

"He looks just like you... Rose looks like her mom..." Dick said before looking up at Slade, staring into his eye for a moment as though he were looking for that same childhood light. "I'll have to find you my baby photos now.." He smiled and leaned in to peck Slade's lips.

 

"Get it all out of your system because I'm hiding those pictures the moment you look away." 

 

"Try to hide these and I'll handcuff you to the bed." The hero threatened with a playful smirk.

 

Dick flipped back to the pages holding Slade and Adeline's wedding photos, "...Did you love her?" He asked, it felt like a stupid question but.... He was curious. Slade seemed happy with her.

 

"I loved her, truly and fully. She was the first person I ever loved so ... Deeply." Slade dragged a thumb over a picture of himself and Adeline with Grant picking apples off a farm tree. "I was still pretty young when we met. She was my squad leader, five years my senior. I wanted nothing more than to make her notice me.. And her smile?" He let out a small appreciative laugh. "She said I was the best damn soldier she ever had. I didn't really care how I got her attention    
... Just so long as I got it and the moment I did I was hooked." 

 

Slade had been an excellent  soldier, he listened to orders, had the perfect physique and was looking for a place to belong accompanied by praise and acceptance. They'd taken him in. Hook line and sinker.    
  
"She was an amazing mother too ... Even to Rose when she wasn't even hers. They look alike though don't they?" Well that was probably news to Dick. Slade had no reason to lie to him and he was sick of keeping secrets. "She protected those kids from everything, including myself." He pulled a hand back into his lap. "She was right to. She was always right."

  
"Well.. I think she was lucky to have you... I mean for a while you at least made her happy." Dick said in a soft tone before looking over the photo's, god he had so many more questions. 

 

If Rose wasn't her daughter then who did she belong to? And was Jericho also some other woman's child? Did Slade have some kind of affair? 

 

He exhaled and looked back at Slade before reaching and taking his hand, "Everyone makes mistakes, Slade.... I'm sure that during that phase of your life you weren't aware of what the consequences of your actions would be.. But that doesn't make you a bad person." Dick closed the photo album and turned his body to face the other, "I want.... To know all about your family.. Your wife.. Your kids..." He paused, "But I don't want you to tell me unless you're ready.... Or if you don't want to." 

 

It was clear Dick had questions, how couldn't he? He fell in love with someone that he didn't know too much about. He wanted to know Slade's history, get a better sense of who he is.. Who he was.. Who he may even want to be. It was a search for connection. "I know that... Its vulnerable for you even bringing me here and I don't want to take advantage of that... I'm just nosey." He joked to lighten the mood some.

 

"You don't want to get to know  _ that  _ me, Dick." Slade mentioned as if he hadn't heard a word the other said. He, in fact, had but Slade knew a truth Dick didn't. "This Slade?" A hand was placed on the closed photo album with Slade's childhood enclosed within it. "Sure. He always meant well, tried his best to be someone his family could be proud of." 

 

He moved his hand over to the other album. "This Slade? Dick you ..." He let out a small sigh. "I was horrible. Not to just anyone, but to my family, the love of my life. I ruined everything. Grant and Joseph almost died, Joey was permanently disabled ... Adeline wanted me  _ dead _ ." Slade said as if he was spitting toxic waste out from his own soul. "Instead, she took my eye and the kids. Like I said ... She was right to." 

 

Slade pushed a hand through his hair. "You ... Basically know the rest." He wondered if Jerricho or Rose told Dick about their mother being at the head of H.I.V.E. how she'd died by the Titan's hands after Slade's refused to her plea for him to kill her.

 

Dick hesitantly looked at the other before taking Slade's hand and giving it a soft squeeze, "I know..." 

 

He said though... He wasn't entirely sure what it was he knew.. It wasn't something he could articulate. He knew bits and pieces of Rose and Jericho's story but hardly enough to give him satisfactory information. He also didn't know who Rose's real mother was.    
  
"Look... I know you're not an angel... I know you're not perfect." Dick started, god this sounded so contradictory to him calling Slade perfect earlier. "I know you've done horrible things.... I know you've done things that could make someone like me hate you." God that probably wasn't the right thing to say, "I know you've hurt a lot of people.. But what I also know, Slade... Is that you're not a monster. You don't hurt people just because you feel like it. I know that you won't intentionally hurt me."    
  
Dick's hand moved to sit on Slade's cheek as he looked into his eye, "You may not be this Slade.." He said pointing to the album filled with Slade's childhood photos, "But you sure as hell aren't this Slade." He said touching the wedding album. "Because if you were then you would've either hurt me by now or you'd be using me..." 

 

Dick pulled away, "You may not be perfect... I know you'll still kill people.. I know you'll be manipulative whether its with me or your clients.. I know you're controlling.. And I know we're going to fight. But I also know that you'll keep your promises.. Or that you'll be responsible when you break them. I know you'll look out for me and my family.. I know I can count on you.... And contrary to what everyone seems to think, I'm not perfect either... I lie.. I guilt trip people.. I can be manipulative and just outright be an ass.. I’ve hurt people.. My point is that.. We're not solely our actions."

 

Slade didn't know how much of all this he could actually believe. He knew how easy it was to pretend things were fine when you didn't have to face the reality everyday. Dick thought he loved Slade, he thought he was okay with his mercenary boyfriend's actions. Slade was sure it would only take once. One time where he would kill someone in front of Dick. Maybe because it was a close call, someone was in danger ... But it also might just be like yesterday. That man could have lived after Slade pulled Dick off of him. Slade could have just left him to bleed on the floor and had fate decide whether he perished that day. Instead Slade had made  _ sure _ that monster would never kill another child again. He didn't regret it, he wouldn't apologize for it. Yet he wouldn't tell Dick because he  _ knew _ the hero would be appalled by his actions. That was the difference between himself and Dick ... He wondered if it was something they could reasonably work through. Or ... If Slade was just going to end up breaking Dick's heart and leaving his life in ruins like he had with every other people that were unlucky enough to end up in his company.    
  
The truth was, back then, and somewhat now, Slade was incredibly selfish. He did things for satisfaction, thrill, because they made him feel something. It was never enough. Even the elation he had from being a father, a husband couldn't keep him away from his mercenary work.    
  
Slade didn't say anything, looking better the two books with a hard stare. "Grant died because of me." Still looking away from Dick. "He rebelled against his mother, found me. He wanted to work with me, be a part of the 'family business' as he called it. But Grant was ... Emotional, hot headed. I wasn't watching him closely enough and he hurt people he shouldn't have. People who had families and kids. By the time I realized what had happened ... He had already been killed by Midnighter. I was angry but I had no one else to blame. That kid was  _ my _ responsibility as his  _ father  _ and I let him down."

 

"Slade...." He started before sighing, "You... Played a part in Grants life... A part in who he decided to be.. You supported that and you didn't... Monitor him as much as you could've and he got killed... You played a part in that but.." Dick paused, he didn't want to sound like he was letting Slade off the hook. "For all you know... He would've trained himself anyways... He would've become the person he did without guidance. Maybe not having you in his life would've saved him.. Maybe it wouldn't have... Bruce blamed himself when Jason died because he thought that if he didn't take Jason off the streets that he wouldn't have been murdered but the reality is we don't know that... We don't know what any of our choices are going to result in... You can't... Beat yourself up over it." 

  
"Feeling sorry for yourself and saying you let him down isn't being responsible for the part you played in it... All of that is a comfortable way to avoid it." He paused, he needed to give an example.. A big one. "I almost killed someone yesterday.." Dick felt his voice grow weak, "I got mad and I lost control of myself and I almost went too far.. I'm disappointed in my choice and next time I'll ground myself by remembering who I am.." God that sounded way easier than it was to say.

  
"Feeling bad for myself?" Slade asked in almost disbelief. "Don't mistake my grief and mourning for my children as self pity." He said it firmly as if he needed Dick to know how serious he was about that. 

 

In that moment Slade pulled away from Dick, sitting at the edge of the bed with nearly every muscle in his body tensed up.    
  
"I  _ am  _ responsible for Grant's death. I know what I did to account for it, I put the weapon in his hands, gave him the training he needed, the praise and support he craved. I've never shied away from that. I  _ never _ gave myself a free pass from that responsibility. " Slade stood up and began pulling on his underwear and pants. "Besides, I doubt you have any concept of what losing a child is like much less what it's like to have to bury them."

 

If Dick had been anyone else he probably would've been able to redirect the conversation. Reground it into something comforting and soothing. But unfortunately Richard John Grayson had a temper.

 

"Excuse you? I may not have biological children,  _ Slade _ , but don't you dare for a second think it didn't hurt the same way when Damian died... Don't think I didn't feel that same remorse when I held a little boy dying from internal hemorrhaging because I listened to my feelings instead of my heart. You don't think it hurt when Star had a miscarriage?" Dick snapped back. "I may not know what it's like to raise a kid from birth and put them in the ground but I  _ do  _ know how badly it hurts to lose a child..."   
  
This wasn't how he wanted this to go, especially since Slade just lost Jericho.. But all of this needed to come out, even if that meant being the bad guy. "I'm not letting you off the hook for the part you played, Slade... My point is that you can spend the rest of your life beating yourself up about it or you can learn from it.. Honor Grant by becoming the father you promised him you would be.... Honor Jericho by demonstrating that your daughter isn't alone... By showing them that you love them.... You can't choose their fate. You can't change what happened... But there is no future in living in the past.." Dick huffed and fell silent before shaking his head. "You may have guided Grant down the path that got him killed... But his actions aren't your responsibility.. The choices he made that lead to Midnighter killing him wasn't your fault... "

 

"I'm trying to tell you that  _ you don't understand _ . You can't, yet you want to preach to me about how I can be better, how I can change ... Like somehow that'll wash the blood from my hands. Some people don't get to walk away from their mistakes or grief. I can't let go of mine, because without the reminders of what I've done ..." Slade let out a humorless chuckle. "Then I'd still be a monster."   
  
"What you don't understand is that my son was killed to protect innocent people. People, like Midnighter, Bruce, like you would view him as a monster, a villain. Yet to me, he was my  _ son _ , the boy I raised out of diapers, read Doctor Seuss to. But he'll be remembered as a heartless murderer. I'm mourning a child no one else in this world truly knew but myself and Adeline ... Well ... Myself." 

 

Slade had a shirt on at this point and was gripping the footboard of the bed to keep himself from running off. "Now Joey  is dead. All after I promised I'd never let anyone hurt them again. I promised I'd be there for them from then on ... And now ..." Slade's teeth clenched along with his grip which was currently cracking the wood frame below it. "Rose is all I have left. I ... I can't lose her too."

 

Dick clenched his teeth and shook his head again before sighing heavily, standing and pulling his shirt on. He shed Slade's sweatpants and pulled on his own underwear and pants. "You're right ... I don't understand." Dick paused and looked at Slade. "I have no idea what you've been through.. What its been like for you. I have no right to blow off what you're saying."    
  
He fell silent and looked away standing still for a while before he moved behind Slade and wrapped his arms around him holding him from behind. "I know that it's hard losing Jericho... I know how much you're hurting and how many regrets you have.." Dick placed his forehead between Slade's shoulder blades. "We'll find Rose... I promise, Slade..." He pulled away and stepped back before softly rubbing Slades arm. 

 

"Why don’t we... Go get you breakfast and some fresh air." Dick didn't think Slade would want to talk about his feelings around Jericho and honestly? He didn't get enough sleep to fight all day.

Dick was defusing the argument, which Slade had to be thankful for because he personally didn't have the willpower to do so right now. If it was up to him they'd probably still be in a screaming match. God what was wrong with him?

 

Dick turned and walked out of the bedroom after grabbing his cereal bowl. He headed down into the kitchen and worked on washing his dish before pulling out some eggs and bacon for Slade.   
  
Slade finished getting dressed, taking a few extra moments upstairs before going down to see Dick cooking in the kitchen. An apology was on the tip of his tongue, ready, but he was still trying to hold himself back. Why? He moved over to the coffee pot, on and made (probably Llyod's doing) pouring himself a cup as he leaned against the countertop. He found an old white shirt in his room, it was a little tight but worked, with light wash jeans and his hair not slicked back like usual. He was fitting in more and more on this farm by the minute.    
  
A few seconds of silence passed by before Slade spoke up again. "I'm going to check on the facilities before we leave today. It's been a while and ..." Slade pushed a hand back through his hair. "It isn't easy for me to be here. There are good memories but there are also bad ones too. I'm sorry if I've been on edge." He spit out to get it off his chest. "You're just trying to help and I'm not ... Used to it."

 

Dick looked at him and exhaled before approaching the other, hands making their way to his waist. "You have every reason to be on edge, Slade.... You're dealing with a lot and I know that me prying and pushing you isn't helping... Don't apologize for being stressed out." 

  
"Just because I'm trying to help doesn't mean it's wanted or that I'm going about it right but... I need you to  _ talk  _ to me... I need you to set your boundaries, tell me if you don't want my help or that I'm not giving you what you need. And if you don't know what you need then we can figure it out as we go." 

 

"Thank you." Was all Slade had to say. 

 

He was grateful for Dick's presence and unconditional support. Slade needed both like air at the moment. 

 

Dick squeezed Slade's waist before moving away to plate the older man's food. He then turned and gave it over to him before rubbing the back of his own neck.

 

"I care about you, Slade..." With that Dick dropped the subject and poured himself a glass of water, "Are you planning on doing some work around here? I helped take care of a ranch that hosted Haylys once."

 

Once again words were left unsaid on Slade’s tongue. 'Too soon' was his first thought, the second was somewhat worried about being vulnerable, which was absolutely ridiculous. Dick wanted to say it too, he heard it in his voice, saw it in his eyes, but he was still scared. Slade planted a chase kiss on Dick’s lips, then going back in for something just a bit deeper. There was always something so addicting about their physical connection that Slade couldn't quite describe, but he loved it regardless. 

 

Dick always felt his heart race each time Slade kissed him, it was just a given. Regardless of whether or not it was a peck or something more it took his breath away. He couldn't help but to smile after Slade had kissed him.

 

"Work is a loose term." Slade admitted with a small shrug. "But if you're asking permission to come with so you can see the animals and play with the horses then ... You can definitely come help." 

 

Realistically the only 'work' Slade would probably be doing would be with his writing hand and checkbook. He kept a pretty stocked account for the farm that Llyod used but he suspected he'd find a couple things needing repair or even just new additions. Also ... He wasn't even sure what all was living at the farm now a days.

 

"What, you mean you don't want to go around pulling weeds and cleaning horse hooves?" Dick asked in a teasing manner before following the other over to the counter.

 

"You make a pretty good housewife, Nightwing." Slade said with a smile as he finished up breakfast and put his plate and utensils away in the dishwasher.   
  
"Well, I have to convince you to stick around somehow don't I, Deathstroke?" 

 

Just as Slade was about to open his mouth to say something in response the sound of tiny chirping hit his ear. Next thing he knew a momma duck and six little chicklets came following in behind her to the kitchen. They went straight over to the cat food dish and started picking at the dry food and tuna Dick had left out earlier. Larry the cat just looked annoyed but didn't do anything to stop it. 

 

"...Guess we can start by taking these guys back ... Wherever it is they belong."

 

"Gawww." The hero melted and slipped away from the counter before crouching and petting some of the little babies. "Don't worry mama, I won't hurt them.. They're all  _ so  _ beautiful.... And soft... In fact, babe, they're almost as soft as your beard." 

 

Dick chuckled, silent for a moment as he pet the chicks letting himself drift into thought. It had been reassuring getting to see the more ‘ugly’ side of Slade, being able to fight with him. A relationship wasn’t healthy without conflict and well, the hero found it important to see how they not only address conflict but how they come back from it and how they’re able to be with eachother afterwards. He and Slade had gotten into two prominant fights now and both of them were able to bounce back with the same amount of love and appreciation as they had before. While neither one of them were pouring out ‘I love you’ ever other sentence, Dick couldn’t help but to wonder if Slade was feeling the same intense feelings he was.  

 

"Before we take them to their home... There's something I wanna see." 

 

Nightwing approached Slade and took his wrist, two fingers resting against his pulse while his other hand made it to Slade's neck. Dick stood on his toes and leaned in kissing Slade delicately. He wanted to see if Slade's heart raced as much as his did, he didn't know how he'd feel about it either way but for now he wanted his curiosity to be satisfied and God  _ was _ he satisfied. Slade’s heartrate had increased going from steady and slow to more hard and fast. It didn’t pick up too much but the intensity of how it beat was all the hero needed.   
  
After a minute Dick broke the kiss and smiled innocently at Slade, who smiled back, before moving to the chicks where he crouched and started collecting them, using his shirt as a little pouch... That was until mama duck bit him and started nipping at his arm.

 

"Ow! Hey be nice. I know I'm a big bald alien abducting your babies but they're safe.. Shit.” Dick finally released the babies after she bit his arm hard enough to draw blood. Slade just chuckled.

 

Dick’s rolled his eyes and picked her up, "Fine.. Slade will get the adorable babies."

 

She seemed to settle down immediately when she was picked up by Dick, snuggling down in his arms. "I think she just wanted you. Single Mom huh?" Slade asked her, rubbing a finger on her bill. "Yeah he's into babies too. That age you know..." 

 

He was having a full on conversation with this duck as he picked the ducks up one by one, letting her see them before setting them in his shirt from last night on the counter over his arms.

 

Dick couldn't help but to smirk, “I  _ do  _ love babies, but I'm taken… I'll still help you with your babies though.” He said softly rocking the duck as he watched Slade gathering the babies. 

 

It was such a sight to see, the sweet babies snuggling up to Slade's nice hard pecks. Dick was a little jealous but seeing how cozy the little guys got only warmed his heart. 

 

"I think that's all of them."   
  
"Whank."   
  
"What?" Slade looked by the island and spotted one last chick. "Oh sorry." He picked the brown and yellow chick up and watched it snuggle in with the other ones. 

 

They were using Slade's chest like a heated pillow, already looking comfortable and sleepy.   
  
“Aww!” The hero squeaked out.   
  
Slade took them outside with Dick, continuing to hold the sleepy babies next to him as they toured the immediate property. There were two individuals working the farm itself who shot Slade and Dick a curious look before going back to their work. Once they came by the pond Slade released the little ducklings onto the ground. They chirped and complained at first, then immediately surrounded Dick's feet until he put down their mother.

 

“Be nice to your mom, she's working really hard for you.”

 

Llyod came over to greet them, saying that the farm hands were 'suspicious' but didn't tell them who Slade and Dick were. Good man. He also announced that a new calf had been born last night in the horse barn. They allowed the momma cow and her baby to stay there were it was less busy and noisy until they were ready to join the rest of their heard.    
  
So, naturally, that's where Slade took them next. There were five horses in total, mostly mares but one beautiful black stallion. Dick was instantly taken away. He freaking loved horses, they were his absolute favorite animals. Still, the hero stopped by the pin holding the mama and baby cow, both sleeping soundly which encouraged Dick to turn his attention to the horses since he didn't want to wake them. 

 

He approached one of the mare's that had beautiful red hair. “They're so beautiful.” He said as the horse pushed her nose into him.

 

Slade began by petting one of the mares along her soft, chocolate brown coat. "This is the Granddaughter of my childhood horse ... Betsy. This is Betsy the Third. You look and act just as sweet." She pushed her nose into him. 

 

"Him over there? I've heard he's a troublemaker. Came as a rescue a couple years back. Doesn't like anyone."

 

Dick's attention shifted to the gorgeous black stallion, he could see the way his fur shimmered in the beams of the sun that came in through the window.

 

“Oh yeah? Rescues are always tough.. They just need some extra love.. Good thing I like flirting with danger.” The hero smirked and backed away from Slade before turning around and approaching the horse.

 

“Hey there…” He called out. 

 

The horse snort and mewled at him causing Dick to pause for a moment. 

 

“Why don't I get you some treats? Hm?” Dick turned and dug through the barn before finding some horse treats. 

 

He approached the stallion again holding out his peace offering. The horse snort and huffed at the hero who kept his movements slow and calm. Once he was close enough he set a hand on the stallion's nose and he instantly seemed to calm. 

 

“See? I'm not so bad am I?” 

 

Shortly after eating the treat the stallion smiled and let out a happy neigh before pressing his head against Dicks. 

 

“You have such a pretty smile.” 

 

Slade was impressed Dick got the horse to calm down so quickly. He didn't know a great deal about the horse, only that his pedigree paperwork had 'stubborn' and 'bad temperment' underlined when a copy was sent in to him. Dick of course took to the task of gaining its trust and succeeded easily.    
  


"Told you, you could charm the pants off of a horse."

  
As Dick associated with the horse Slade grabbed two leads and walked over to Betsy III, easily attaching it, and walked her out of the stall so they were standing next to Dick and his new friend.

 

“What's his name?”

 

"I'm not sure actually." Slade admitted, pulling a clipboard off of the front of his stall.

 

The stallion huffed at Slade and stomped his hoofs before pressing his large head into Dick again. Slade eyed him before looking at the info.    
  


Dick took the lead while Slade was reading and went to get the stallion suit up however, he huffed and pulled away. 

 

"Hey... Don't you wanna go in the sunshine?" 

  
"...I'm going to have to kill Llyod." Slade sighed and hung the clipboard back,."The horse's name is  _ Batman _ ."

 

Dick looked at him quickly and snort, "Are you kidding? That explains so much.... Well B-man, I just so happen to know that as much as you deny it, you  _ like _ the sun so quick being stubborn and lets go." 

 

He offered another treat that Batman happily accepted, soon letting Dick get to work setting up his lead. Dick then opened the stall and began leading the horse from it, stopping to stand by Slade. 

 

"I'm an expert on coaxing Batman." He smirked almost childishly.   
  
Batman on the other hand seemed less than amused and did not for a second like Dick giving Slade his attention. He pushed the back of Dicks head with his snout and huffed before stomping his foot. 

 

"Okay, okay, come on. You need to be brushed." Dick didn't speak again until they were outside of the barn, tying the horses up. "You're so beautiful." 

 

The hero couldn't help but smile and hug the animal who looked up at Slade and huffed at him. It Could be mistaken but it seemed as though Batman was either bragging about having Dick or was threatening Slade to stay away from his little Robin.

 

Slade was already seeing parallels between horse Batman and the human one. Both seemed to be possessive and protective of Dick and most importantly, they both looked at him with absolute disdain. Perfect. Now not only did Slade have to deal with Bruce, he was going to have to fight his horse double for Dick's affections. Since when had his life become some kind of fucked up romantic comedy? Certainly didn't seem like the right setting considering the current dystopia taking hold of planet Earth at the moment. 

 

Slade moved to stand next to Dick, picking up a brush after sharing a long glare with the stallion. Fucking horse was trying to steal his boyfriend ... He just  _ knew _ it. He went to put a hand on the middle of Dick's back and immediately felt teeth nip the top of his shoulder and take a ripping bite out of his t-shirt. 

 

"Hey! Be nice."

 

"Seriously, Bruce?" Slade had said it without even thinking, then half laughing and sighing. "I feel like this is some sort of horrible metaphor."

 

"Wait… Did you just?" Dick asked before smirking and chuckling, "I mean... Bruce would probably do  _ that _ same thing. He doesn't like you." Dick wasn't happy about that but what was he going to do about it? Leaving Slade wasn't an option.

 

"Bruce doesn't like me? My god. That's such a shock." Slade said with heavy sarcasm

 

Slade apparently just needed to stay his distance from Dick, which of course, just made Slade want to touch him more. He needed to focus on getting the horses saddled.

 

"Do you know how to ride?"   
  
"Yes, it was one of the first things Bruce taught me... I wanted to jump over shit and do tricks. I ended up getting bucked off the horse." Dick chuckled at the memory before he started brushing Batman.

 

The stallion kept his eyes on Slade and gave a challenging huff. "Be nice." Dick reminded before pausing and facing Slade, "Are we going to ride? I honestly can't even imagine you on a horse." 

 

"I'll have you know I'm an excellent rider."

 

"Oh? Is that right?"

 

Dick grew flirtatious and stepped away from Batman, grabbing Slade's hips from behind. He managed to get in a soft squeeze before Batman bit onto the hem of Dick's pants and pulled him away. 

 

He stumbled and chuckled before petting Batman's head, "As handsome as you are... I don't really do the bestiality thing." He said before kissing Batman's nose. 

 

Slade was smiling at the whole interaction despite focusing on the single long braid he was putting down the front of Betsy's hair. She looked pleased at the sensation, flipping her hair so it laid nicely with the others. She looked cute. 

 

"Even if you were, he's with me Batman, back off." Slade said half joking, but his eye shot the stallion a sharp look. 

 

Was he a little jealous? Maybe. He just had to keep reminding himself that it was a fucking  _ horse _ . Slade saddled up Betsy and helped Dick do the same with Batman, dodging the horses attempts to nip and push at him. Batman even bucked his legs in a failed attempted to kick Slade who pat his butt in response. 

 

"Brat." His attention then moved to Dick, "I actually have somewhere I want to take you. I know last night was hard, but ... I had Llyod place proper markers at the child's grave sites this morning. I want to check and make sure everything is set before we leave so I can give him permission to try and contact the families if they are still ... Around." 

 

Slade knew this would kill the mood, but it was important they remembered what they were fighting for, why they had to leave here and go back into the trenches. 

 

"There is a beautiful wildflower patch near the grave yard. Maybe we can place some fresh flowers while we are there as well."

 

"I.... Appreciate that." 

  
Slade put a foot in Betsy's saddle and easily pulled himself on top to ride her, looking like a damn pro. 

 

"And here I thought you couldn't get more handsome." Dick flirt. 

 

He knew that it may not have been appropriate but he'd have a chance to be down later. Dick climbed onto Batman, only struggling a little since the stallion moved and shook his body. It was clear he wanted Dick off and he didn't hesitate to give a little buck. 

 

"Hey.." Dick soothed, a hand moving down to Batman's neck while the other fished out some treats.

 

He gave Batman a treat and gently pet him giving him a moment to get used to 'being tamed'.

 

"You can be the boss, just let me look like I'm in charge... Deal?" He asked giving the reins a soft pull. 

 

Dick pulled on the left one to get Batman to move but in response Batman jerked his head to the other side and snort. 

 

"Stubborn ass." The hero mumbled, grabbing another treat and holding it to the left of the horse making soft clicking noises. 

 

Batman slowly turned his head and Dick gave a more stern pull to the reign getting the stubborn stallion to turn before giving him a treat. Dick pet Batman's neck softly and kicked his hips to get him to walk forward following Slade. At first Batman nipped and charged at the horse in front of him, but as Slade slowed Betsy's pace she turned right around and nipped the stallion. Slade was about to correct her behavior but was pleased to see Batman lower his head down and almost pout like a scolded child   
  
"Tell me if this is out of line but... How many men have you been with? You always came across as straight.." That sounded pricky, "Was Fran okay with it? I know things were... Different in the stone ages.".   
  
"How many men have I been with or do you mean how many men have I slept with?" Slade didn't wait for Dick to respond before he answered his own question. "Including you? I've only slept with three men, dated? You're the first." Slade said matter of factly, looking forward. 

 

"One was a childhood crush and friend. Next was Bill, that was longer more numerous. We were just friends though, nothing else. Then of course you which ... I don't need to go through." 

 

They started slowly trotting down a pathway going into the surrounding forest, the tree canopy above them throwing a light shade over their persons.   
  
"Fran didn't know about it. Never did. I ... Honestly, I was afraid of what she might say or think, or what Pop would have. I never heard them say anything implicitly homophobic, but this was a  _ church _ farm before I got ownership of it. You can put together the pieces yourself." 

 

Slade let out a soft sigh. "I believe they could have changed though. They weren't hateful people. If I was happy then they would have been for me. I don't doubt that for a moment." 

 

"Wow.." Dick said softly, listening to Slade as Batman trot beside him, "I honestly thought you had more experience." 

 

He chuckled, that was very contradictory to what Dick said earlier however, with how good Slade was it was a little surprising that he was only with two people before him. The hero had no reason to pry further, perhaps he would've if he knew that by 'Bill' Slade meant Wintergreen.    
  
"Well... You definitely know your way around a man's body and..." Dick paused, reaching for Slade's hand, "I am very-" 

 

He was cut off by Batman bucking. The stallion may have submitted to Betsy but he wasn't going to let Slade steal his human. 

 

Dick quickly grabbed onto Batman and huffed, "Dude, chill out." He said sternly before pushing some hair out of his face.

 

"I'm grateful that you've decided to let me in..." Nightwing continued the conversation, "And I'm honored that you're giving me a chance. I'm going to make it worth it."

 

It became more clear why Slade was so... Closed off. This was his first time sharing himself with another man and as far as Dick could tell... Adeline was the only person he fully shared himself with and that resulted in a nasty scar.

 

Soon they made a left turn and came upon an opening in the forest. The sun shone down on the well manicured clearing and there was a single beautiful dogwood tree in the center. It's white flowers littering petals down on the graves below. 

 

Some headstones were more worn than others but there were three distinctly fresh graves to the left, sitting in front of a beautiful row of rose bushes. Each had marble cut stone above them. Name, date of birth, and yesterday's date scrawled across them. Slade was impressed to see they'd been made with such quality in such a short amount of time but these children deserved no less.    
  
"This is my family's grave site. Has been for a long time." Slade explained.

 

As they stopped, Betsy began chewing on some grass just outside the clearing that she refused to enter once Slade had dismounted her.   
  
This was a hard place for Slade to be, especially last night. Fran, Pop, Grant, and even Adeline were all buried here. He thought about how he wished he could find Joey to put him to rest here as well. Last night he had about broke down at the thought of never being able to bury his child in front of Grant's own grave. 

 

"They weren't family, but ... I think Mom wouldn't have cared. It seemed only fitting that they be laid to rest somewhere beautiful like this."   
  
Dick hopped off of Batman and tied him up to a tree before approaching Slade, standing beside him. He reached and took Slade's hand into his own as though he could sense that Slade wished he could bring Joey here. Dick figured it was the case. 

 

The young hero squeezed Slade's hand before kissing the top of it. "Their families will be grateful you had the grace to bring them here.... Because of you they didn't die alone." 

 

Dick moved away from Slade and knelt down in front of the graves. He then began saying a Romani prayer, "Miro gulo Devel, savo hal oté ando Cheros, te avel swuntunos tiro nav; te avel catari tiro tem; te keren saro so cames oppo puv, sar ando Cheros. Dé man sekhonus miro diveskoe manro, ta ierta mangue saro so na he plaskerava tuke, sar me ierstavava wafo manuschengue saro so na plaskerelen mangue. Ma muk te petrow ando chungalo camoben; tama lel man abri saro doschdar. Weika tiro sin o tem, tiri yi potea, tiri yi proslava akana ta sekovar."

 

Slade stayed silent as Dick spoke. This place held so much emotion for him, so much loss. He could literally look around here and see his failures left and right, stare at their graves. Sometimes, he tried to convince himself that this was all part of his line of work, that he  _ chose _ this life. He didn't have a right to be upset, or mourn those he lost, but hearing Dick's prayer nearly brought him to tears. He had to take quiet deep breaths to steady himself and keep them at bay.

  
After spreading dirt over the grave sights, Dick stood up. He was silent for several moments just taking everything in. 

 

"Thank you.... For doing this for them..." Dick went silent for a while before speaking in a soft whisper, he didn't want to piss Slade off so he was treading lightly. "We should make... A little memorial place for Jericho."

  
"There is a flower patch over this way." 

 

Slade led Dick over to the open area that boasted dozens of wildflowers, all blowing in the light breeze that broke through the trees in this little, peaceful enclave. He'd brought a tiny Rose and Joey here before, to the farm, to the grave site so he could clean up and introduce the young kids to his grandparents. Rose spent most of her time weaving daisies and purple flowers into Jerricho's bright blonde hair while he made jewelry for her to wear in return. 

 

The merc went over to the bench Joseph had sat on during that time, surprised to see a flash of red enameled paint against the concrete. Pulling it out of the mess of flowers he found it was a harmonica. One of many different musical instruments Jerricho had taken to using after he was left mute. He must have left it here that day. Touching its slightly corroded surface he was reminded that this had been something valuable and used by his child. His eye began tearing up once more, so he blinked the tears away and looked up at the afternoon sun.

 

"Damn kids always leaving shit everywhere." Slade said with a joking tone. "Joey always had something he could make noise with. It was like living in the Shining for a while." 

 

Joey would sneak up behind Slade often and rattle, a bell or blow a hard note on a kazoo that would send Slade jumping ten feet and Joey to the floor laughing.    
  
Slade placed the instrument against the dogwood tree on the side closest to Adeline's grave, before placing the few irises he picked next to it.

 

"Jerricho always liked you and your brothers." Slade said as he straightened up. "He said if it wasn't for Rose and the Titans he would have suffered so much more than he did. He said you never gave up on him. Joey specifically mentioned you actually, a few times." Slade crossed his arms. "He'd probably be ecstatic to hear you and I are ... Together."   
  
If the hero were being honest... He wanted Slade to cry... Wanted him to get out all of that pain. As a soft breeze blew through the trees Dick finally approached the other and took his arm. 

 

"He used to sign to me a lot... He'd talk about his past... His fears.... He was a really sweet kid." The hero leaned against Slade before wrapping an arm around his lower back, "I remember one time I took him back to the manor. No one was home and I started to teach him how to play piano.. He loved it.."

 

"Then he started telling me that he wished you could be there to see.... That he was sad he failed you. He thought you hated him." Dick had a point to this. "I signed back to him that I thought you were more sad and disappointed that you wouldn't be able to bond with him the way you wanted to... I said that I thought that you were too driven to walk away from the life you chose because you were happy and you wanted to share that with him.."

 

"I told him you were more mad at me for convincing him that killing was wrong because I was taking away that bond." Dick paused for a moment, he could feel himself getting teary eyed. "He used to tell me about growing up with you… I told him that I thought you loved him.. That you didn't want to walk away from him but needed to... He asked me how I would know that and I told him to think about you when he was growing up.." 

 

Dick looked at the harmonica, focusing on it. "He started to cry... He just completely broke down and cried himself to sleep..  When he woke up he told me that after he went mute you were there to support him.. That you taught him how to sign and that you encouraged his use of musical instruments... To communicate through sound.. He told me you took him and Rose to this place and that he sat on the bench and played you a song for your mom and that you just smiled and rubbed his back. He said that he felt like you loved him.."

The hero then looked at Slade and took his hand, "Joey loved you... And he would be  _ ecstatic _ to see you honor him this way.... He looked up to you... Even when he hated you... He only hated you because you hurt him.. Because he wanted to really get to know you.... I feel like he got to do that before he.."

 

Dick couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence, "May he rest in peace."

 

Slade stood in complete silence, he never heard stories from someone else about Jerricho's time away from him. His son had been so angry and hurt by Slade's behavior, and he had every right to be, that when both Rose and Joey finally did accept his apologies and forgive him that he didn't question it. Slade had just been so happy to get back what little family he had left that he didn't want to chance ruining it.    
  
Yet he was hearing from Dick that even before that time of forgiveness, Jerricho still remembered the times Slade had tried to be a good father to him. That he worried about whether or not Slade loved him and that broke the mercenary's heart. He  _ always _ loved his son. No matter what happened, even after Jerricho had tried killing him, Slade still loved him. As a parent and father that wasn't something he could ever stop doing.    
  
Slade squeezed Dick's hand, probably a little too tightly. His gaze focused down at the small memorial, his mind wishing there was something, anything he could have done to save his son. 

 

"I wish we had more time." Slade nearly whispered, shaking his head.

 

Dick's hand was beginning to hurt but he didn't dare pull away. They were talking about the death of Slade's child. The hero didn't care who someone was or how strong they were... No parent, who actually loved their child, didn't cry when they lost them. Bruce cried for each child he lost. He watched other villains cry at the loss of their children. Slade was trying so hard to keep himself even. To keep himself strong. Dick saw through it. He saw the pain on every inch of Slade's face. 

 

Slade turned toward Dick and pulled the hero flush against his chest before leaning down enough so that he could rest his head on Dick's shoulder. If the cloth there began to dampen, Slade didn't mention it. Other than careful, measured breathing he made no sound. He just used Dick as the support he needed, the literal shoulder he could cry on and hide his grief and pain. He couldn't think of a single other person in the world he could do this with.   
  
A soft breath escaped Richard but he didn't dare say anything or move right away. Slade was being more vulnerable than he had ever seen him... Dick didn't take it lightly and wanted Slade to know he was loved and wasn't judged for his vulnerability. Slade earned that much. Slade listened to Dick and support him when Dick opened up about being raped. Slade gave Dick everything he needed mentally and emotionally and now was the time to return that support..    
  
Dick's hand moved up to brush through Slade's hair. His body took lead next, another hand wrapping around Slade's waist before he started rubbing Slade's back. Dick didn't want to say anything that would disrupt the other though he did shift back slowly.

 

"Come on." He whispered. 

 

The hero then brought Slade down to the ground next to the tree, wiping some tears from the mercenaries eye. Dick made eye contact and leaned in pecking the others lips. 

 

"I'm here for you.." He finally broke the silence, "You saw me at my core... Saw me as vulnerable as I possibly could be... I know it's hard but... You can talk to me... And.. It's okay if you don't want to. If you're not ready. But you don't have to hide.. Not after all the things you've lost."

 

Slade just seemed to want physical contact. He was quick to bring an arm around Dick again, pulling him close again. 

 

"Just sit here with me for a minute." Dick's lover requested softly, looking up at the sky. 

 

The clouds were huge, white and fluffy. Slade figured that this beautiful day would occur when everything else was going to shit. Dick hooked his arm around Slade's waist and just held him close, his head resting against the others.

 

After a few moments Slade looked over to Dick. "It's hard for me to try and explain what I'm feeling at the moment. Not because I don't want to but ... I don't have the words. I feel grief, sorrow, but not for myself. It seems senseless that these kids, Jerricho, heroes are dying. I've never seen anything like this. I served in two wars and saw horrible things, but this is ..."  

 

Slade stopped and sighed. "I want to stop them, Dick, but I'm starting to wonder if we even have a fighting chance. If it's even possible for things to go back to the way they were." He pushed a hand through his hair. "I've got you, Rose, and Ben. There's too much at stake."   
  
"I know what you mean.... That feeling that we've already lost... The hopelessness." Dick started before squeezing Slade's hand, "But we can't give up... Even if the odds are against us.. Even though we will more than likely die." 

 

That struck a chord in Dick suddenly. He felt fear. Depression. Despair. He shook his head, eyes locked on Slade's. "Things may never be the same. People lost loved ones. Cities are left in ruins. But there is a chance we can beat this... Even though the odds of us losing are immeasurable. Even though we might die for nothing. Shit, it may not even be possible to beat this but I need you... We die either way. It's just whether or not we die fighting."

  
Slade wanted to tell Dick that there was another option. It had been at the back of his mind since he drugged Dick back at the pet auction. That Slade and Dick could just play along to the bare minimum to keep them alive. Slade could continue doing what they'd been asking of him just so they could live. Dick said they'd die either way, but really, that wasn't the truth. For a hero like Dick though, truly submitting to the High Court was  _ never an _ option.

 

The hero was silent now.. Lost in thought. They could die any day now. It was too early to say this but if Dick didn't? He may never get the chance. 

 

"I love you..." His hand moved to rest on Slade's cheek, "We'll stop them.... I promise... We need to hold onto that especially when it feels impossible."   
  
Dick took everything he Slade was thinking and feeling, forcing it to dissipate entirely. Dick said he loved him. Not in many of the cloaked ways they'd be skirting around the subject. It was different from when he said it earlier in the cave, in the cave Dick was doing everything he could to convince Slade to stay and while he meant the words there was desperation to them. This time they were spoken completely freely and authentically. It made butterflies ripple through Slade's stomach and chest.    
  
There was a brief pause before Slade leaned toward Dick, grabbing the hand on his cheek in his own before kissing him. It was deep, pushing into Dick's space and practically bending the hero over the arm he was using to support his lower back. 

Dick's free hand moved to rest on Slade's neck while his other one held Slade's hand tightly, his lips moving against the others perfectly in sync before Slade broke the kiss.

 

Stroking his hand up Dick's back, Slade looked into those beautiful blue eyes below him. He looked ready to say something, but the expression was stolen from his face and replaced by one of annoyance and reserved caution. All because the transmitter the Court had given him was  going off from his back pocket. 

 

The urge to ignore it was strong but he knew better. Cursing, he brought Dick back into a sitting position and took the call. He stood up immediately, shoulders square and almost tense. Slade didn't look relaxed by Dick's side like he had a moment ago, in fact he looked quite the opposite. 

 

"Slade Joseph Wilson, Meta ID 5694, current status is off duty." Seemed like something they'd taught him to start with. "Turkey, Belarus, the United States." Slade paused. "Looking for my daughter. You do still have her don't you?" Slade paused. "What about my son?" 

 

He couldn't let them know he knew about Jerricho's death. "Not privy to that information? What would make me privy to that information then .... I see. When? ... Consider it done." Slade shut the phone after a lengthy conversation and sighed. "Come on kid. Vacations over."   
  
The hero couldn't help but to frown before standing up, "What do they want?"    
  
"My guess is that we alerted the Court to our whereabouts last night. The don't seem to have a clue about Germany or Bruce's hideaway. The woman's exact answer was that my 'statement was satisfactory to the record'." 

 

High Court members all seemed to talk so formally and with very straightforward and reasonable language.

 

Slade let out a sigh. "She told me I was privy to information about my children based on my current record and specialty within the High Court." 

 

Basically? They couldn't trust him and if he was going to be a mercenary for them, then he needed to start performing as such. However, Slade wouldn't put it so blatantly for Dick, might as well  _ sort _ of hide it from him.

 

"I'm going to take you back to Bruce's hideout. You can stay there, or get your stuff and I can take you to Jason. I doubt you want to spend a few weeks by yourself at the tree house." 

 

Dick didn't exactly like it but... He knew this was to be expected. Slade's been so busy running around with Dick he's hardly had any opportunity to be a part of the High Court and their dealings. Slade needed to keep what little trust he had of the Court if not gain more and while Dick didn't agree with the mercenary work… He promised not to force Slade to change. 

 

The two approached the horses and got to work untying them and climbing on. The stallion could sense the tension and in the air and clearly wasn't appreciative of it so Dick fed him some treats and gently pet his neck to calm him down. The young hero then softly kicked Batman's sides getting him to move forward and follow Slade. 

 

"I'll stay with Bruce.. The meeting is in Gotham... Bruce's hideout isn't as far as Jason's... And as much as I love traveling the jet lag is catching up with me." Dick needed something stable right now.    
  
Even Slade's treehouse was closer but Dick didn't want to be alone... Slade was right about that. "I can put the horses away while you say goodbye and thank you to Lloyd.." 

 

Once they made it back to the farm, Dick climbed off of Batman and tied him to the post before removing his saddle and reign.

 

"That better?" He asked the stallion before kissing his snout and working on brushing out his fur.

 

Slade hopped off of Betsy and rubbed her snout, giving her a small head bop before heading off to the main house to discuss what he needed to with Llyod. He went over a check list of things, promising to transfer funds immediately for whatever he needed.    
  


  
"One thing though."   
  
"Yes Boss?"   
  
"That Stallion out in the barn. You were planning on rehoming him?"   
  
"Yes. Betsy and Peggy are the only two permanents anymore."   
  
"Let's keep him. I want him trained, especially on that biting habit and … Make sure he's neutered within the next year." Slade would get the last of that laugh.    
  
With that, Slade's time at the farmhouse was done. He grabbed a few things from inside, including some photos from the album's on the bed. The one's in the back with Adeline's handwriting were grabbed more numerously. Slade was looking for pictures of his kids, of Rose. Something compelled him to bring them in the plane, stashing all away but one. It was of Slade knelt down at three year old Rose's level giving Rose a genuine smile as she smiled wide at the camera holding a big fuzzy Caterpillar. On the back it said, 'Daddy Slade and Daughter Rose go bug hunting' in curly blue ink. He  set that one by the controls on the Captain's side. Slade needed a good reminder why he was doing all this. He needed to save his daughter.    
  
They took off not long later and after a few hours of travel Dick landed them back near the Batcave. Slade rolled his neck. 

 

"I'll help you get settled in, then I need to go."

 

It took little time for them to hike and get to the bunker where a very exhausted looking Bruce approached them. He had been taking care of Damian for the last 24 hours, he was recalling his least favorite part about being a dad. Dick hugged the older male getting a warm hug in return. The vigilante then began talking to his father figure while he walked over towards the small changing area. 

 

"Slade has a mission he needs to do for the Court, I'm going to stay here until he gets back."   
  
There was absolutely no part of that sentence that Bruce enjoyed hearing however, he had to pick and choose his battles. 

 

"You can't..." There was almost sorrow in Bruce's voice as Dick turned around. "You two have already drawn some attention to this area. Slade is being watched by the High Court and the more often you two come and go the more likely they're going to send scouts." 

 

Dick paused and thought over these words before nodding. That made sense. It's why Bruce told him not to come here at all. 

 

"Alright... Then I'll go to Slade's treehouse." 

 

Pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside, Dick began changing. He made Slade stop by a small store on their way out so he could have more... Form fitting clothes. 

 

Bruce's expression went stone cold. The sight of Dick's neck being littered in bites and hickies made his blood boil but seeing the bruises that covered Dick's arms, chest and waist? Sure they could've been love marks but Bruce didn't trust Slade. He leaned in so Slade couldn't hear him as he whispered in Dicks ear.

 

"Dick... Did he... Hurt you?" He asked.   
  
Now... Dick was down right offended. Not only at the fact Bruce accused Slade of being abusive but at the fact he assumed Dick would settle for that. 

 

"No, Bruce." Dick's voice held nothing but venom in it, "It's called sex. And I just so happen to like it-" 

 

Bruce put a hand up telling Dick to stop. He didn't want to hear details.

 

"I just... I wanted to make sure, Dick... After Eric."

  
"Slade is nothing like Eric... In case you haven't noticed he doesn't have a temper." Dick then stepped closer, glaring at Bruce, "He's not a bad guy, Bruce... As a matter of fact he stopped me from losing it and killing someone."

  
".... That's great, Dick... But the question is... What did Slade do?" 

 

The question caught Dick off guard. He thought Bruce would want details on what happened. 

  
Bruce saw the confusion in Dick's eyes and shook his head, "I wasn't there... I don't know what happened... It's nice he has your back, Dick, but just because he stopped  _ you _ from getting blood on your hands doesn't mean _ he _ didn't get blood on his."

  
"No... He..." Dick paused. Shit... He never saw the guy get up.   
  
The hero had clenched his fists for a moment before he approached Slade, he hadn't even finished getting dressed and was still in Jason's work pants. 

 

Slade had been setting up some supplies from the jet for Damian. When they stopped at the store they picked up clothes and other useful things for the boy. Including art supplies that Dick insisted Damian needed.

 

"Slade..." Dick was using his serious Nightwing voice. 

 

The instant he heard Dick's voice he let out a barely audible, "Uh oh." Yes, he already knew he was in trouble just by the tone. 

 

"Back at the facility.... There was that guy I almost killed. I asked you to save him but..." Dick paused, he wasn't getting around this. "Did you kill him?"   
  
"You mean the man that mercilessly killed three children?" Slade followed up, placing down the bag and turning around to face Dick. "I stopped the man from choking on his blood like you asked. You watched me do that." 

 

Yet Slade knew that wouldn't satisfy Nightwing. He was too smart for that. He crossed his arms across his chest.

 

"I assume he's dead now. Not most people don't survive VX poisoning." Slade said matter of factly. "You  _ cannot _ tell me the man didn't deserve it. I didn't expect you to do what needed to be done. I don't fault you. However, I couldn't walk away and let that man breathe while three children suffered by his hands."

 

Dick wasn't completely surprised and while he didn't necessarily think the man  _ deserved _ to live, he didn't think they had the right to decide. But this was about more than that. Dick knew Slade was going to kill, he didn't like it but he was willing to accept it so that this would work with Slade. What this was about was that Slade made a promise.

 

"Slade!" Dick practically barked, "It doesn't matter if he deserved it or not. You promised me!" 

 

The yelling grabbed Bruce's attention though he didn't get involved. Perhaps he was hoping they'd break up, or hoped Dick would see Slade as the murderer he really was. 

 

"It wasn't even 24 hours before you broke your promise. Do you even remember what it was? I know you're going to kill people but damn it, Slade, I can't look the other way or let you do it if you can't even respect my boundaries enough to keep it the hell away from me!" Oh he was furious, "How can I trust you? How the hell is this supposed to work?"

 

Dick finally stopped his rant, that last sentence was probably a bit too much but the hero's intention was to get Slade to think.

 

"Let me ask you a similar question then, How do you expect me to let that man live? Because you were there I was simply just supposed to turn a blind eye to an absolutely abhorrent crime?" Slade asked him seriously before following up with, "Even if I had followed your rules, do you know what would have happened? The High Court would have arrived, patched his wounds ups, then sent him to another base so he could brutalize even more children."

 

"There would have been no justice, no trail for those kids, no jail or death penalty. We would be letting a murderer live for the simple reason that it makes  _ you _ uncomfortable for me to kill him. This isn't the same world anymore, Dick, whether you like it or not this war can't be won without blood shed."

 

Dick couldn't believe the words that came out of Slade's mouth, he shook his head and spoke coldly, "Then maybe you shouldn't have  _ promised _ me, Slade..... Because you didn't make an if promise... You didn't promise not to kill  _ if  _ they didn't deserve it. And if you made some bullshit promise to get me to stay with you then that is being absolutely  _ manipulative _ and I won't stand for that." 

 

God Dick didn't even know what he was trying to say. He couldn't dump Slade, not with how deeply he felt for him. Shit maybe he was trying to manipulate the other just as much. 

 

"The bottom line is that you took  _ advantage _ of the fact I was having an emotional break down. You  _ lied _ to me. You broke my trust. You broke the  _ only _ promise I asked you to make.... The worst part, Slade? I expected there to be times that you would break that promise..... I just thought it'd last longer than a day. I  _ thought _ you'd at least have some  _ respect _ for me… Fuck even  _ Midnighter _ , has enough respect for me not to kill in my presence."

 

Slade felt his heart twist in a painful wring as Dick spoke to him. Of course he felt bad that he broke his promise but how could Dick not see things from his perspective? Certainly Slade wasn't in any company where his opinion would be valued by anyone. Even if Damian did see it his way he'd never admit that in front of his fathers. 

 

"They were  _ kids _ ." Slade said after him, but Dick was already walking away.

 

There was no point in arguing this because neither of them would change their minds. Slade already started seeing the lines in the sand, studied the words Dick said.   Slade knew this would never work ... Too bad he had to be right about that.

 

Dick knew Slade had a point in his words but.... He could've gone back for the damn brute. He could've separated Dick from it like he did the guards at the door and that was pushing it. In a perfect world they would work a mission together with no casualties, Dick set that aside because of the situation but thought Slade would have the decency not to do it in the same damn room as him. 

  
The hero got back to his little changing area and stripped off the rest of Jason's uniform before he began getting dressed in his own clothes.

 

  
  
Slade knew he shouldn't have killed that man in front of Dick, knew it would lead to something like this. Yet he hadn't cared, being upset about Rose, Jerricho. Then seeing three kids beaten to death by this man in front of him that became the personification of the High Court and everything they'd taken from him, from everyone. Once Slade's mind made that connection there was no way he was leaving that man alive. While Dick was so focused on how Slade seemed to have taken advantage of him, he was clearly missing the bigger picture of the fact that Slade himself had been in a very similar state, even if he had shelved it to console Dick in that moment. 

  
After minute to himself he went to find Dick. He stood by him, arms still crossed over his chest. "So, what do you want to do?" 

 

It was a very open ended question that could be interpreted in a bunch of different ways. If that's how Slade meant it was a mystery.   
  
"Bruce said I can't stay here...." Dick slammed the locked shut, "Actually, we can't come back here at all unless it's an emergency" His tone still carried the irritation in it, "You can just take me back to the treehouse."

Slade nodded, and caught a glimpse of Damian walking towards the elevator. An eyebrow raising, "Brat what are you doing?"   
  
Damian didn't respond.   
  
"Damian."   
  
"Where you talking to me?" Damian asked almost sounding exhausted as he turned back to Slade, supporting his bad ribs up on crutches. 

 

"I assumed you were talking to Grayson still. Figured the fight had escalated into name calling now. Next step is the break up, so by all means continue. Don't let me distract you."   
  
"What are you doing?"   
  
"Getting ready of course."   
  
Slade stared at him. "For what?"   
  
"I know mercenary work doesn't require a large amount of complicated problem solving, Wilson, but surely you didn't think I'd allow you to take Grayson away somewhere by himself. You're an untrustworthy brute, and Grayson is, for some reason, taken by your ... Geriatric charms. I go wherever Grayson goes. I'm coming with you. Aren't you so lucky?"

 

Dick approached the boy before kneeling down in front of him, a hand on his shoulder. "Damian...." The young male started, "You need to stay here... We can't take care of your injuries at Slade's place and we won't be able to bring you back here...." 

 

God... If roles were reversed Dick would be pissed. He paused and thought for a moment before standing up looking at Bruce.

 

"Maybe after you're healed you can meet Slade and I somewhere and we can pick you up." They'd have to have Damian with them at some point, the Court would get suspicious if the boy went missing all together.    
  
"Dick's right." Bruce said through a sigh, "You need to heal.... When you're recovered we can figure out how to get you to Dick." 

  
Dick nodded a thank you to Bruce before looking back at Damian and pulling him into a hug, "I know you want to stay with me... But... I need you to heal first... I promise I'm not going to bench you or leave you behind."

 

"I'm fine, Grayson." Damian said immediately, struggling in the hug because obviously he wasn't going to accept the terms as they were. "I'm healed enough. I'll be fine. Father wanted to lock himself away here by himself, to fake his own death. He doesn't need me for company, nor do I need his." 

 

The comment was biting and retaliating. "I refuse to leave you alone with Wilson." 

 

Damian's eyes were determined as he looked at Dick. Yet, they softened a bit with prolonged exposure to those soft blues and that loving gaze Dick always gave him. If anything Damian was a damn sucker for Dick in a way he wasn't for a single other person on this planet. 

 

"Besides, sounds like you'll be locked up in a house all by yourself. I can rest anywhere and ..." Damian dropped his voice lower just so Dick could hear him, grabbing onto the front of Dick's shirt with both hands, an almost imperceptible pout on his face. "I want to stay by your side. I'm... Worried about you." 

 

The last part came out a half mumble, looking away from Dick's face as if he couldn't handle the embarrassment of admitting that he was having anxiety about letting Dick out of his sight. He was afraid the moment Dick left he'd never see him again and as much as Father and himself had bonded before this ... Damian would still choose Dick without hesitation.

 

"Please."

 

While Dick could stand his ground on something's, Damian did in fact, have Dick wrapped around his finger. The male let out a heavy sigh before pushing his own hair back. 

 

"Okay.... Okay, fine. But you aren't leaving the tree house until you are completely healed." Dick said very sternly. "And you will not be going to the resistance meeting with us." Now that sounded unfair but really Dick had a reason. "Bruce hasn't been able to do much because he hasn't had the information and when we learn whatever we learn we won't be able to share that with him."

 

"So, I need you to stay behind at Slade's treehouse. We can send you a transmission with the information and I need you to work on jamming the signal from the Court and finding a way to get it to Bruce. If we send it directly from our sight then the Court will know there's a bunch of people against it and we can't have that.... Do you think you can handle being our Oracle for that?"    
  
"Dick." Bruce interrupted, "We still need to take a look at the programing the Court put into Damian."

  
"I know... And I'll work on that while he's with me.... I have a friend I can call." Dick said looking to the other, Bruce's gaze was nothing short of disapproving but Dick couldn't focus on that right now.

 

"I don't need any of your weird 'friends' putting their hands on me Grayson." Damian retorted quickly, as if he completely forgot that he had just gotten his way in all of this. 

 

Being a brat was just part of his nature. "And I want to go outside, I've been trapped inside of caves and buildings for nearly four months. Does this treehouse have a porch I'd be allowed to 'carefully' wander onto?"   
  
Slade nodded, "It does, wrap around actually."    
  
"Perfect. Then I have to stay in the treehouse or on the surrounding porch until I am healed. Is everyone satisfied?" Damian barely sounded satisfied, but leaned in and gave Dick a quick hug anyway. 

 

There were no words that followed it, Damian simply let go of Dick and headed back to putting whatever it was into the elevator that he needed to bring with him.    
  
The rest of the rounding up consisted of Slade being mostly quiet other than responding to Damian's never ending questions about the condition of the tree house.    
  
"Will it have proper routing equipment for me to jam a signal and send it with appropriate speed and accuracy?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Does it have cable television? ... And before you say yes you better not mean a basic package. I need the History Channel, Animal Planet, all three Discovery channels, a variety of news channels, and Grayson needs cartoons."    
  
"I'm sure it has all that. If not, feel free to order whatever you want."    
  
"Is your home properly protected in case of an attack?"   
  
"Up to and including bombs of a 250 kilogram detonation weight."    
  
"So, no long range missile protection?"    
  
"Are you asking if my home is made out of solid ten foot steel?"   
  
"I'm asking if you've taken the proper precautions to protect Grayson and myself."    
  
Slade just let out a large sigh.    
  
Once the lift was loaded, it was time to say goodbye. Slade didn't have much to say in way of niceties, however, when he approached Bruce he gave him a few things. 

 

"This chip will allow you to communicate with my tree house transmission systems. It'll have its exact coordinates on it. Then this-" Slade held up a ring that was identical to the one that he wore to control Dick's collar with, except it was smaller in size. "Is the technology they are using to control the different tech they are using to oppress their opposition. Collars, implants ... Whatever is inside of Damian." He didn't mention how he got it, the words 'shot a guy and took it' probably wouldn't go over real well in this room right now.    
  
Bruce didn't so much mutter a thank you, more so he just gave a curt nod before looking to his kids then back at Slade. "I'll take a look at how this all connects... And Slade.." The male started, expression hardening. "Take care of them. If you do anything to hurt either one of them you  _ will _ regret it." 

 

After his little threat, Dick approached. He had just finished saying goodbye to Alfred. "Be careful in here, Bruce." Dick said before hugging the older male, "I love you..."

  
"I love you too... Stay focused and be safe." Bruce said in response to Dick before the raven haired male went and got into the lift. 


	15. Thunderstruck

After Bruce died, there was a lot of confusion. Most immediately looked to Dick or Barbara for guidance, simply because they were the oldest and the most likely to know what the hell to do next. However, things didn't move on quite that smoothly.    
  
First, Damian disappeared one night after going out on patrol. Everyone knew he hadn't died or been captured because he had purposefully turned off his suit's trackers and sent a message to the bat cave that read, 'Don't come looking for me.'   
  
Next to go was Jason, or really, he hadn't ever been back officially in the first place. From what they last knew, Jason had been in South America doing some sort of Red Hood business that he refused to tell the family about because he believed Bruce would come down to stop him (and he was probably absolutely right). Jason showed up for an entire thirty minutes one night and raided one of his safe houses, told Tim to back the fuck off and left again. 

 

Survellience footage briefly caught sight of him just outside of Star City, filling up one of Bruce's stolen bikes with fuel. He was flipping off the camera like he knew it was taking his picture. Other than that? No one had heard from him since.    
  
Then, Tim and Kate. No one really knew exactly what had happened, much like Damian, Tim had gone out for a meeting on patrol and never came back. Kate was supposed to be checking in every night, but missed her midnight call with the cave. Both disappearances happened in a single night.    
  
Finally, Dick was captured trying to take down one of the High Courts strongholds. It was a suicide mission at best and some had assumed that he had died, others were more hopeful.    
  
Cass had been following the orders given to her the best she could. Her job was to keep the city safe, protect innocent civilians, and do whatever she could to try and stop the High Court from gaining a stronger foothold in Gotham City. Her training always told her to anticipate the next step, to ignore emotions and fears because they would only slow her down. However, as people started disappearing, and not just any people, the people she cared about most. The delicate structure of support she had begun crumbling around her and for the first time in a long time ... She was genuinely afraid.     
  


 

  
Black Bat trailed the heavily armored vehicle for three days before it made a stop somewhere in West Virginia. They were picking up other metas and heroes. She didn't recognize any of them. By now Cass was nearly starved and dehydrated, surviving on only what she had brought with her and what she could snag in the incredibly short time the vehicles stopped for. In a day more, sleep deprivation would have started becoming an issue as well ... But it never got that far.    
  
Seeing an opening she attempted to break into the armored vehicle and retrieve Selina. It was an almost impulsive move. Cassandra wanted to save everyone the convoy had picked up, even more so she wanted to do so while she was still strong enough to fight. She knew that if she even wanted to save Catwoman she would have to act now or never. Her calculations had been wildly off.    
  
Cass was caught just as she had clicked open the lock on the car's back door. She managed to briefly disappear under the hood of the car itself. Eventually though, she was shot at. The weapons were like Earth ones, metal, gun shaped, but seemed to have absolutely limitless ammunition. Cass counted the bullets over and over hoping to catch a pattern for when they might be reloading their weapons to give her an opening. After fifteen minutes of hide and seek with ten High Court officials splayed out on the long highway road, Cass took her first hit, then her second.    
  
The first bullet hit her bicep, then the second into the soft tissue of her stomach. Even looking back at the incident now, she wasn't sure where or who the shot came from. Regardless, she had to retreat. Over estimating her own willpower Cass managed to slip out from under the car and make a run for it. The bullets flew passed her, a couple grazing her legs. She made it over a nearby hill and she took a tumble down. She had gone just far enough away that she couldn't be seen, but that she would know when the convoy was ready to leave again.

 

The young girl began administering her own first aid. The bicep clean up and stitches had her seeing stars and by the time she got down to her stomach ... Well she had barely cauterized half of the wound before she passed out.    
  
Miraculously, she woke up two days later to the feeling of something poking her cheek.    
  
"Do you think she's alive?"   
  
  
"She's wearing a Batman costume. Think it has weapons in it?"   
  
"Joey don't touch her! She could be infected with something, or dangerous probably." When Cass opened her eyes she saw three young kids, probably ranging from eight to twelve looking down at her.    
  
"Wait a minute ... I think she opened her eyes. Whoah! Go get Mom!" 

 

Cass reached out and grabbed the boy's ankle which made him scream in the highest pitch manner Cass had ever heard.    
  
"It's a ZOMBIE!" The girl yelled, all three of them seeming frozen in fear. Cass had seen that look before many times.    
  
"No." Cass said simply shaking her head. "I'm human." 

 

She pulled herself up from her slumped sitting position to stand, barely looking impossing to these children when she was so small herself. Still, all three of them took measured steps back onto the trail with wide eyes and shaking hands. 

 

"Don't tell anyone I was here." With that, Cass had left.    
  
The trail on Selina had gone completely cold, so she had no choice but to go back to Gotham. It took her a total of three weeks to do so with her injuries and increased High Court presence along the trail she'd taken from there. When she arrived, most entrances to the batcaves had been blocked or would not open. Cass didn't know if something terrible had happened to her family, or, because she hadn't arrived back with Selina, they no longer wanted anything to do with her.   
  
Regardless, she wanted to continue helping the city. So she did. Cass set up shop in the absolute  _ worst _ part of town. The side of town that even had the Bat's skin crawling on patrol there. It wasn't because of the crime, though there was plenty, and it wasn't because of the people. Bad and good mixed like any other place. Instead it was about the absolute poverty. So many people who had so little, they lived in conditions that would be absolutely unimaginable to those who lived in the middle class part of the city.    
  
It had been largely forgotten in the chaos of it all. The work the Wayne Foundation had been doing there over the years was destroyed, people lacked access to even basic nutrition and medical needs they'd been able to get from soup kitchen and walk in clinics that had been shut down or burned in the wake of the High Courts rule. The dilapidated buildings became absolute rubble, and those that were decently habitable before the take over were now stuffed to the brim with families who were quickly growing sick and starving.    
  
Unsurprisingly, Cassandra's presence hadn't made that much of a difference. She had such a hard time trying to help at all in the first week. Beating up the 'bad guys' wasn't going to fix this situation because the High Court wanted nothing to do with this area other than keep it contained within its borders. Those who were regular criminals  could be taken care of ... But nothing could be done with them. There was no justice system in this area and the so called 'police force' had absolutely turned a blind eye to this part of the city that didn't even have access to telephone services to call them in the first place.   
  
Eventually though, Cass made friends with the neighborhood cat. It looked like one of Damian's from the manor, one that Damian called 'Jim', so Cass (in her head) named the cat Jim the Second. Cass had been staying in one of Jason's old safehouses in the slums and let the cat inside the small apartment window every time it came begging for food. Cass barely had any but shared what she could while enjoying Jim's warm and purring company.   
  
Well, turns out Jim was actually Fluffernutter (a name that made Cass frown the moment she heard it), a cat of two girls that 'lived' in the abandoned firehouse across the street with their moms and four other kids. Cass listened to them talk to her for at least an hour while Cass held Fluffernutter. They talked about how hungry they were, how they wish they could go back to school and choose between chocolate and regular milk again.    
  
That was the first night Cassandra began stealing and that was her primary activity of choice since that night. She was able to rob a guarded grocery store after hours and took everything she could fit in a huge duffle bag (that she also stole). The Black Bat focused on high calorie and nutritional items for the most part, but a few bags of candy and two gallons of milk, one regular and the other chocolate, also made it into her bag. After that first night of goodies she realized a lot of people needed things they couldn't get access to. Formula, medications, clothes, clean water, food. So, every night Cassandra strapped on two duffle bags and stole as much as she could to fill the now very literal checklist she had in spiral notebook. Currently, it was thirty four pages long and growing, but she was proud to say that she had been able to get through ten pages already. It was physical evidence that she was making a difference and she knew her family would be proud of her ... Wherever they were.    
  
After a few nights the young girl picked up some food but then started filling up on screws, nails, tape, hand saws, general tools, anything she could fit into the bags and was on the list. This particular haul was important because they'd be using these elements to help further restore the fire station so three other single mothered families could move in with the other four that already lived there.    
  
That was her favorite part about the ladies that lived across the street, they were the only ones who wanted to actually fix things around here and Cassandra had inspired them to do more. They were the kind of people that Bruce and Dick said were the 'real heroes'. Cass then of course named them the Super Moms. They loved it. With the extra supplies, they took in more kids off the streets and other single mothers who agreed to help because of the kindness in their own hearts. 

 

They kept the place absolutely spotless, made sure all the kids were bathed, fed, and loved even if they weren't their own. Cass tried to help with the night time routines, baby sitting but really would just end up being taken care of herself by the older kids most times. Her hair had grown much longer than she ever would have liked it to and the kids took turns braiding it into different styles, with colored clips, and fancy bows. Then, she'd be turned loose to the more rambunctious children that wanted to learn how to do 'cool flips and stuff' like Cass could. Turns out, she wasn't a very good teacher, but, they still all had fun regardless. Sure, some of them still called her 'weird' and 'quiet' occasionally, but it wasn't with malice.    
  
Still, every night, Cass still went back to her little hole in the wall. The fact the space she stayed in was one of her family members meant a lot to her. She had even taken to wearing most of Jason's clothes, either cut to fit or just worn in a baggy manner on her tiny figure. She had taken to wearing a shirt from a local hot dog stand that looked a rather worn red that read, accompanied by a sausage giving a thumbs up, 'The BIGGEST and JUICIEST WEINERS in town!"  Cass obviously didn't get the humor as to  _ why _ Jason had own suched a shirt or she wouldn't be wearing it.  

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


  
"Harper! They are surveying every inch of the Narrows! You can't go out there right now!"   
  
"Cullen, I have to! Stephanie hasn't come back from her meeting with Benjamin. I need to make sure she's okay."   
  
"I get that. Harp, I want to make sure that Steph is okay too but there is an army out there! Look!" 

 

Cullen gestured towards the window where there were several High Court vehicles stationed outside. High Court guards were walking along the streets, going in and out of houses in search for members of the resistance. Harper knew this was coming, there have been several young heroes found at the Narrows. The perfect hiding place really... Until now. 

  
"Cullen.." Harper sighed, she was in everything except for her mask. 

 

She approached Cullen and put a hand on his cheek. It was in that moment there was a knock on the door.   
  
"High Court, please open your door."

  
"I hate you right now." Cullen sighed, "Go... I'll distract them." 

  
Cullen went and answered the door while Harper crept out the back window. She grabbed her taser gun and carefully crawled down the fire escape making sure no one saw her. From there she moved through alleys and abandoned buildings keeping her head low, that was until she heard voices from outside. She moved through the building and stopped by the front door, back against the wall as she listened to the guards outside.   
  
"These crimes against the Court are unacceptable. Treason and heresy. These people have chosen to oppose the High Court. These people have chosen to hide heroes."

 

The woman went on to list the names of several civilians caught with aiding vigilanties and metahumans. It wasn't long after these names were spoken that there were gunshots and choked breaths.    
Harper grit her teeth, hand on her taser. She shifted to peer out the window seeing the bodies on the ground. There was a woman who looked like an executioner surrounded by other High Court guards, five from what Ms. Row studied. Terrified civilians surrounded the scene, mumbling to themselves about the people they watched die. Behind the executioner were three people on their knees with bags over their heads.    
  
The woman then looked at three of the guards and nodded, the guards then picked the three people up while the two remaining guards stood making sure the civilians stayed back.

 

"Now." The woman stated as the guards removed the bags.

 

The first teen was Aqualad from the teen titans, the next was Miguel another Titan Harper had heard about but didn't know personally. The last one... Stephanie. Harpers teeth ground together as the guard placed a blade against Stephanie's throat.

 

"All whom oppose the High Court shall perish!" The woman shouted and not a second later the knife was gliding across Steph's throat.

  
"No!"

 

Harper screamed and dove out the window, she fired an electric blast directly at the executioner woman. The woman convulsed and growled but she didn't fall.

 

"Oppose this, bitch." Harper kicked the woman in the side of the head but before her foot could land one of the guards caught her leg and threw her into a building.    
  
The other teens struggled to break free while the crowd spread, once enough civilians were out of the way Harper threw an EMP that exploded, electrocuting two more guards. They didn't fall either, the most damage the Emp did was cancel out their weapons. One of the guards tried shooting at Harper however, the gun made a hum and didn't go off. Harper yelled and ran swinging at the executioner who took the hit like nothing before punching Harper hard in the stomach. Once Harper was on the ground, she grabbed Harper's hair and held a knife to her throat.

 

"You have chosen an unwise path."   
  
A single, large metal wrench came spinning from above with the accuracy of a batarang and hit the woman holding onto Harper  _ hard _ on the side of her head. She was knocked unconscious nearly instantly. The other High Court members became alerted immediately, looking around for the assailant while one quickly pinned Harper back down to the ground. 

 

"Who did this?" One yelled back at the crowd, pointing their guns toward the civilians.

 

A crash was heard behind him, when he turned two men had been hit and then pinned down by a heavy black duffle bag dropping from an oncoming shadow. The man took two random shots in the air, probably just to pretend he knew what he was aiming at

 

. "Show yourself or you will be judged harshly." There was silence. "Split up and look for ... whomever it is. I'll watch the code-V156. Go!" The man yelled sending the others scattering to the surrounding area.   
  
Another large wrench came flying through the air, this time like an arrow, the man easily dodged it and took aim from where it had been shot.

 

"I knew you couldn't hide forever, you-" 

 

The man hadn't noticed the thin bit of clear fishing line that had been tied to the other end of the wrench, a sudden tugging motion caused the metal to come back and hit the man hard in the back of the head, falling on top of his own gun and shooting himself in the leg. Harper was free, and Cassandra dropped down behind her with a silence that even Connor wouldn't have heard coming. Her hood had slid off of her head, showing  the crown braid her hair was currently, and messily, thrown up in with tiny ladybug barrettes throughout which probably contrasted the raunchy nature of her t-shirt. 

 

"Harper." Cass said with something like relief in her voice. "Come. We have to go."    
  


"Cass!" Hugging the smaller girl. "You're alive- I..." No... There was no time for this. 

 

Harper's eyes turned back to Stephanie's body before moving up, the other teens were gone. "Shit... Come on."

 

She said grabbing Cass's arm before dragging her away from the scene. She wanted to hold Stephanie in her arms and cry but she knew that it'd only get her and Cassandra into trouble. Cass followed close to Harper, watching Stephanie's body as they left for a brief moment before focusing back on getting out of there without being caught by High Court enforcers. 

 

Harper pulled her friend into a building and over to some rubble. She pushed the rubble aside and slipped down under it into a secret tunnel where she pulled Cass down and shut the entrance before moving quickly. Lights that typically lit mine tunnels were aligned along the walls as Harper walked with Cassandra, keeping quiet. They weren't safe yet.    
At the end of the hallway there was a door that Harper banged on.

 

"17-23-9" She said before the doors opened, Killer croc standing behind them.   
  
"Who's this?" He asked looking over Cass.

 

"A friend. Now move." Harper ordered before pushing passed the meta.

 

In the room straight ahead was a couch that was in a U shape facing a giant white board covered in photos and notes. It looked like a meeting area. To the right was a bar. Harper didn't move any further into the room before she turned and hugged Cassandra unbelievably tight, squeezing the air out of her before shifting back. She took her mask off, tears rolling down her face as she held onto Cassandra's cheeks.

 

"My god.... Your hairstylist needs to be fired." She said with a mix of a sob and a chuckle, she thought Cass was dead... Oh god... Steph was dead.   
  
"My hairstylists were six and eight years old ... I think it looks okay." 

 

Cass gave a pout before she looked down in Harper's hold on her cheeks, silence spilling between them before the smaller girl wrapped her arms around Harper and pulled her into a softer and gentler hug. 

 

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."

 

"You should be, you missed Cullen tasing himself." 

 

Cass let out a few short, quiet laughs that probably sounded more like giggles. Poor Cullen, but that would be funny to see.   
  


"Get a room." Waylon groaned as Harper rolled her eyes.

 

"We did, we just call it ‘secret meeting room’ .. And I do believe this is a secret meeting so… Shoo." 

 

"Don't think that I won't eat you." The threat was empty but still.

 

"Yeah, then Mr. OCD will walk away with an alligator coat." Harper bantered back. 

 

"I could use a new coat too." Cass barely grumbled, feeling, as always, very protective of those close to her. 

 

Killer Croc left the room mumbling something to himself likely about how annoying teenage girls were. He’d never admit it but he had a level of respect for both of them, at least when it came to combat. When it came to the girl stuff? He couldn’t possibly care less.    
  


"I don't know how I went so long without seeing you." Harper sighed, reaching up to pull some barretts from Cass's hair. "You grew it out." 

  
"Tim always cut it for me." The sentence spoke for itself. 

 

Without him around she hadn't bothered trying to do it herself and she never did well with anyone else, much less a hairdresser she didn't even know, coming so close to her with sharp objects. 

  
"We started a resistance… I think you should join it… Help me find everyone, stop these pricks from taking over completely.. I can make you new armor and get you weapons." 

  
The raven haired girl fell silent as she thought over the proposal. Cass  _ wanted _ to join the resistance and help Harper, but if she did that then the kids and their mothers wouldn't have her to help them anymore. What would Bruce have her do? Both were good causes, both would be helping innocents, protecting people. 

  
"I want to help.. But ... There are people who need me ... On 28th street, at the firehouse. I need to make sure they are okay too." Cass would help as long as those women could keep doing the work they currently, and heroically, were doing. 

 

Maybe Harper could help her do more for them? The idea made her stomach flutter with excitement.

 

"You can still help them." Harper finally said, "The big boss in charge usually gives everyone a small list of tasks that range from helping people to acquiring information. We meet here every three weeks to present what we've found and if we find something big we have an emergency meeting."    
  
If this was going to work out then Cassandra needed to know what kind of people they were working with. "When we're in this room we aren't separated by who's a ‘hero’ and who's a ‘villain’... We all have one common enemy and we  _ all  _ are working together to stop them so... You'll probably see a lot of people that Batman used to take down. 

  
Cassandra nodded appropriately. At first, she was unsure about teaming up with villains, it seemed risky to do. What if they turned on them? Or if they tried to hurt Harper? Wayland had said he wanted to eat her ... Though now that she thought about the interactions it was  _ most _ likely that he had been joking. Like when Jason told Bruce he wanted to shoot him in the face (though Jason had shot Batman before...). He wouldn't actually do it, but the threat was simply just an over exaggeration to show comical frustration. 

 

As she thought about things more she had begun to remember other times 'villains' had helped them out in the field. Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, even Ra's Al Ghul had been minimally helpful at times. So, maybe she could trust these people, but more importantly, Harper trusted these people, and she, in turn, trusted Harper's judgment. 

  
“We still have a few days before our next meeting... So we can relax and I can help you take care of those women."  Harper knew how hard it was surviving in the Narrows. She wanted to help.    
  
"They are nice, smart ... Strong. Like Barbara, Stephanie, Kate ... You." Cass mentioned with a small smile thinking back to the women. "The kids are ... Mixed." 

 

Harper took Cassandra's hand leading her to another area of the room where there were weapons and various armors. Cass looked around at the inventory with wide eyes like a child at Christmas. She had so little access to good equipment since she tried to chase Selina down that seeing all this was incredibly exciting. Her concentration on some beautifully kept throwing stars was only broken by Harper asking to get her measurements.

 

Cassandra nodded, slipping off the black sweatshirt and then just as quickly the t-shirt underneath, leaving her standing in a black sports bra and pants. Most of the time, any sense of modesty was lost on her, being partially or fully naked in front of people wasn't an issue. For a lot of her life, she didn't really have a choice. She stood in front of Harper and looked over her face, then back over to the wall of supplies, silent for a moment before finally speaking up. 

 

"Are you ... Okay?" 

 

It was just an open-ended question, that could be drawing from anything. Mentally? Physically? She didn't specify, but that was purposeful. 

  
Harper remained silent for a while as she measured Cassandra's waist, hips and chest just soaking in the question. How was she supposed to answer it? Quite frankly she had been worried, anxious, overworked. Part of her wanted to hang the uniform up but every time she looked at Cullen a voice screamed for her to fight… For her to keep him safe like she  _ promised _ she would. 

 

"It's been... Tough." She finally responded, "This isn't like when Cluemaster tried destroying Gotham... Or when Mother had her mind controlled zombie kids... This is absolute chaos.... Chaos brought on by some alien species." That was Harper's theory anyways. They weren't human, that was for sure and they seemed confused by basic human functions like emotions.    
  
"I'm scared.... I'm worried that one night I won't be able to go home to Cullen.... That he'll be all alone... He doesn't have anyone.. Now that Steph is..." Harper paused feeling tears growing in her eyes, "Things might be too late for us to reverse this... But I'm not going to go down without showing them what hell feels like..." 

 

She moved away writing down all of the measurements. Cass shared some with the other people who used this space so making her armor wouldn't be hard. They already had most of the materials. 

 

"...He'll have me." Cassandra spoke after a while, moving close beside Harper. Her expression was serious, she put a small hand on Harper's arm. "If you die, I will protect Cullen. I'll... Keep him company. I promise. You won't die though. I won't let you."

 

Harper slowly looked at Cass and couldn't help but to get a soft smile on her face. If she didn't like her before this.... 

 

She exhaled and pushed some of Cassandra's hair behind her ear.    
  
"I know you will...You've always been good like that. I'm glad I've gotten the time to get to know you."    
  
Harper kissed Cassandra's cheek before she moved away, only momentarily to gather supplies for Cass' new armor. Cassandra turned the absolute darkest shade of red. Did she just ... Kiss her? It wasn't on the lips, which was definitely romantic. Tim had said to her at one point that people did kiss on the cheek as a greeting in some parts of the world, but they weren't parting or just meeting up. She'd also seen children and parents kiss each other in such a way, even Dick kissed Damian on the cheek, though Damian seemed to hate the gesture. As much Cassandra tried to pinpoint what the kiss meant she couldn't. She knew it was positive. Cassandra also knew that she ... Might potentially read more into the meaning of the gesture than what it was.    
  
Cass had a couple 'crushes' since she ended up in Bruce's care. Her first was on Tim, he was incredibly sweet to her. Helping her learn how to read, write, and taking the time to explain to her basic culture and societal cues. So, she'd liked him a lot. She couldn't say it was romantic, simply because she didn't know what romantic love felt like and what she felt for Tim wasn't like what she saw in the movies. Besides, Tim was  _ clearly _ in love with someone else. She knew that the moment she saw Tim look at Connor Kent in Titan Tower. It was also, in that same moment, she realized that she didn't love Tim like that.    
  
Her next crush was Stephanie Brown. This one was different from Tim, when Steph touched her it sent tingles down her spine, made her face flush. However, even Tim mentioned that Steph had a very flirty personality and that her gestures and actions didn't always equate to what they implied. They had been good friends though, so on an unremarkable night in the past, Cassandra had confessed to her in what little words she could squeak out past her lips. Stephanie had laughed for a solid fifteen minutes before calming down enough to talk it out with her. They came to the conclusion through discussion, which was really just Steph asking questions and Cass nodding yes or no, that Cass found Stephanie attractive, but thought of her too much like a sister to want to do 'anything else' with her. It was painfully obvious by the way that Cassandra had reacted to Stephanie kissing her ... Once again, it wasn't like the movies.    
  
Harper was a little different than the two crushes she had before. Harper wasn't a boy, wasn't in love with someone else, and while close to the family didn't really  _ feel _ like a sister. Harper was also more edgy and while her and Steph could match on par with boisterousness, Harper was incredibly intelligent and handy in a lot of ways that Steph wasn't. Plus there were other ... Attributes that Cassandra noticed.    
  


Bluebird set some black pieces of cloth on the table along with thick reinforced Kevlar. "I'm thinking we can try to make something close to what you used to wear." 

 

Harper began explaining as she got started in marking the different pieces with Cass' measurements so she could later cut stuff out. Her desire to keep off the heavy topic was short lived though as she began wondering what her friend had been through. Times were tough and with the primary members of the batfamily vanishing Harper could only wonder how Cass was handling it all. She turned towards the other and leaned against the table behind her. 

 

"I'll have it done before the next meeting.." Her tone was soft as she looked into Cassandra's eyes seeing nothing but the humanity they held, "How are you holding up?"

  
"Fine." She said with a small shrug to her shoulders. "I've been staying in Jason’s old safe house on 28th street for a while." She explained, moving to throw back on her t-shirt before trying to untangle the now mess of braids on her head. "I ... Tried to get Selina back when they took her. I knew it's what Bruce would have wanted." 

 

Cass spoke with a hollow voice, obviously the man's death still was weighing on her heavily. "I followed her captors down to West Virginia before I was discovered. I sustained a few injuries, and when I woke up and recovered she was gone."

 

Cass sounded guilty, looked it too. She felt like she failed them, failed Bruce because she couldn't protect a person he loved. 

 

"When I got back to Gotham everyone was gone. I couldn't get ahold of Oracle so I just ... Found things to do."

  
"Well... I can run you up to date with where everyone is.... Bruce is..." Harper trailed off, a deep frown, "He's gone... I... I hate to say it after everything he's done but... He just is... Same with his Batler." Stephs old name for Alfred. 

 

There had been times before this Bruce had disappeared for lengths of time only to reappear for some grand reason. This time, Cass couldn't understand why he'd leave them to suffer by themselves ... Why he'd leave her alone. Bruce promised to be a Father to her, to take care of her like she should have been all these years. The time she spent in the manor with Bruce, Alfred, Tim, and Damian was like heaven. She was comforted by listening to Tim and Damian fight. Loved helping Alfred clean or how he patiently taught her how to cook. Bruce with his busy schedule would even make time for her, praising Cassandra for the progress she'd made in her academic studies, and showing her different books in the Wayne library she might like. It was what a family felt like, what  _ home _ felt like. She missed it all terribly. 

 

"Dick got captured.... Jason vanished but he was sketchy about it so I'm guessing he's okay... From my understanding he left with that sassy techlord."

 

She wasn't updated on Dick's whereabouts, no fault of Benjamin's. He had so much going on, not to mention he hadn't been in Gotham to tell anyone except the boss man that he found two additions to the resistance. 

 

"Tim went missing with Kate. Everyone's either hiding or in the Court's care but they're working undercover. I've seen activity from the bird box..." Row’s name for Tim's old Robin's nest, "Communication sent from Nanda Parbat to some place in Belarus... It was rerouted then it was picked up at an old Titans tower. I rewrote the code to fit Tim's coding techniques and traced the original signal ping to one of Bruce’s caves." She assumed it was Bruce's cave because of the type of encryption on it.

 

The young woman stopped talking when she noticed the lost and devastated expression that had taken hold over Cassandra’s features, her face reflecting what a kicked puppy's would. Why did this feel so hopeless all the sudden? Maybe she had been fooling herself into thinking things might end up okay because she'd been hiding away. Cassandra suddenly felt so incredibly guilty, dark brown eyes shimmering as she looked down at the floor between them. 

 

"I don't want to be too late again." She said softly, picking at the bottom edge of Jason's shirt. 

 

She had been too late for Steph, for Selina, for so many people. Maybe if she had focused harder, done better they'd be alive now. Her heart ached. "We need to find Tim and ... Everyone. Please?"

 

Harper frowned and lifted Cassandra's chin. She wasn't the best detective nor did she have the superpower of reading people with ease like Dick did but... She knew what guilt looked like. And she knew Cass well enough to know that the other was blaming herself for what had happened to the others.   
  
"Hey... It's not your fault... These guys are.... They're something else. Something stronger than anyone has ever seen before.... We'll find everyone, I  _ promise  _ but first we need to make sure we're taken care of... We need to learn more about the High Court." She explained softly before her fingers moved down to take Cassandra's hand.   
  
She was always hesitant when it came to the girl. Always kept a wall between them but... She knew if she kept pretending she didn't have feelings for Cass that she'd regret it... Especially if something bad  _ did _ happen. With a sigh she softly pulled on the other's arm. 

 

"Follow me... I wanna show you something." 

 

She lead Cass to the back corner of the room. From there they went through another small tunnel which grew more compact the further they went for it had been collapsing in. After crawling through a tight rocky hole, they emerged on the other side where one of Tim's jet was. It looked like it had crash landed and penetrated the ground beneath it causing it to sink down into these unstable caverns.

 

By the time they had reached the crashed jet Black Bat had memorized the way back out, thought of the best places to hide, fight, or retreat to within the system of caverns, and lastly ... She'd gotten a pretty good view of Harper from behind. That one made her blush a little once she realized she had been staring.

 

Harper approached the jet and opened the cockpit door dropping in as a large screen lit up filling the small dark space with white light. She did some typing before opening a file. Encryptions spreading across the screen along with some alien language.    
  
"This is Tim's." 

 

Cassandra ran her fingers over the dashboard with a look of longing in her eyes. She missed Tim, that was no secret. Yet, she was excited by the idea of having access to such technology. Everything Tim owned was updated with the best tech. The guy spent his free time,  _ for fun _ , updating his systems and running through/replacing anything he deemed outdated. Cassandra had no doubt this jet would be the same way. 

 

"This is the High Court's database... I haven't figured out what it means yet but... We have access." Harper informed as she typed more.

 

Cass stood just behind Harper, off to the right. She leaned in close to look at the database Harper had pulled up, her shoulder making contact with Row's arm as she furrowed her brow. 

 

"They aren't aliens." She stated pointing at the screen. "This looks like the writing I grew up around. It's not exactly the same but the characters look similar." 

 

The raven hair couldn't read in any language before Bruce and his family however, she had been trained to be an excellent observer. She noticed how the figures in front of her reflected the same patterns of those found in the mountains of Asia. 

 

"I ... Don't know for sure because I can't... Read that. But maybe someone can." Cass paused. "Doesn't Tim know a lot of Eastern languages?"

 

Harper's blood nearly ran cold at Cassandra's observations. It was so much easier to believe these things were aliens coming here from some other planet to harvest their planet and study them as hosts. But if what Cass was saying was true then.... These things may have been here all along... Watching... Plotting... Building technology that surpassed even Saint Dumas' creations. Her mind then drifted to Cassandra's upbringing. How she was neglected and abused. Was every member of the High Court raised in similar situations? Trained to be the 'perfect' soldiers by some sociopathic old lady with a God complex? Was Cassandra supposed to be one of them?   
  
"If anyone does then it  _ would _ be Tim... But... I haven't figured out how to communicate with him, if it's even possible... Ra's is... Well, there's no way around it, he's a prick and he's  _ creepy _ ."

 

"He has some weird obsession with Tim, so if Tim's going to communicate from Nanda Parbet then it's going to be on a private server so secure the Court can't even hack it." She explained before looking back at Cass, then back to the computer.   
  
"Even if they did hack it. I wouldn't see with how encrypted everything is.... I've actually been considering asking The Riddler or Doctor Foster if they can figure it out but... I don't know if I want them to have access to something this personal, you know?" Harper asked as she looked back at Cassandra. God she was beautiful in this lighting. "Do you think the Court came from some... Secret encampment in the East?"

 

Cassandra shook her head. "I don't know." 

 

She wanted to kick herself for not being more helpful beyond making the connection but she needed to stop feeling sorry for herself and instead put in what work she could to help. 

 

"There is a lot of empty space in the mountains. It's possible ... But ... There are so many of them. Thousands. How could they hide so well?" Cassandra couldn't remember the last time she spoke so much, her own voice even sounded strange to her own ears. "Maybe-"   
  
A clicking sound came in through the computer, some background program coming on and processing a new incoming message ...From Nanda Parbat.

 

[Connection Test. Red Robin to Bluebird.]   
  
Tim must've gotten the note from Benjamin.   
  
[Looks like the line is still safe. I got your present. I'm relieved you are alive and holding up well enough to help. I've got no access to tech up here other than what I can steal off of the new recruits. So many dick pic cell phones I don't even want to start describing to you.]

 

A large smile spread along Harper's face and she got to work typing back, her fingers dancing gracefully along the keys. [Boner city? Sounds like paradise.]

 

Naturally she fed the encrypted message through several servers to make sure the Court didn't get a ping on them.

 

[Gay men hate boner picks as much as women do. Also, trust me, none of them were anything to write home about. I assure you. I'm also starting to think everyone joining Ra's league has 'something to prove' if you know what I mean…. I got the invitation to join your party next week. Connor and I are trying to attend, I'm just working out the kinks. Keep this com line open. Tomorrow I'll be sending a transmission.]   
  
[If you could attend at the very least that would be great. Things haven't been looking good, the more people we have the better. Cassandra is here and I know she and Cullen would like to see you.... I think we found something.] Harper copied an entire paragraph in this odd language. [Do you recognize this language? I got it off of the High Court servers, Cass thinks it's Earth bound.]

 

[This is from the High Court's servers? I've never seen this particular written language before, but Cass is right, it does look familiar somehow. Give me a few days to look it over and I'll see what I can do.]   
  
[Also, a couple more things: Connor and I are going to need a backdoor to go in for this meeting. I don't want anyone knowing we are there except for family, and you know what I mean by that. I can't blow this. We both know I can't. Second, make sure to take care of Cass, I know she's fine on her own but she needs to be with family. Also, Cass ... Make sure that Harper doesn't get herself killed.]

 

Cassandra had been reading through the transmissions slowly, but once she saw the shortened version of her name, she skipped directly to it and read that first, she couldn't help but laugh a little to herself. 

 

"He thinks you need a bodyguard." Cass said with an amused tone, squeezing back Harper's hand with an obvious blush on her face. "You like to get into trouble." 

 

Slowly she slipped her hand out of Harper's, as the touch just became too much, and stepped away from the computer. 

 

"He's just scared to admit that he trained me to be  _ better _ than him." 

 

Was she? No. She could fight and get up over and over again when she was knocked down, but she didn't actually believe she could beat Tim in a fight. In fact, next to Barbara, she believed Tim was one of the best martial artists in the family. Better than Bruce even.

 

Cass went to explore the rest of the jet. She guessed that Harper had probably gutted it of anything useful already, but it was nice just to see a familiar space, something she could associate memories to. She found a singular book in the space, a text having to do with modern updates in human genetics and stem cell research by some woman with a very German sounding name. Cassandra didn't have a hope in the world of trying to read it to full clarification, but she was going to try.    
  
[I hope you mean you don't want people on the  _ outside _ of the meeting seeing you.   
We don't exactly have open options, which means the room has one entrance guarded by Croc. It'll be fairly full within the actual room. I can't promise I'll be able to keep you hidden from everyone. What I can do is block off a section of the cave to hold a private meeting with family before the actual meeting itself.]   
  
Harper then worked on sending Tim a complete list of those who were expected to come. Once she finished her transmission she stood and stretched.

 

"After I see what Tim says we should go.... I don't want to draw any attention to us." She stated as her eyes fell to the book Cass was looking at, "Some project Tim was working." She explained about the book, "I don't know if it's related to all of this... I'm not special enough to get training in dozens of languages like the boys were."   
  
[I trust you to make the right  decision, Harper. I'll take your lead, I just want to be cautious. I'll open this line for ten minutes every day from 2200 to 2210. I love both of you. Tell Cullen hi, make sure Cass stays up on her reading. See you soon. Be safe. Please.]   
  


Harper read over Tim's message and offered a kind smile, it was nice to know that she was trusted, truly. With how hard she worked to get into Bruce's favor having the reassurance that she  _ was _ capable of making beneficial decisions was inspiring.    
  
[Take care.] 

  
"Time to go then." 

 

Cassandra sounded almost disappointed at that before climbing out of the jet to head back down the cave system. She offered Harper a hand to get down and watched the other carefully. 

 

"So ..." She looked ahead of them rubbing her thumbs over the edge of the book she was carrying. "How do I contact you from now on?" 

 

Honestly Harper couldn't help but laugh, "You're staying with us.... After how things went today, I don't want you out there alone... Plus? I think you'd look better in  _ my _ clothes." She was flirting, sue her. 

 

Cassandra's eyes went wide when Harper insinuated that her clothes would look better on Cass. Did she not look good in what she was wearing? Well ... Okay she did look like a child in Jason's clothing but still. 

 

As Harper took her along she thought about the statement more. Dick had told her a little about flirting, as had Stephanie. Particularly Dick had tried to explain the in and outs of it to Cass who, aside from body language, still didn't quite get it by the end of the conversation. So, that's what she did, she thought about what Harper's body had been saying or implying. Suggestive, open, friendly. Could that be flirting? Oh god, Cassandra was going to over heat.

 

In the meeting room Waylon had taken to leaning against the bar. "The surface is clear. I don't know how much longer it will be before the Court searches again. You should go." 

 

He earned a nod from Harper who began making her way out of the room and through the tunnels. The cool Gotham air felt like heaven on her skin. From there they snuck through abandoned buildings and quiet alleys until they ended up back at Harper's apartment where she crept in through the window.

 

Cassandra's feet touched down silently, brown eyes searching the area around them. "Pardon the intrusion." She said quietly, like she almost always did when coming through anyone's window. It was her attempt at being polite.    
  
The house felt warm and inviting, like people lived there. Not just existed like she did in most spaces she made up herself. She knew how to survive, what she needed, wants and personal preferences were hard. Before all this she'd had a small gathering of personal items in her room that weren't just necessities. Presents given to her mostly, photographs Alfred helped her put into frames, and items she found interesting. Like a fake gold donkey statue and an original painting Damian had done of his cat (that one Cassandra took without asking). Nothing ever fit together though.   
  


Within the dark bedroom of the apartment, Harper began taking off her mask and the other parts of her armor, starting with the chest piece soon to be followed by her pants. She didn't have near the amount of scars that everyone else had however, there was a long one along her back. One that grabbed Cassandra’s attention as she examined Harper’s body.

 

It was fresh. Ms. Row had gotten it when the Court first took things over. She and Cullen were walking through Gotham's streets when the first attack bloomed through the surrounding area, heavy gunfire and explosions falling all around them. The building they were walking beside was hit by a missile that sent glass from the upper floors crashing to the ground below, Harper had tackled Cullen out of the way and suffered the blow. Luckily it wasn't lethal.    
  


"Is Cullen here?"

  
"He should be in the living room.. The Court was here when I left." 

 

Harper walked over to her closet, opening it up. She pulled on a loose, black Megadeth tank top, that honestly looked like it was a man's shirt, followed by dark grey sweatpants. After digging for a while she found a petite women's T-shirt that had shrunk in the dryer and a pair of light blue fleece pants. Harper handed the clothes to Cassandra, speaking softly as she did so.   
  
"I'm going to make sure we're alone and make sure my jammers are working. You can change while I do that."    
  


Clothes were accepted gratefully with a small, "Thank you." 

 

Before stripping down and changing into the borrowed clothes. Cass rolled the top of the sweat pants up until they sat at an appropriate length, then set to folding the clothes she had been wearing into a perfectly arranged pile next to her boots on the floor. As she bent over she caught a whiff of Harper's shirt. She stood straight and pulled the cloth over her nose, breathing in the smell of the fabric softener with her eyes closed. It smelled like Harper a little bit she noticed.

  
In the livingroom Harper was almost instantly greeted by Cullen who threw his arms around her in a tight hug that Harper quickly reciprocated.

 

"Cullen is... Is everything okay?" She asked growing worried.   
  
"Yeah... I just.... I saw the news.." He had tears in his eyes. "I saw what they did to.." Poor Cullen couldn't stop himself from crying. 

 

Harper quickly held him close, "I know.... I was there..." She felt a lump in her throat at the memory of Stephanie dying. "It's why I have to keep fighting…”   
  
“But what if that happens to you? You’re all I have, Harper.” Cullen’s eyes were lit with more pain than they were the day his mother died. “I’m scared.”   
  
The young girl sighed and pushed her little brothers hair from his face, “I am too… But just like when we were little, I  _ promise _ I’ll protect you… I’m not going anywhere.. I know this is hard but we just have to hang in there.”   
  
Cullen nodded and wiped his face before stepping back, the depressive wave still being over  him.   
  


“Hey.. I have a surprise for you." Harper offered a smile though it was filled with pain. "I'll go get it. Why don't you go check the jammers and get started on dinner."

  
Reluctantly he moved off to the kitchen all while Harper returned to her room.

  
"The coast is clear.... Cullen heard about... About Steph... I think he could use a little support."   
  
Cassandra frowned a little and put a hand on Harper's arm, "You need support too. You don't need to fake being brave for your family. It's okay to grieve. Alfred told me that."

 

Harper smiled softly at the little bit of comfort Cassandra offered, her expression only shifting further into pain. "I know... I just..... I don't think I can afford to focus on that right now... With everything going on I need to put my attention on what I can do to stop the Court.." 

 

Her words sounded hurt at the thought of having everything on her shoulders but what choice did she have?   
  
"I'll grieve when it works." Her hand moved to rest on the others, hazel eyes meeting the others.

Cassandra understood Harper's desire to postpone her grief until the end of all this. After all, who knew better how to cram down emotions and present a perfect front like she did? However, she also knew that no amount of training could harden the soul  forever ... Eventually sorrow escaped all of them. The more you bottled it up, the more explosive it became. Sometimes it even morphed into something different, clinging on to smaller slights against oneself, or minor inconveniences just to get some relief. One way or another, Harper and Cassandra would need to grieve Stephanie Brown's death. So, Cass just nodded. When the time came for Harper, she'd be there, and she would try her hardest.

 

"There's something I need to tell you..." Harper paused. She honestly didn't know of this was a good idea. What problems it might bring but... "I like you.." She finally said but she figured Cass would need more than that. "I mean... I like you as more than a friend... More than family... I have  _ feelings _ for you, Cass and... I don't know what I would do if I los-"    
  
Her words were cut off by the sound of Cullen knocking, "We're all clear. The Court hasn't found our systems yet." He said through the door. 

  
"Thank you, I'll be out in a minute." Harper called back before her eyes fell back to Cass.   
  
This time, Cassandra acted first and stepped closer into the other's personal space. Then, using the hand she had on Harper's arm, rocked up onto her toes and placed a delicate kiss on the taller's lips. She lingered probably a fraction too long before pulling back and putting her feet flat on the ground. 

 

"I like you too."

 

Harper wasn't expecting Cassandra to continue a conversation after her confession much less kiss her. The action made Harper's breath stop and made her heart pound. If she hadn't been so surprised she would've kissed back and she was kicking herself for not doing so.   
  
"Well.. At least there's some good news for today." With that she kissed Cass, a hand resting on the back of the others neck. This kiss was meaningful, contained yet full of passion. "I guess now we're stuck with each other." She couldn't help but smirk. "Come on."   
  


Cassandra was standing still and red, she could have melted right into Harper's arms. She never felt this sensation before, this tingling fire running through her nervous system like a rushing water. Her head swam and she felt something else too, also new, a deep, rhythmic pulsing, fluttering between her legs that, frankly, felt amazing.

  
Harper took a step back and walked out of the bedroom, going into the kitchen where Cullen had started making tacos. She snuck up behind him quietly and grabbed his hips letting out a yell. Poor Cullen yelled and jumped before turning and smacking his sisters arms playfully.

 

"You made me get beef everywhere!" He scolded her before noticing Cass. He just about dropped his spatula before rushing to hug her. "Cassandra! You're okay!"   
  
Cassandra's eyes lit up again at Cullen's reaction, once again tensing before loosening up enough to hug him back, though it wasn't as enveloping or close as the one she shared with Harper. 

 

"I'm glad you're safe." She breathed, pulling back enough just to look at his face.   
  
Cassandra wasn't known for her social prowess and most of the time she struggles with what was appropriate and not. However at this moment, excitement took over and she blurted out, with the most innocent smile.

 

"I just kissed your sister."

 

Cullen froze and blinked before smiling, “Damn Harper! You’re gonna get some while I’m left in the dust? Maybe I should be a superhero too.”   
  
Harper rolled her eyes and hit Cullen’s arm, “Being a superhero doesn’t get you boyfriends.”   
  
“Uh huh, sure.” Cullen teased sticking his tongue out before returning to the stove to cook.


	16. Man In The Box

"Fucking fiddle sticks."    
  
Two days, ten hours, forty five minutes, and eleven seconds. That was how long Tim had been working on a new device aimed to, hopefully, listen in on the High Court's conversations with Ra's. Tim had completely reworked his last failed attempt, understanding better from the readings and troubleshoot testing of the technology, to discover what the High Court was doing to cover up  their meetings so well. They weren't just using one technique, but several. They had jamming equipment that fried any tech within listening distance, sound disruptors, and lastly some sort of muting or sound buffering technology that Tim wasn't even sure he understood. However, Tim was resilient and refused to be beat by anyone in this arena, much less some no name punks from god knows where.   
  
Currently, he was stuffed into a tiny brick well system that had been built into the compound before the amazing invention of modern plumbing. Claustrophobic didn't even begin to describe how tight the squeeze was but it was the only truly hidden access point he had to Ra's meeting room. He was feeding a highly insulated cord through a hole he'd chipped in the brick, placing it flush against the inner walls of the room. Once it was set, he'd test the equipment and then get out of here.    
  
Why all this now? Well, through gossip and straight up bribery Tim found out that  _ the _ head of the High Court would be coming to meet with Ra's today,  _ here _ , in Nanda Parbat. Tim had never seen this person before and even after checking every conceivable database, including Luthor's, he couldn't find a single image or smidge of information about them. This might be his only chance to hear what the person behind all this was thinking or saying behind closed doors. It was something Tim couldn't afford to mess up, he had to get this right. So, he had set straight to work. 

 

Before climbing into the well system he had locked himself in his room building, testing, and modifying his equipment to perfection. He didn't attend meals, shower, or take visitors ... Other than Connor, of course. It wasn't that he entertained Connor as company, their conversations were very one sided with Tim responding with simple 'hms' and head nods. Mostly he stole Connor's heat vision to solder his components into place and made the super act as a second pair of hands when he needed them. It felt somewhat like their time back at the Tower ... The nostalgia both made Tim smile and twisted his stomach uncomfortably at the same time.    
  
With one final click Tim unplugged his testing equipment and took a deep breath, reassuring himself that there was nothing else he could do now but wait ... And really there wasn't much time to wait. Ra's was scheduled to come back from an out of country trip any time now and soon after the High Court officials would begin arriving if they weren't already here.    
  
Tim climbed back out of the well and ended up just outside the shower rooms off the main bunks. Which, ended up being a God sent because he smelled like mildew and two days of sit-sweat. He spent a good twenty minutes in the shower, scrubbing himself down with the supplies he'd brought in before going down. Tim left the showers in a fresh shirt and shorts, holding a small bag of personal care items that also hid his testing and installing equipment  in as he headed back to his bunk wing.   
  
Instead of going to his own room which, frankly, was a horrific mess at the moment, he went to Connor's. Tim didn't even bother knocking on the door before he opened it, shut it behind him and dropped the bag on the floor down by his feet he let out a dramatic sigh, leaning against the wooden door. 

 

"It's done. I think I'm dead, but it's done." Tim said, closing his eyes and pushing a hand through his still wet hair. He needed to comb it, somehow it was already in tangles just from his short walk from the showers. "Ra's will be here soon ... Once he is ... All we have to do is wait."   
  
Kon was in the midst of doing push ups. He didn't know why people did this, it felt pointless but... Kept him occupied. He was on his 100th rep when Tim had walked in and was on his 134th by the time Tim had stopped talking. Connor smiled and stood up, pulling his shirt back onto his smooth muscular body.

 

"I'm glad to see you finally cleaned up. Now  _ I  _ can hug you without  _ dying _ ." 

 

Kon teased with a smirk before hugging the other, smelling his hair as he pressed his lips against the others head. 

 

"I would’ve preferred you kept the shirt  _ off _ to hug me if I'm being honest." Tim retorted, laying his head on that impossibly comfortable chest. 

 

How could someone be nearly impervious and still be so snuggly? It seemed physically impossible but Connor's body didn't really follow human guidelines anyway. Tim was glad, his eyes already closing as he relaxed in his hold. Fuck, when was the last time he slept?

 

"Shiva said that we're hosting a dinner for the guests. We're both expected to be there and _ I  _ expect you to eat." Connor said with a smile.

 

It was likely Ra's would be meeting with the leader before dinner, of course that was assuming this character was to be anonymous.   
  
Tim was nodding his head in agreement as he shook the call for sleep out of his mind. He needed to be awake and alert tonight- it was too important for him not to be.

 

"I'll eat, I'll eat. I've just been busy ... You know that." Tim said in a horrible attempt to defend his behavior. 

 

He then smiled a little and pat Connor's cheek with his hand before more lovingly caressing the side of it. 

 

"You know … It's cute how you worry so much."   
  


Connor rolled his eyes, "Dad taught me that self care is the single most important thing you can do. You're not much help to anyone if you starve to death.... Especially since you're already a noodle." 

 

Tim wasn't as buff as Jason or Dick but he definitely had more muscle than  _ most _ teenagers. It always got Kon hot and bothered when he saw Tim's beautiful and perfect muscles but he couldn't help but tease the other about being scrawny. Really his hopes were that it would get Tim to eat more.

  
"And tomorrow you're sleeping in until noon." Kon smirked trying to sound authoritative. 

 

"I eat." Tim nearly grumbled, wearing something between a scowl and a pout in Connor's arms. 

 

He wasn't the best at taking care of himself during times of high stress and sometimes just in general. It was nothing he ever did intentionally, just once Tim started working he wanted to keep going until it was done. The need to succeed, do better, solve the unsolvable drove him to the edge of his limits and then some at times ... Yet he wouldn't have it any other way.    
  
Though... Standing here in Connor's arms he felt a want for something more than just intellectual or heroic accomplishments. Tim felt a want to get close, to touch, to put aside his general madness, if only for a moment, to be with Connor.

  
Tim pushed himself up on his toes and kissed the side of his jaw. "I promise I'll make up neglecting you the past few days ... If that's... Something you'd want." 

 

He had started out so confident and turned it into a mess at the end, realizing that he and Connor hadn't really discussed what or if there was going to be a sexual aspect to their relationship. Tim wasn't exactly practiced ... Okay Tim was a  _ virgin _ . He had no practice. However, it wasn't something he prized or protected like some puritan and if he did? Well, to be honest, he'd been fantasizing about Connor taking his V-card for a  _ very _ long time.   
  
Connor's hand moved to rest on the hand that had so lovingly been placed on his cheek, a smile on his lips though it almost looked shy. Really it was a reflection of the countless butterflies that Connor got from the other.    
  
He was about to lean in to kiss Tim when someone else decided to come into the room unannounced. They closed the door in a hurry before turning around. Benjamin. 

  
"We need to collect as much Intel as we can tonight." He dug around in his pocket before pulling out a small plastic case. 

 

Within the case were two small needles. "I don't know how well these will work... You stick them under the skin and it'll record outside sources. We will be able to play it back at the meeting."

  
"So.... Is knocking not a thing here?"

 

"You could have paused for a courtesy knock ... What if we  _ were _ fucking?" Tim said dryly.

 

Letting go of Connor, he accepted the container from Benjamin, studying its contents.

  
"I'm sorry but now's not the time to get your dick wet. We have work to do." Tiggs slipped back through the door leaving Connor a blushing mess.   
  
Tim let out a soft chuckle, Ben's comment not phasing him. He slipped the container into his bag, finally looking up at Connor's face, not able to help himself from laughing again. 

 

"He's joking. Well ... Maybe not entirely. Now would be a bad time." 

 

Maybe Tim was implying that he wanted to have sex. Suddenly there was a fire burning throughout Kon's entire body, his face somehow getting redder. 

 

"I mean... There's always later."

 

Tim laughed at his boyfriend before he stepped into Connor's space once again, cupping a hand over the back of the super's neck before drawing him down for a kiss. It wasn't as long as Tim would have liked it to be … They really  _ didn't _ have time.   
  
"We should go get dressed and... Get those implants in, huh?" Tim said.

 

The clone moved away and began stripping down to his boxers before opening the closet. Ra's didn't really have suits stored for them but nice robes. Connor touched the fabric before pulling it from the closet, along with a thin grey pair of.. Leggings? Connor pulled the clothing on, tying the black robe at the waist. It made him look more like the other men within these mountains, only his expression held uncertainty. 

 

"How do I look?"

 

"You look out of place." Tim answered honestly.    
  
Tim stood in front of Connor and adjusted the front of his robes slightly, retying and straightening out Connor until he was satisfied with the results.

 

"I prefer you in t-shirts and flannel. It suits you more ... But you look good." Tim smiled tapping Connor's chest. "Come on, I have to get ready too. Also, I should probably check to make sure Koda didn't eat the ninjas I asked to walk her today." 

 

Red Robin wasn't beneath ordering around the lackies to take care of their dog. Most of them were so scared of Tim because of his direct connection with Ra's so they did just about anything he told them to until they graduated out. Those guys? They treated Tim like he was a dog, they didn’t mistreat him out of the fear of what Ra’s would do, but they didn’t treat him like a person either.    
  
When they reached Tim's room he quickly changed into similar clothes, the only difference being small gold and green decorations along the cuffs and collar. A signal he was part of Ra's inner circle, or really, that he was Ra's  _ property _ . The collar around his neck was evidence enough of that. Tim didn't ask Connor how he looked because he knew how he felt: owned and subservient. Even if he  _ was _ playing along.   
  
The teen fished a small box out of his desk and placed it next to the container Ben had given them on the bed. Koda sniffed it and made a whining sound. 

 

"I know baby, it's just for a minute." Tim promised, scratching behind her ears, then making a perfect bird call of a mate seeking robin.

 

The box clicked open, the lead lining glowing a faint green. Connor knew what was in that box without having to even look at it closely. From his seated position on the bed he was already feeling the faint effects from the stone that made his head spin and quite frankly made him feel weak, fatigued and nauseated. 

 

"The needle would break in half otherwise, we both know that." Tim took out the first needle and eyed the device before he loaded it up to be inserted into Connor's arm. "Take a deep breath, remember to relax, it'll help." Koda growled a little. "Be sweet and comfort your Papa." She let out a small huff and leaned all her weight into Connor's side.    
  


In a quick, swift movement Tim removed the kryptonite, placing it on Connor's exposed arm. Counting to three he then pressed the large needle just under the skin, sliding the device in. Once the needle was removed he covered the wound with a tissue and immediately put away the kryptonite. He could feel blood soaking into the material beneath his fingers ... He could count on one hand how many times he'd seen Connor bleed ... Every time it was unnerving.

  
"Good job handsome." Tim said, kissing Connor on the cheek before moving to put the box away, back in his drawer where he brought back a treat for Koda. "You were such a good girl. You should always protect your Papa, huh?" 

 

Koda let out a short grumbling, "Owow wow." 

 

The teen gave her the treat as she jumped off the bed to go eat it in front of the balcony window. She purposefully liked to torture the birds and squirrels outside, showing off her yummy bone, knawing happily at the end. 

 

"She'll be a good guard dog ... Unless the intruder has treats ... Then you're screwed." Tim tried injecting some humor into the situation.   
  
"Yeah…. So.... Why do you have that again?" Kon asked arching a brow, he didn't mean to sound accusing. He was curious and well... "You know that is radioactive right? Prolonged exposure can make you sick." 

 

Sure that particular crystal was probably too small to cause any damage but... Still. Connors eyes shifted back down to his arm before up to Tim. "Do I need to inject you too?"

  
Tim sat next to him on the bed, taking his own needle in his hand after prepping his arm. "I've got it." He uncapped it with his teeth and pushed it into his arm.

 

Tim didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did, after all, Connor had been so still and calm when Tim gave him the injection. As pain burned through his arm he had begun remembering that Alfred used lidocaine before putting in their sub-dermal trackers every six months. There was an immediate nauseous roll to Tim’s stomach, head lightening as the exhaustion and lack of food started getting to him. So stupid, Tim thought to himself. He slowly withdrew the needle, recapped it, then tossed it aside before laying flat back on the bed. Tim was lazily holding the tissue to his arm as he tried to put the ceiling back into focus.   
  
"I had it ... Incase ... The rumors about what Luthor was going to do ... With you were true." Tim squeezed each part out, the next harder than the one before it. "Luthor was able to create other Supers before and after you, but they've never been you. Objectively, you are the best outcome Luthor has ever had, probably will ever hope to have. I heard rumors Luthor had gotten a hold of you after Clark died ... After everyone started dying." 

 

It was hard for Tim to even think about how many friends and loved ones they'd lost. The sad fact being there were probably that much more dead without notice. Tim couldn't help but think Connor probably felt it even more... Outside of the meta and vigilante community he had  _ no one _ . 

 

"They said Luthor was going to 'scrap you for parts'." Saying this clearly upset Tim, whose face cringed even repeating it. "I knew if he did that you wouldn't be the same person anymore. You might hurt people you didn't want to, do things that you would scream and cry about someone else doing. I ..." 

 

Tim swallowed hard, not knowing why he was being so honest, why now? Oh ... Right, he got lightheaded and was sleep deprived. Certainly helped lower control over his own mouth. " ... I couldn't watch you turn into your own worst nightmare. So, I decided I'd keep this with me, so if I had to stop that ... I could."

 

Connor frowned deeply, part of him was hurt but another part was grateful. He knew this was the kind of thinking that was inherited by Bruce. The contingency plan of making sure that even your closest friends could be stopped if something were to cause them to act as enemies. Be it brain control, Ivy pollen or just basic clone reconstruction.   
  
"I appreciate that Tim... I know I should probably be mad that you have the tools you can use for my destruction but... I've fallen off the path of heroism before... Let myself be manipulated and mind controlled into awful things. I think its good you were prepared." He said before reaching to hold Tim's hand before bringing it to his mouth to plant a soft kiss.   
  
As soon as his lips connected to the skin there was a firm knock on the door causing Tim and Connor to flinch. Koda jumped from her perch and moved between the bed and the door with her hackles up snarling. Seconds later Lady Shiva entered, glaring at the hound.

 

"Down." She ordered.

 

Koda shook her head with a,"Yowowow."

 

Tim snorted out a small laugh at Koda's reaction. "Stand down killer."

 

Shiva about scoffed and looked at Tim, "Dinners ready. You have three minutes to come to the dining room." She said before turning and walking away. 

 

Fucking parties, Tim thought before taking Connor's hand and standing up. "Both of you remember your roles. You, remember I have to act like Ra's obedient pet and you-" Tim booped Koda's nose causing her to sniffle dramatically. "You make sure no one goes in my dresser. Sit on their heads if you have to."   
  
"Ar-rauwf."    
  
"Good girl."   
  


  
  


  
Once they made it to the dining room they took a seat at the table. On one side were the League Of Shadows. On the other side were High Court guards and commanders. Connor had never seen them so close before without them being hostile. 

  
"Tonight we welcome the High Court to Nanda Parbet, where we swear our alliance!" Lady Shiva called out.

 

The rest of the Shadows responded with a, "Nahn 'uqsim alwala." Tim included.

  
Connor didn't know what it meant but it got the High Court people smirking. 

  
"We start with a toast." Shiva said, holding up a chalice of wine, the other assassins doing so as well. 

 

Connor figured copying them would be best and did the same until they all took a sip. He couldn't help but to spit the drink out causing some eyes to land on him. 

 

"My apologies he's still ... In training." Tim said as if answering some unspoken question to the man addressing him. 

 

It was enough for him to pause and correct Connor without seeming rude. He had to play this right.   
  


"Clean it up." Tim said, handing Connor his own dinner napkin. "Keep the rest in your mouth or you'll regret the consequences. Am I understood?" He paused for a response.   
  


Connor took the napkin and had gotten to work cleaning up his mess, "Sorry.. Luthor was training me for war, not tea parties." 

 

That probably wasn't the best response.. No.. It  _ definitely _ wasn’t and Connor knew that the second he saw the glare that Tim shot him. 

 

"You're Ra's pet." One official stated, golden eyes fixed on Tim.

  
"Yes. I serve Ra's and the house of Al Ghul. The pet role is something that Ra's enjoys, but isn't necessary. I've chosen where my allegiances lie."    
  
"That isn't what I heard." Another member spoke up from next to gold eyes. 

 

Tim recognized this woman, she went by Jane. She was often sent on the visits to Nanda Parbat. Her demeanor always reminded Tim of a scientist. She enjoyed asking difficult questions, digging for deeper answers. To Tim, she was trouble, someone he couldn't so easily play games with.    
  
"I've heard you've been making communications with your family. It would seem your allegiance isn't as solid as you'd like to lead us to believe."    
  
"I worry about my family. Because I disagree with them on politics doesn't mean I've abandoned my concern for them."   
  
"Interesting." Jane responded, genuinely interested. "You betray them with one hand and hold them dear with the other. How counterintuitive and... Emotional."   
  


She turned her unearthly green eyes to Connor, seeming to analyze him. "This is Luthor's pet." She explained to her colleague. "Some experimental mixture of Kryptonian DNA and human. Lab made of course, not like that boy we had. Jonathan I believe?" 

 

Connor’s fists clenched under the table, his teeth clenching as he began glaring daggers at the woman. Sure, he was jealous of Jon. He always felt left out and abandoned by Clark the moment the brat was born but that was still his brother. Even if he wasn’t? Jon was just a child and sure as hell didn’t deserve to be someone’s lab rat.

 

"Tell me," Jane looked right into Connor's eyes. "What can you do? I'm interested in your meta abilities." She expected a response.

  
"There's a lot I can do... I can fly, use heat vision... I have super hearing. Tactile telekinesis." Connor said before shrugging, the last response grabbing Gold eyes attention. 

 

"Tactile Telekinesis? Show us." He ordered. 

 

Connor briefly glanced at Tim before back to the man, he truly had no idea how dangerous it was to show them… Tim did. It’s why Tim’s heart began to race and why he himself started clenching his teeth. Kon picked up his fork and held it up, focusing as the top end of the fork began to bend and twist down into a knot. He then set it down and slid it over to the man across from him. 

 

The look on Jane's eyes said it all, they lit up with interest, picking up the fork with measured movement and turning it around in her hand. 

 

"Isn't that amazing Commander Azrah?" The man to the left of Gold eyes said. 

 

The name sent chills down Connor’s spine. Commander Azrah... He didn't recognize him, he didn't really see him before but.. He was the one who took down Superman, supposedly in one on one combat. Kon was with the Titans but he remembered hearing that name during the first big battle... Remembered finding Clark dead. He was holding himself back from attacking him with everything he had.   
  
"Can you imagine if our armies had this power?" Azrah asked Jane. 

 

How could they want to be stronger? Most of their soldiers alone were nearly impenetrable, Kon had seen a couple take bullets to the head and walk away as if it was nothing. Those who weren’t impenetrable were incredibly strong, skilled and perfect soldiers. They took down the entire Justice League while only suffering the loss of six men.... The least durable ones Connor knew of were council members, their scientists, some guards.... The kinds of people who didn't need TK..... If they got a hold of that power though, they'd be unstoppable.

 

 "This was not an ability that Superman nor Jonathan had. Peculiar that it manifests itself when combined with Luthor's DNA ... As far as my studies have shown, he isn't meta himself." Jane's eyes snapped up from the fork. "I'll need a few vials of his blood, skin samples, hair, and I'd like to perform my own examination." She said toward Azrah.   
  
"No." Tim said flatly, which had eyes on him again. "Sorry, what I meant is.. You can't ... Physically. Connor's body has the same impenetrable qualities Superman's had." Tim had to stop this or Connor was going to become a test subject.    
  
"We were unable to extract usable DNA from the kryptonian." Jane's assistant spoke up. "The halfling perished after many failed attempts." 

 

Tim's eyes brows rose only slightly. Partly at the news of Jon's death and also because of the nativity. He placed a hand on Connor's leg under the table. 

 

No one had told them. No one had told them that kryptonite made kryptonians weak? Really? Then again, if they did know, maybe they couldn't obtain any for use. Between Batman and Luthor ... Well there wasn't any detectable amounts left on Earth. Which meant Luthor hadn't told them either. Why? That made no sense. Something was fishy here.    
  
"I can share what tests my past mentor was able to run. It should suffice."   
  
Azrah shifted his gaze from Jane to Tim then finally to Kon. He wanted those samples. He wanted an invincible army. It took a lot of force to make Superman bleed and that wasn't to mention that when he bled it wasn't enough to run tests with. 

 

"We will take the samples and look them over. We can still collect other samples from him even if it's not his blood." Azrah began explaining before he paused and looked at Jane. "Have your team look over the samples, I'd like for you to create a device that we can insert within the clone. I would like to run scans on the processes that go through his body when he's using his powers. In due time I'd like a device that can penetrate his blood stream so we can study his DNA more closely."   
  


Silence spilled the space which allowed everyone to hear the soft sound of the table and silverware rasping as it shook. It’s been doing this for a while but with each passing second grew in intensity.

  
"He appears to be shaken." One of Sarah's guards spoke up noticing Connor’s state. 

 

Tim should have seen this reaction coming a mile away, actually, he did. It was the reason his hand was on Connor's thigh, attempting in some way to offer comfort in this less than ideal situation. Connor finding out about Jon's death even in the perfect environment with all the right people would have been hard to deal with. Now that they were surrounded by High Court officials and under all these rules ... Fuck this was going to be a disaster.    
  
"Connor." Tim tried softly, turning his attention toward him, calculating in his head what he might be able to do that wouldn't also alert those around them to Tim and Connor's connection. 

 

"You... Killed... My brother." Connor said through his teeth, peaking the guards interest.

 

"And what does that feel like?" He wanted to know what these emotions were like... Grief. 

  
One of the glasses exploded making Tim flinch as Connor slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "I'm not a science experi-" Suddenly a sharp gasp escaped him as his body began convulsing.   
  
"Timothy, I told you to make sure the clone behaves." Ra's interjected. 

 

As Connor convulsed in front of him Tim tensed. It was horrible to watch the person he loved in so much pain but what was even worse was the fact he knew  _ exactly _ how it felt. Fortunately it didn’t last too long before Ra’s shut the device off.

 

"Our company wasn't exactly on their best behavior. There is only so much I can do." Tim said back, instantly regretting his word choice. "Connor's powers are affected by his mental state, antagonizing him was bound to have this result. Even if they weren't aware that's what they were doing." And that wasn't exactly the best recovery either.    
  


"Al Ghul, it's a pleasure you could join us." Azrah stated calmly, ignoring Tim. 

 

Ra's was familiar with him, in fact he's the one he met with more often than most. It's why he was so surprised to be meeting with their chancellor.

 

  
Once Connor relaxed Tim turned to the side toward him, checking him over, checking the dilation of his eyes, the rhythm of his breathing, the pulse of his heart. Tim wanted to just pull the super into his arms and tell him that it was going to be okay, to do what Dick had done for him at the gala all those weeks ago. This situation was too tense though, too important to fuck up.   
  
"Certainly had interesting results," Jane spoke up, pulling out some type of glass looking tablet and typing on it. "Mya, come. We need to set up our specimen collection." Jane stood up then, her assistant following wordlessly as well without so much as excusing herself.   
  
"You'll have to forgive her, she has the mind of a scientist, but no sense of manners." The words came from behind Ra's.    
  
Tim turned his attention toward the source, the tone was unremarkable, and what he saw he couldn't quite understand. There was a man standing there, plain as day, clearly visible to him yet ... Tim couldn't make out any of his features, what he looked like, the tone of his voice, even his general height. The more he struggled to make sense of what was happening, the more his head started to hurt. How was this possible? Tim could  _ see _ so why couldn't he ... This was why no one had pictures of this man, why no one knew what he looked like. Something, or someone, was preventing their minds from recognizing any facial features and committing them to memory.    
  
"Unfortunately, I cannot stay. Please, enjoy your dinner though and ..." The man glanced over to Tim, then Connor, staring for a moment before returning his attention to Ra's. "Good luck with your pet projects. I had the gift handed over to one of your men, see that it gets to the recipient."   
  
"Of course." Ra's responded, "Thank you for your time." He stated bowing his head ever so slightly towards the other. 

 

He then looked to Tim, a firm hand on his shoulder before he leaned down to whisper into his ear. "Come to my study, alone. I need to have a word with you." His voice was stern and held no mercy.

  
Tim looked forward, eyes not hinting at what Ra's was whispering to him, but inside? He was already trying to guess what exactly the Demon Head was planning to talk to him about. It could be anything, he did just have a long chat with the head of the High Court. If he was lucky? It would be a strategy meeting of some sort, one where Ra's talked at Tim in length about what plans they were going to make and how to accomplish them while he nodded his head and praised Ra's 'great strategic choices'. Worst case scenario? Well ... That was a little harder to guess, simply because Ra's was so incredibly unpredictable and inconsistent with his temper and patience with Tim.    
  
A simple nod was given in response, no words needed. It wasn't like he could refuse the request anyway ... Not if he wanted to live.    
  
Ra's promptly walked out of the room, whispering to one of his men to leave Tim's gift on his bed with a note, he hoped Koda wouldn't eat it. After leaving the space, Connor weakly looked up at Tim, eyes red from the few tears that did slip out. 

 

"What does he want?"

  
The room began clearing out, and Tim began dropping his facade more with each person that left. Wordlessly, Tim helped Connor out of the room, standing next to him for support if the super needed it.    
  
"He wants to see me ... Privately." Tim said with a carefully measured tone, he didn't want to let on his concern that the conversation was, likely, not going to be a positive one. "I can handle it. Probably just wants me to stroke his ego a little. ….We’ll get you settled in my room ... My bed is more comfortable anyway." 

 

"I hope he's just looking for praise and nothing else." Connor growled out through his teeth as they made their way to Tim's room.

 

Tim opened the door to his room and saw Koda sniffing the corner of a box that had been set on his nightstand. It was a plainly wrapped gift in tan paper and twine wrapped around it, tying into a simple bow on the top. 

 

A red tag was attached that simply read. "For Timothy Drake".    
  
"Don't touch that." Tim warned Koda with a sharp tone.

 

She whined and moved back from it, sitting on the bed and looking at Connor before whining once again for an entirely different reason. Her Daddy was hurt.    
  
"Here, sit down," Tim said after untying the front of the dress robes and pushing them off of Connor's shoulders and onto the floor. "Kryptonite, needles, and shock collar all in one day ..." Tim shook his head. "Baby you have some very bad luck." 

 

Trying to lighten the situation was the only way he knew how to deal with it right now. They didn't have time for Tim to really dive into the multitude of issues that had been brought up at dinner, that would have to wait until he came back from his meeting with Ra's. 

 

"How are you feeling right now? ... Be honest." 

 

"It just hurts." He grumbled as he sat down.

 

Tim began checking Connor’s vitals against while Koda seemed to copy his movements, sniffing Connor’s wrists and neck before licking his pulse. She let out a grumble and moved around Connor nudging his back and arms with her nose before prying herself between his forearm and side, her head and upper body forcing itself into Connors lap while her lower half wrapped around him.    
  
"I'll be fine." Kon said, petting the dogs head before looking up to meet Tim's eyes. "If there's any damage it'll heal... But... If Ra's hurts you Tim.." Connor trailed off and shook his head, "I won't stand for it." 

 

"You might have to, attacking Ra's will only make the situation worse. If you want to stay by my side here you have to play by the rules. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth." Tim responded honestly. 

 

Of course, he appreciated the sentiment, his boyfriend wanted to protect him and that was very sweet, but also  _ very _ stupid. Connor would get himself killed if he hurt Ra's openly, and in the long term, that would hurt Tim more than any wound that the Demon Head could inflict on him. Tim could still feel the lashing healing on his back but he'd take ten thousand more if it meant that Connor would remain safe.

 

Koda let out a loud 'yowww' before Connor could respond to Tim’s words. He had meant to protest every single one of them because he didn’t  _ care _ if he got killed in order to protect Tim. His eyes shifted back to Koda who was nudging the box. 

 

"Do you think he wants you to open it before you see him?"   
  
Tim sat down on the bed next to Connor. "I'm not sure."

 

He grabbed the item off the stand and placed it in his lap. The box was about a foot and a half squared of decent heft. The handwriting on the tag wasn't Ra's, so, that meant it must have been the High Court head. This tag was now officially evidence, the one thing, his handwriting, that they could use to possibly identify him in the future. Slowly and carefully, Tim took off the bow and set the tag back onto the nightstand before ripping off the paper and tossing it next to the nearby waste basket.

 

"I don't know what they'd want to give me. Certainly haven't earned anything lately. Maybe they are trying to sweeten me up or something, would be a nice change to the whole torture thing." 

 

Tim was left looking at a wooden box with a hinged lid, he lifted the dainty gold latch on the front and opened it then ... Just stared. Inside was a bright purple ribbon, tied around a large bundle of loose, curly blonde hair, a bloody black cowl, and a note. 

 

'The deal only stands if you hold up your part of the bargain...' 

 

Two pictures slipped out from behind it, one was a clear shot of Cassandra and Harper climbing the side of a building. The other was Stephanie in a manner that was too gruesome to describe.

 

'... Try to remember that next time you decide to test our patience.'   
  
Tim pushed the box out of his lap and onto the floor, his eyes were wide, chest heaving. This was... Stephani,  _ Steph _ . They killed her, after he promised to go with them, after  _ they _ promised to stop targeting his family. Then to send this? What to rub it in his face? To torture him? Well, it fucking worked.    
  
Stephanie was his closest friend, his sister, the person who pulled him away from the coffee machine when he needed sleep, watched stupid movies with him and laughed at his dry commentary. She was the one who fought when everyone else given up, a ray of blonde sunshine that Gotham never even deserved. Stephanie Brown was one of the most amazing, selfless, courageous human beings Tim knew. The fact that she was gone, dead he ... No, he didn't want to accept it. It wasn't fair! It should have been him, or anyone else but why ... Why Stephanie? Why her??   
  
Tim began shaking, a hand coming up to his mouth as he lurched, then turned to the side and threw up what little dinner he had eaten into the wastebasket next to them. Connor was in such a state of shock at what was going on it took him a moment to move, slowly wrapping his arms around Tim and soothing a hand up and down his back. 

  
"Oh my god.." He finally whispered. "Tim, I'm sorry.." Connor sounded like he was speaking to Tim through water with his ears ringing on top of it.

 

"They killed her."  Tim said, voice empty as he looked forward. "They  _ promised _ , Ra's promised."

 

His voice began showing anger, disbelief. Even if Tim had contacted Dick, bent the rules, he hadn't broken them. Tim was still here, serving under Ra's, taking their orders and humiliating himself. It wasn't fair, nor was it a large enough slight for them to kill his best friend, to mutilate her and send him a picture of their deeds. No, no this couldn't happen. Tim stood from the bed, bending over to grab the picture of the floor, folding it over in his hands so he didn't have to look at it. 

 

"Stay here. I need to go speak with Ra's." Then, just like that, Tim was headed out the door. 

 

As badly as Connor wanted to chase after him he knew better than to do so.    
  
  


 

  
The closer Tim got to Ra's study the more his sorrow shifted to rage. His footsteps quickened, his eyes stung with tears he refused to let fall. There was a large guard standing outside the door, opening his mouth to ask Tim a question that never had the chance to pass his lips. Tim grabbed the man twice his side by his arm and threw him away from the door, causing a pained cry to leave him as his arm popped out of its socket. Tim didn't stop to check his condition, moving into the room and slamming the door behind him, his eyes fixed on Ra’s.

 

Ra's was standing behind his desk, hands behind his back as he gazed out the window.    
Tim b-lined toward it with the intention of stopping anyone in his path. Once he was close enough, he slammed a hand down on it, pushing anything on the desk out of the way and onto the floor. Next, he put down the picture, image up in front if Ra's, who had turned to face the boy, and pointed an accusing finger at it.   
  
"We had a deal." Tim sounded murderous, his eyes low and dangerous, a way he had never displayed himself in front of Ra's before. "You promised my family would be safe if I came here and agreed to be your pet. You told me they wouldn't be killed. You told me  _ this _ " He pointed down again for emphasis. "Would never happen if I surrendered myself to you! This is low and honorless. Even for you. Stephanie was my family! My friend you-" Tim wanted to kill Ra's, he felt his fingers twitch in an urge to strangle the life out of him. "-Coward." Tim finished with every last bit of venom in him lacing themselves into that word.

  
The demon stayed surprisingly calm through all of the teens blasphemous words. In all honesty, he wasn’t aware they killed Stephani, not that he much of cared. Still, he couldn’t stand here and accept Tim’s treacherous tone. 

 

"I've made it  _ very  _ clear that you weren't to try and contact your family." His tone was steady and calm, yet, within no more than a minute he had landed a firm smack across Tim's face. "Your family is operating as part of a resistance." He didn't tell the Court this, but Tim didn't need to know that, "Every action you take that defies my orders only makes it appear as though you're nothing more than a traitor. A spy working for them."    
  
"I had to try and make sure they were okay. Otherwise how else am I supposed to know you are telling me the truth about their safety?!" 

 

“You speak as though the Court cares about such pleasantries. You forget they’re ultimately in charge and care very little for your emotions.”

 

“She didn’t deser-”    
  


Tim had started as Ra's moved from behind the desk, grabbing Tim's hair in an iron grip before he slammed the teen’s head into the desk and kept him pinned there. His body loomed over Tim's as his mouth moved mere inches from his ear. 

 

"Any further attempts you make to contact your family will be seen as an act of treason. My guards will personally be the ones sent to bring  _ you _ their heads until every single one of them are hunted down like the vermin they are. You will be moved to the prisoners barracks and will be sentenced to death  _ after _ you witness the slaughter of your bat people." 

 

Tim's heart sink deep into his stomach. Ra's threatening his family wasn't really anything new, but with Stephanie dead and the other's scattered and vulnerable he was afraid that Ra's might actually be able to make good on that threat. What scared him, even more, was that with the Court's help, it would be that much easier for Ra's to execute such a plan. Even Dick who would be protected by Slade and Jason who was hiding very well wouldn't be safe. No one was safe anymore.   
  
The guard had come in through the door to make sure Ra's was okay, however, seeing the situation was quick to stop and slip out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

 

"It’s also been brought to my attention that you've started relations with the clone. This is unacceptable. I may not have made this clear, Timothy, which is why I'm letting you off with a warning. You are  _ my pet _ you belong to  _ no one _ other than me. If I see the clone touching you... Well... I guess the Court will have a new lab rat." 

 

With that, Ra's pulled back and yanked Tim up by the hair before forcing him down onto his knees. He needed to put him in his place, punish him. His hand moved from Tim's hair and down to Tim's face where his thumbnail pressed against Tim's lip hard enough to make it bleed, staring into his eyes for several minutes. Tim hated how his hair was being used as a tool to force his submission. When he tried to move his head, it stayed, the length of it giving Ra's plenty to wind his hands into and drag Tim around as he pleased. This wasn't the first time either and every time it was humiliating.

 

"Connor  _ doesn't _ own me." He doesn't have to, was what Tim didn't say to follow up, but his tone implied it. 

 

Why did Ra's care if Tim had a fling with the clone? Wouldn't it be beneficial to Ra's goal of humiliating Luthor if Tim could seduce his son into joining their side? But, there was that glint in Ra's eyes again, something he always tried to ignore but that everyone else seemed to see. Ra's watched him differently, regarded him differently. For a while, Tim really did believe it was just out of respect for Tim's abilities, his 'detective' skills. Now he was practically telling Tim that he was not just demanding the submission of his skills in combat, or his intelligence. No, what Ra's was telling him was that Ra's owned his sexual and emotional autonomy as well.    
  


"Sergei!" He called as the guard entered, "Take Timothy to the box." He ordered before releasing him. 

 

The box was one of Ra's punishment devices, a small confined space at the bottom of the temple. It forced whoever was inside to sit in a cramped and tight position. The room itself was heated with a fire making it 96°. Those in the box typically suffered heat stroke and severe dehydration.

  
"Wait." Tim said as the guards lifted him, pulling harshly enough that they both went off balance, "You  _ won't _ break me. Beat me, take Connor away, kill my family. It's nothing you haven't already tried and done. You have no more cards to play." 

 

"I don't respect your threats or your violence, and I give my obedience to men who  _ deserve _ it." With that, Tim shut his mouth, letting himself be dragged down into the basement and into the inferno.    
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  


All night Connor had been worried sick. He paced around the room with Koda, ventured into the halls. He even tried using his TK to find Tim but to no avail. He was getting frustrated but eventually gave up and sought out Tiggs. Tiggs got to work looking around, asking subtle questions. He learned of Tim's punishments and brought Connor to speed. He could see the anger and distress in the others eyes however, quickly calmed him and informed him that Tim would get out alive... That if Ra's wanted him dead then he would've sentence Tim to death by 200 cuts. The clone accepted the words but it didn't help him sleep through the night. He was tossing and turning causing Koda to whine and whimper. 

 

  
Tim didn't until the wee hours of the morning, two men could be heard whispering down the hallway of Tim's room.    
  
"He's not even trying to walk." One muttered in heavily accented english.    
  
"Is he even still awake?" This one was definitely American.    
  
"Yeah ... Hey! Quit shuffling ... Did he say something?"    
  
"I don't know. Just like Shiva to push him onto us to bring back to his room. Did she say she was coming up later?"   
  
"Maybe, I can't remember."    
  
"This is it isn't it?"   
  
Tim's head was lulled in front of him, each man having grabbed Tim under his armpits and were all but dragging him through the hallway. His eyes were closed to slits, breathing sounding raspy, blood pressure low, and heart beating shallow and fast. His body was hot to the touch, his face and chest nearly bruised red from flush, while the rest of his body was blushed pink. His eyes were red, lips dry, cracked, and had dried blood smeared across them. The side of his head that hit the table was sporting a bruise that ran under his hairline but showed for a little more than an inch around his temples and ear.

 

  
Connor had heard all of the talking and just couldn't wait for them to get into the room and had just opened the door.   
  
Both the men paused and gave Connor a confused look. Kon did his best to act calm and chewed his lip.

 

"Ra's sent me to check up on him." He stated as Koda wiggled her way out of the room. 

 

She saw Tim and instantly snarled and growled at the two men. She even attempted to nip at them before barking.

  
The American didn't hesitate to kick the dog in the jaw, Connor instantly running to her and holding her close.

 

"Don't touch my dog!" He growled out.

  
"Make it behave." He said, dropping Tim all together which earned a look from the other man.

 

"We got him here. Our job is done." The assassin said as he turned and walked away. 

 

"He needs rest." With that English man left, too.   
  
Koda whined and moved away from Connor before he could check her for injuries, she sniffed Tim and let out several low whines before licking Tim who had barely responded. He attempted to lift his hand to pet at Koda, catching her leg with his fingertips instead while saying something unintelligible to her.

  
Heartbreak and anger instantly filled the clone, who picked Tim up like he weighed nothing before carrying him into the room. He closed the door and carried the other to the bed, laying him down. He was burning up. Superboy pulled off Tim's shirt and grabbed a bottle of water, pouring it onto a cloth that he began dragging across Tim's skin to cool him down. 

 

"What did they do to you?" He whispered, a hand moving to Tim's cheek before ghosting over the bruise. It took every ounce of strength for Connor not to get mad and go pick a fight with Ra's. "You're here now."   
  
Tim never felt more safe and comfortable than he did here, next to Connor. So even though he felt seconds from passing out again, hot and dehydrated, he smiled a little looking up at him. God, he was glowing like an angel. 

  
Connor caught the smile and returned a sympathetic one as he grabbed the bottle of water and lifted Tim’s head to help him drink. The water on his lips was like a haven in the desert, suddenly Tim's hands went up to Connor's grabbing the source of that liquid gold before gulping down as much as he could. Surely he'd regret the stomach cramps that were bound to follow the action, but it tasted so good. He took some deeper breaths after that, bringing his eyes back to look into Connor's.   
  
"I'll be okay, handsome." Tim said, seeing the concern on his face. "...You said I needed rest." It was hardly the time for jokes. "I'm so tired." Yet he couldn't sleep. His body was aching, head spinning in nauseous circles. "Is Koda okay?"

 

Connor frowned and shook his head, "I can't believe they did this to you." 

 

He spoke in complete and utter disbelief. His hand moved to push some of Tim's hair out of his face. It was clear by his expression that he wanted to hurt Ra's.   
  
"Why did they do this to you?" He finally asked, ignoring the question about Koda all together. 

 

He needed to know what the hell Tim did that warranted such a cruel punishment. His blood was boiling. Koda had whined and moved closer to Tim, curling up to his side before laying her head against his chest.

  
"Koda, down." Connor ordered. 

 

He needed to get Tim cooled down, her fluffy presence was  _ not _ helping. Koda whined and yowled at him and Connor just wasn't having it. He grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her off of the bed eliciting a sharp yelp as she flailed and crawled to the foot of the bed where she curled up. Kon sighed heavily and got the cloth more wet before running more cool fluid over Tim's body. 

 

"You should try and get some sleep." He mumbled, shifting and moving to lay beside Tim in an attempt to bring him some comfort... He shouldn't have let this happen.

 

"Connor, this isn't her fault." Tim reminded him sharply, well, as sharply as he could for his condition. "Don't take your anger out on her. She's just worried like you are." 

 

Tim tried calling Koda back onto the bed but she just looked at him and refused to do so. Eventually Tim sighed and decided he couldn't put off this conversation forever. He turned toward Connor and despite the heat the super always naturally put off, he wanted nothing more than to just be closer to  him. 

 

'If I see the clone touching you...' 

 

Tim's eyes shut forcefully. "Can you use your TK to open the balcony doors?" It was still very early in the morning, the mountain air would still be nearly ice cold. 

 

Connor nodded at Tim's request before turning and putting a hand on the wall, his TK traveling through it and opening the window. He could feel the cool breeze rushing in and turned his body so that he was partially on his back that way Tim could use his pec as a pillow. His fingers running along the others spine.    
  
"Ra's knows about us. He said he doesn't want you to touch me and that ... He owns me so you aren't allowed to ... I'm not allowed to be with anyone else but him." 

 

Tim didn't need to bring up the threats about his family. They both already knew what was at stake here, they'd seen it inside that wooden box. 

 

"He said that he'd let them experiment on you if we didn't stop ... I'm... What do we do?   
  
"We... We need to stop." Kon said before slowly looking at Tim. "We can try seeing each other in secret and... I'm not breaking up with you but... I think we need to see each other less... Stop sitting by each other at dinner." 

 

Tim's jaw set tightly. Logically, he knew it was in everyone's best interest, particularly Connor's. He couldn't stand seeing the other being experimented on and he knew well that was probably still one of Connor's worst nightmares. Connor had grown up in a lab, even if he couldn't entirely remember it, his body could. As strong as Connor tried to act in front of Tim, he knew that the super would be absolutely destroyed inside of a facility like that, if not physically, definitely mentally. 

 

"I know." 

 

Was his simple response, but he hated it. Being here with Ra's by himself had been a nightmare. Connor coming here, being here with him had been his saving grace, pulled him out of the slump of believing that they were never going to win this. Connor gave him hope, a reason to move on. God, could he handle losing that now?

 

"... What did you mean he's the only one you're allowed to be with? Are you.... Is he.... Did he touch you?" 

 

The words had nothing less than hatred and despise within them. If Ra's touched Tim, Connor would risk everything to kill him. He wouldn't stop.

 

Tim shook his head lightly, closing his eyes. "No, he doesn't touch me, not like that anyway. I don't think that's what he meant exactly." 

 

He actually wasn't entirely sure what Ra's had meant by that comment, but telling Connor that would only add gasoline to an already raging fire. 

 

"He's a control freak, more than Luthor or Batman if you can believe that. He's wanted me on his side for a long time, now that he has the capabilities to actually keep me here, against my will, with things to threaten and take away from me he is just ... Flexing his muscles. Showing that he can." Sure, that seemed plausible enough. "He knows you are from my 'past' life as a hero, he also probably thinks that if I'm distracted with you that I won't be focusing on helping him overthrow Luthor and please the High Court.”

 

“He probably also just doesn't like the fact that I didn't get on my knees and beg to have you before I just went ahead and did it." Tim was starting to convince himself with his own logic. "He's a sociopath, immensely prideful and frankly? Ra's has his choice of suitors that are beautiful and talented I'm sure. There is no reason he'd ... Do that. I would be below his expectations for someone he'd want to bed." 

 

Red Robin didn't think he was ugly by any means but he didn't have the radiating beauty of some of the women (and men) that came through this place. Women and men who would be willing to throw themselves at Ra's feet and fulfill his desires without question. If he was Dick? Maybe Ra's would go through the trouble, but he wasn't. 

 

"Everything is going to be okay." Tim reassured Connor, snuggling further into Connor's chest. "We'll go with Tiggs to the meeting, then, after that, we will be one step closer to actually being free."

 

"Once we're free, Tim... I'm going to be the best lover I can be for you... I will make you happy... And... I will love you with all of my heart." 

 

Connor was sweet, no, he was absolutely adorable. The confession he made to Tim about giving him all of his love was probably the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. Most people were caught up on embarrassing themselves, or the social stigma of being so bold and upfront about their feelings for their significant others in the early stages of the relationship. Connor, by contrast, either didn't know about them, or simply didn't care. Either way? Tim was grateful for the honesty and the intensity of Connor's love because it was the only thing holding him together at this point. Tim wanted to kiss him, tell Connor how much he meant to him. Tim opened his mouth to say something when the door opened, with a quick movement Connor was gone and Tim was laying on his stomach among the sheets in the now otherwise empty bed. Both teens stared at the door only to find that it was Ben who, once again, entered without knocking. 

 

"We need to leave in a couple of hours." Benjamin said as he approached Tim's bed, offering him a bowl of fruit. It would help him get rehydrated and get some natural sugars in his body. "Do you think you'll be well enough to travel? It'll take about a day to get to Gotham city." He explained. 

 

"Can we bring Koda?" Kon asked which brought up the other issue at hand. 

 

Benji sighed and leaned against the wall, "You're not coming.... Ra's explicitly ordered that you stay here for training.... He wants me to recondition Tim... Remind him the ways of the Shadows... That's the only reason he's allowing me to take him."

 

Kon frowned and looked down feeling disappointed, he wanted to be with Tim but...

 

Koda took this opportunity to jump up onto the bed now that Connor had vacated, moving slowly over to Tim and watching the larger male closely out of the corner of her eye. She didn't bother with Benjamin, maybe she could just tell he was one of the good guys. Tim slowly sat up so he could talk to their guest appropriately and eat the fruit. Koda curled up next to him and put her head on his crossed leg, Tim smiled and fed her a small piece of melon that she crunched on, her face looking slightly confused. Tim wasn't sure if she liked it or not. 

 

"Leaving him alone here is ... Dangerous. With you and I both gone he won't have an ally on the inside. Shiva is ... On the fence at best and she'll take Ra's side over Connor's. He hasn't earned her respect enough for her to care about his safety. Maybe if I ask her to keep an eye out for him ... God that's risky too." 

 

Tim hated this, the idea of leaving Connor alone with Ra's after such a big blow up. If that collar wasn't around Connor's neck Tim wouldn't have so much flinched at the idea, but, Ra's had complete control over the super and without Tim there to defend him Ra's could do ... Anything. 

 

"Maybe ... I should stay." 

 

Tim's heart broke at the words, he was so looking forward to seeing his family, his friends. Also, this would be the first time he was able to leave the compound for more than a couple hours without Ra's since he'd been brought here. 

 

"You don't have much choice." Benjamin said honestly. 

 

He knew what Tim's head was weighing. He knew why Tim was punished after all, or at least some of why. There had been whispers about Tim's relations with Connor and Benji knew Ra's well enough to know he didn't like the others advances towards his pet.

 

"If you refuse to leave for your... ‘Corrective training’... Then Ra's will figure out it's because your friend isn't joining you. " Ra's was nearly boiling when Benjamin asked about the clone, he almost thought he was going to lose his head. "I know you don't want to leave Connor here alone but he can handle himself." 

 

Connor frowned and sighed before looking at Tim, "He's right, Tim.... It's important you go to this so you know what we're up against.... So you can add input... "

 

"If you change your plans because of Ra's threats he won't see you as loyal... It'll make him believe your plans were built around rebellion. He'll punish you more" Benjamin informed.

 

Koda snort and looked at Tim before babbling something at him, her body shifting closer. Connor moved to sit on the edge of the bed and Koda curled tightly around Tim pressing into him letting out something of a 'nooooo'.

 

"Hey it's okay... Im sorry girl." He said before softly petting her hip. He looked at Tim sympathetically before sighing, "You have to do this."

 

"I'm not afraid of Ra's punishments." Tim said firmly as he looked toward Benjamin. "At least not toward me. But ... You're right. I need to try and get back in his good graces, especially after last night." 

 

Oh, that's right, he hadn't told Connor about all the nasty things he said to Ra's that earned him probably a much worse punishment than he would have received had he kept his cool. 

 

"I got away with all but spitting in his face last night because he knew I was upset and beyond reason. Now that it's a new day, he'll have expected me to regroup and control myself, to do the work to fix things." Tim was thinking out loud because he was too tired to try and attempt it in his own head. 

 

"If things really go south, if he tries to send you off to the High Court you have to try and leave." Tim told Kon firmly, "Call Luthor, fly, I don't care just get out. Find Dick or Harper and stay put, don't come back." 

 

The idea of Connor disappearing again without Tim knowing where he was or how he was doing was terrifying, but the alternative was worse.

 

"With Superman gone you are the last hard hitter we have. When this thing comes to a point and we need firepower, having you there to fight will be more critical than it ever has been. You have abilities the High Court doesn't, that they don't know how to handle. If you are compromised we might not win this, after last night, I believe that even more so. You have to protect yourself ... Do you understand me, Connor Kent?"

 

Connor listened to Tim's words and nodded before taking Tim's hand, "I won't let them take me... I promise..."

 

He smiled and finally leaned in to kiss Tim, he trusted Tiggs enough not to tell. Before their lips could meet Benjamin moved quickly and grabbed Kon's arm, somehow pulling him off the bed completely. Before the teen could question it his eyes had fallen to Lady Shiva who just entered the room. 

 

"Clone, come with me. Your training begins now." She held no patience and turned to walk out of the room. Benjamin nodded at the clone and released him.

 

Connor looked at Tim with sad eyes, "Be safe." 

 

"You too..." Tim said after Connor in a depressed tone.

 

"We should go too... You can rest on the ship."

 

Tim ignored Tiggs until Connor was out of sight. His eyes turned toward the man, looking a little more beat down.

 

"I have some materials to bring with. I'll get them together and meet you at the tarmac." Tim explained before popping a few pieces of fruit in his mouth. God this would be a long trip.


	17. In Church Op. 39 No. 23

 

The few days he spent away with Dick had been long and trying. The High Court had sent him after some political figures that had suddenly switched sides on them in the last month. Slade had gone in to 'rough them up' and convince them to stay in the High Court's graces. It was a difficult thing to fence, considering he didn't actually want them to go back to the High Court but ... He also needed to save his daughter. 

 

On the third day Slade was sent in by a High Court stronghold to eliminate some trouble makers around the capital site. They had been killing citizens that surrendered to the High Court. While Slade believed in a resistance, killing innocents with no choice wasn't the way to go about it, so killing these assholes hadn't been an issue. Yet, it still weighed on him. He thought about Dick, what he might think about the choices he's made and how much he missed him. Fortunately, today was the day he got to go home, he just hoped Dick didn’t  _ hate _ him.

 

Slade's plane touched down outside his Maine home in the late hours of the night. His body and mind were exhausted as he walked off the jet and headed straight into the house. He had tried to think about what he would say to Dick when he got back, how he would try and pull them back together, but as he opened the front door all that vanished from his mind.

 

The house was serene, light jazz music played through it, all the lights off save for the fireplace in the living room that was covering the space in warm flickering light. Slade saw his bedroom door was ajar and he could faintly see a small outline under the blankets there, Damian no doubt, but a noticeably larger outline was missing. Once he entered the living room he found it's location.

 

Dick was curled up in Slade's favorite chair, a  _ very _ expensive recliner, his head resting against one arm while his legs curled up on the other. He looked like a comfortable cat. To make things even more adorable, Dick was wearing Slade's robe around him which covered him amply in heather grey cotton and to his left on the small table was a wine glass with a small pool of milk in the bottom. Slade couldn't help but to just smile a little ... This man was just ... Perfect. 

 

Slade approached the chair and sat down on his knees in front of it almost silently. 

 

"I'm sorry." He whispered softly, knowing Dick was still sleeping soundly he figured some practice might help. "I ... Never meant to betray your trust. I just couldn't stand to let him go after what he did to those kids but..." Slade sighed. "I know you hate me for it, that I ruined what we had but ... I don't want this to be the end. I'll do what I have to in order to make this right, I promise. Just don't-" He finally reached a hand out to thread it through Dick's hair. "Don't give up on me yet."

 

Dick shifted into Slade's hand before inhaling softly, his own hand running up Slade's arm before landing on the hand in his hair where he interlocked their fingers. It turns out Dick had just barely awoken when he heard Slade come into the door, he had been waiting for him every night to come home and so his senses were tuned to listen for the other.

 

"Slade…." He grumbled in a groggy tone, head turning towards the other as he slowly opened his eyes. He had to blink a few times to adjust to the light and the slight burn. "I didn't give up on you…" He almost sounded hurt but only because he didn't mean to give Slade the impression he did.

 

"I'm not okay with what you did, Slade, but I'm not walking away from this because of it." 

 

Finally Dick shifted, sitting upright however, he did lean forward with his elbows resting on his knees as he pushed his fingers through Slade's hair. 

 

"I know what I signed up for, I know who you are and what you do.. When I said 'I can't do this' or whatever words I used I didn't mean I couldn't do  _ us _ …. I can't do the lies and empty promises.. I can't have you telling me what I want to hear just so I stay with you, especially when it's not authentic to you. I don't want you lying to me or being a martyr to your promises.”

 

Dick paused for a moment just focusing on Slade's eye. God he missed him. "I'm  not going to dump you for being honest with me. I need to know if you're willing to promise me that you  _ won't _ kill when I'm with you under  _ any _ circumstances .. Including the one we were in three days ago." He paused and bit his lip, clearly he had rehearsed this. 

 

"And if you're not willing to have that much restraint then I need to know that. If you're going to kill whoever you want whenever you feel like it then.. Tell me you're not willing to hold back. It'll be upsetting.. I'll get angry and frustrated every time you do it but at least I'll know what I can expect… I'll know I can trust you because you'll show up for me authentically and I won't be holding you to an impossible standard." 

 

"I want to try to ..." 

 

Slade let out a sigh, laying his head down on Dick's lap where fingers softly began pushing through his white locks, loosening them from whatever gel encased them. Dick softly twirled the strands in his fingers and let his fingernails run from the front of Slade's scalp to the back of his head.

 

"I want to be more honest with you. I've spent most of my life lying and deceiving those around me for ... A multitude of reasons but you've never given me a good one to do that to you." 

 

Slade had been afraid of the consequences of telling Dick he couldn't follow his rules, he was convinced that Dick wouldn't be able to compromise with him because of his own moral lines. 

 

"When I started mercenary work, after Grant was born ... Adeline told me, so many times, that if I continued she'd leave me, take Grant with her." Slade started, running his fingers over Dick's side under the robe. "But she never bothered to understand how much the outlet meant to me. How what she had trained me to do, what the military wanted me to do, wasn't an option anymore because she forced me to quit. Having this job, this life, has made me a more stable person, and ... Made me a better father, husband." 

 

Slade didn't want to bad mouth his dead wife, and he wasn't, it was just ... Necessary to explain things. "It was always easier to just say I would do better and continue doing what I needed to because Adeline was so stubborn. Also ... I loved her, my children, my family. I didn't want to lose them and if I didn't lie I would have. I still did but ... At least I had time ... I don't know."

 

 He was trying so hard to convey the reasons for his own behaviors, but maybe it was all just because he was a selfish person. In the end, his actions had killed his family. Though, if Adeline had accepted his job, Slade and her  _ together _ could have protected their family. Together they could have done so much more. 

 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry I let my past affect my future with you. I'll keep saying this but ... Be patient with me, Dick. I'm old, it takes me a while to adjust." That was his own attempt at lightening the mood. "I'll figure out where I can compromise and where I can't. I'll tell you, I'll ... Be honest with you." 

 

Dick was silent as he just listened, it wasn't uncommon for people to live in their past. To project those same behaviors and events into their day to day life. It was human nature.. It was survival and it took training to break those patterns. He was glad to hear Slade take responsibility for that. It helped him understand the other words as more than a justification but an open thought process. 

 

Slade lifted his head from Dick's lap and kissed the bit of exposed chest Dick had peaking through his robe and in return, Dick had gently taken Slade’s face into his own hands before pressing his forehead against the others.

 

 "What I'm hearing is... You need to figure out where these boundaries are for you... That you want to give me something I can hold you to but something that you know you can manage..." Dick clarified, "It’s clear that the situation from a few days ago is an example of when you're  _ not  _ going to hold back.. That's okay.. I don't agree with it but... I know it’s part of who you are and I'm willing to work through it with you… That doesn’t mean I won’t fight with you." 

 

The hero lifted Slade's chin and planted a delicate kiss to his lips. "I love you, Slade...  _ all _ of you, even the parts I don't agree with. I'm sure there's things I do that drive you just as crazy." He chuckled and brought things back on topic, "I'm willing to give you the space you need to find out when you're willing not to kill. Just.. Communicate to me when you find it." Dick offered a soft smile and bit his lip before exhaling.

 

Slade was still somehow blown away by the mental maturity and love that Dick was able to show him in the face of what was a tough situation. He wasn't asking Dick to compromise on something small, like who slept on the left side of the bed, or whether they had cereal or oatmeal in the morning. Slade was asking Dick to compromise a part of his morality that he held so close and dear to his person that it had come to be a defining part of Nightwing himself. No killing, no matter what. Yet, here Dick was, willing to let that aside so Slade didn't have to lie and push their boundaries. So they could be honest with each other, respect one another. 

 

Slade was so, undoubtedly, in love with Richard Grayson. 

 

The hero fell silent for a long while, his body language showing that he wasn't done talking as he shifted in the chair with lips slightly part. "The only promise that… I'm going to demand of you is that you don't… Assume I'm breaking up with you. Please. Hell even if we're in the middle of a fight and I  _ actually  _ do dump you.. Wait for me to cool down. Come to me and say, 'Hey, you said you didn't want to do this anymore is that really what's there for you?' Or 'When you were mad you said you were done, what did you mean by that' or whatever words you wanna use..”

 

“ I don't  _ want _ to break up, Slade, so if I say something that gives you that impression then  _ please _ tell me. The chances are that I mean something else or if I  _ do _ mean it then it's just out of anger. It's my way of avoiding responsibility for my own stuff by choosing the easy way out or by trying to hurt you."

 

He wanted to say more but his brain was having a hard time keeping up, "I'm not that easy to lose, Slade…. If you want me to give up then you gotta try harder." He smirked trying to lighten the mood.

 

Slade listened regarding the way Dick looked, the expressions he made, the way he spoke. Dick wasn't saying this to placate him, he was just trying to be real with Slade and he wasn't even sure how to process all of this. Dick was so different from everyone else in his life, so much more than Slade even believed he deserved. 

 

"I promise.... I missed you. It felt weird not having you curled around me in the morning."

 

"I missed you too.... God, I missed you so much.." Dick glanced towards the bedroom, "Do you want to sleep in the guest room tonight? I'd move Damian but i think he'd get more mad if I slept with you  _ and _ kicked him out of your cozy bed."

 

"I'm surprised he doesn't sleep hanging from the ceiling." Slade joked, getting up from his knees and feeling the heat from the fire finally leaving his back. 

 

"I'm sure you'll believe me when I say Damian has slept upside down like a bat."

 

The mercenary smirked and swept Dick up from the chair and into his arms like a new bride. "As long as its a bed other than the one on my jet and with you? I'll be just fine." 

 

Slade carried the hero into the guest room and put Dick onto the bed. He pressed himself down on top of him for a moment as he gave Dick a more firm kiss than the ones they'd been sharing in the living room. He pulled away just long enough to strip off his shirt and pants before quickly crawling in under the covers with Dick. 

 

The two men seemed to mold together like puzzle pieces when Slade wrapped his arms around Dick’s waist, his body pressing against Slade's so every inch of skin was touching. It was so warm and soft. Slade placed his face down into the crook of Dick's neck, smelling the scent of his own shampoo on the hero's hair once again. 

 

"You smell like mine." Slade smirked before placing a soft kiss on Dick's neck just below his ear.

 

"That's because I am yours... Completely." Dick smiled and turned his head so he could softly kiss Slade's lips. "As much as I love the smell of my shampoo.. I don't miss it..." He bit his own lip, "I enjoy smelling like you... It... Makes it feel like you're always with me... Like I'm not alone." 

 

"You're hair is softer too ... You can use as much as you'd like." Slade mentioned, shutting his eye as the exhaustion from the last few days began taking over his body. 

 

Dicks fingers tightly interlocked with Slade's, his heart naturally racing as it always did with the older male. Slade put their interlocked fingers against Dick's chest, relaxing at the feeling of Dick's breathing against him. Dick was safe, here with him, something he hadn't been able to confirm physically over the last few days. Though, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't checked in at all, the camera feeds in his home and been monitored frequently by himself. 

 

 "Do you think.... When all this is over.. It'd be too soon to move in together? I sleep better with you around.. You just smell like home."

 

Slade laughed a little when Dick, "Kid, we already  _ do _ live together. It would be odd to go back to separate places after all this. Besides, I, in good conscious, cannot let you go back to living in that Bludhaven deathtrap you call an apartment." 

 

His voice was turning more into a murmur as he felt sleep trying to overtake him. "I'll-" A yawn interrupted him. "-Get something more proper in the city. If that's where you still want to be." Slade finished, kissing Dick's shoulder one last time. 

 

Dick smiled, his hand gently squeezing the other’s hand. "I could be happy here but... I do love the city... We'll have to look at it after this is over, see how things feel." He grumbled, curling more against Slade. It was so easy to get used to this and that was a good thing too because they were going to be staying together.

 

"Discussions for tomorrow though... Get some sleep."

 

"Goodnight, my love."

 

With that Dick had drifted off into a soundless sleep. His breathing grew in sync with Slade's as he relaxed completely, so much so, his heart began to sync up to the older males. 

  
  
  
  
  


Before too long the early sun rose up in the sky and Dick stirred ever so slightly. His body had turned in the night, so he awoke only to discover that his legs had caught Slade's thigh between them. One arm had forced itself under the male and the other was wrapped around Slade's waist, his forehead pressed against the others chest. It was so damn peaceful.

 

 A soft hum escaped the hero as he began tracing Slade's collar bone and chest with his fingertips before they moved to graze his neck. His eyes shifted up to study all of Slade's features, memorizing every detail of his face. He studied his scar, his smooth complexion, the expression his sleeping face held. He was ready to melt at the sight when he heard Slade's phone buzz on the nearby nightstand. 

 

Dick sighed and softly shifted away from his lover, reaching over to grab the device. It wasn't hard to break into it, Dick had already figured Slade out... Okay... So he saw Slade enter the password, that wasn't the point.

 

The message was from Tiggs, '17-23-9 PASSCODE. 1724 W burgundy street. 2100'

 

It was about the meeting. Address, time and the code to get in. Dick knew this street, he's been there a few times so it wouldn't be hard to get to. He sighed and set the phone down before rolling partially onto his back. Part of him wanted to make breakfast but he also wanted to stay in bed.

 

Slade was so dead to the world and just resting peacefully. It had been  _ weeks _ since he'd slept in an  _ actual _ bed which was just made better by the spider monkey he had next to him.

 

Dick was staring at the ceiling when Slade felt his beard moving, then, a soft tug against it. 

 

"Dick stop." Slade muttered out, drawing down his eyebrows. The messing stopped for a few seconds before he felt it again. "Dick, seriously ... It's too early for this." Slade tried again, but this time he heard the tiniest squeak follow it. 

 

His eye opened immediately, looking down he saw a chipmunk. Slade almost laughed, he had to still be sleeping there was no way this was real. He felt Dick shift in the bed before just outside the bedroom the sound of Damian’s voice cut through the air . 

 

"Damn it where did it go?" 

 

In three seconds flat both the rodent and Slade looked at each other and the panic, they should have been feeling, set in. Slade jerked his head away, sending the chipmunk running under the blankets along Slade's body. The man jumped out of bed so quickly he barely felt the shelled peanut falling out of his beard as it hit the floor by his feet. 

 

"Be careful with her you giant animal!" Damian yelled from the ajar door. 

 

"Why is there a wild animal in my house??" Slade asked pointing to the bed and heading over to confront Damian. 

 

"She's an infant and needed care. Even your tiny mind can understand that."

 

"I'm going to throw you in the lake."

 

"Stay away from me, Wilson!"

 

Slade went to open the door up a little more, eye trained on Damian. He didn't even notice the bucket of water sitting on top of the ajar door. The water came splashing down on Slade's head, then the bucket hit his shoulder before rolling to the ground. 

 

Damian was smirking, Slade was in complete shock then, anger. "Now? I'm going to kill you."

 

"GRAYSON!" Damian yelled, running toward the kitchen and around the island to put distance between himself and Slade. "Control this heathen!"

 

Dick felt small paws scurry over his thighs as he shot out of bed. He completely forgot about Damian's pet! He should've told Slade.  

 

"Move!" He ordered the rodent before jumping out of bed. 

 

Damn it! Last night was a bad night to sleep naked. Granted it wasn't as though Damian didn't see it before, they all shared a gym shower together after all, but Dick couldn't chase the two around like this. He hissed and quickly grabbed the robe, pulling it around himself as he rushed out of the room still tying it by the time he made it to the kitchen. He had stepped through the puddle of water and moved so that he was between Slade and the kitchen island. Placing a hand on Slade's wet chest, he gave him a look that read, 'I've got this, take a break.'

 

Slade and Damian shared one last glare across the countertop before Slade broke it and moved into his own bedroom mumbling something about 'demon brat' under his breath. 

 

"Damian, Slade is offering his home to us. He let you come along with us when he could've left you with Bruce, spilling water on him isn't any way to treat him." Dick lectured in his  ‘dad voice’. "I know you don't like Slade but he's my boyfriend. He's going to be part of my life which means you're going to have to get used to him  _ and _ you'll have to learn how to show him some respect."

 

"He is not your boyfriend. I, nor Father, have given you permission to date him. He hasn't proven himself a proper suitor for you, and he's... Old." Damian said with a face that read complete disapproval. "The water was an attempt to cool his passions in a more literal sense. I won't put up with you two... Writhing and consummating in such a manner." Now his face had twisted up in disgust. Just the thought was ... God no.

 

"Damian…" Dick started with a heavy sigh, "I'm 25 years old. I don't  _ need _ permission to date someone. I appreciate that you and Bruce are concerned but.. The only issue we have is our moral conflicts." He explained, "Slade treats me good. He listens to me, he offers a shoulder for me to cry on. He brings me down from panic attacks, respects my boundaries. He makes me feel alive."

 

 God Dick could literally go on forever, "He doesn't hurt me.. Or force me to do things I don't want to do.. He doesn't belittle me or make me feel stupid. As far as a partner goes Slade is  _ perfect _ for me. He meets my needs mentally, spiritually and physically."

 

Slade emerged from the bedroom with sweats and a shirt before immediately heading into the spare bedroom. "Sounds like the talk is going real well." Slade said sarcastically, the sound of blankets shifting being heard. 

 

"What are you doing to Sophia??" 

 

Damian had asked, finally, coming around the counter and stopping to hold his side. He was still pushing it but Damian wouldn't be Bruce's son if he actually relaxed when hurt. 

 

"Relax, I'm just grabbing her." Slade's voice was heard then some scurrying and faint shushing noises from Slade.

 

 When he walked out the baby was wrapped up in a shirt and chewing open a peanut with her small hands. 

 

"Here." 

 

Slade gave  the small animal over to Damian who gently took her and looked over the animal in genuine concern. 

 

"... Thanks. I guess I'm ... Sorry for dousing you with water and upsetting Grayson." Damian said without meeting his eyes.

 

"Revenge is something I specialize at."

 

"I'm  _ hurt _ ."

 

"You'll heal." Slade finished crossing the space between himself and Dick before planting a nice deep kiss on him which  _ horrified _ Damian. Dick quite obviously swooned, his body nearly collapsing under him before he redirected his weight and fell into Slade, hands grasping onto the others shirt as he kissed him back with just as much passion. 

 

"Until then…” Slade started after breaking the kiss, staring into Dick’s eyes as he spoke to Damian, “You're stuck here with our gross romantic gestures."

 

"You monster."

 

Slade smirked. "Okay handsome, what do you want for breakfast?"

 

Dick peeled himself away from Slade, "Cereal will be fine… You can make a protein shake for Damian." He said before softly pulling Slade's beard, "I'm going to get dressed." 

 

A smirk slipped across his lips as he left to Slade's room where he had stored his clothes. After several minutes Dick came out with a deep v-neck Zeppelin shirt and tight dark blue jeans. Slade shot Dick an approving look, That outfit showed off every part of Dick just beautifully. And when he walked by? God, those jeans hugged his ass in a way that should have been absolutely illegal. 

 

"Keep your eye to yourself old man." Damian warned from his seat at the countertop. He had set up a small box on the table that Sophia was currently resting inside. 

 

Dick moved to sit on the counter beside Damian all while pulling the boy closer to his side. "I love you." He whispered in the others hair. 

 

"I love you too Grayson." Damian said quietly, closing his eyes and just listening to the sounds of Slade putting together a quick breakfast. "... I'm not sure I approve of Wilson as a partner for you yet… But if you insist that he's good for you then ... I'll give him a trial period." 

 

Dick couldn’t help but smile before he squeezed Damian in a tight loving hug, kissing his head once more before hopping off the counter to help prepare drinks. He worked on getting coffee for himself and Slade while getting juice for Damian.   
  


"Sophia got attacked by a bird and was dropped on the patio… She was hurt… Damian wanted to help her heal, so that’s why he has a new pet." Dick explained before setting the drinks out and returning to his seat on the counter.

 

“Hn, just don’t turn my house into a petting zoo.”

 

Slade turned the blender on for a few seconds then served breakfast to both boys. A chocolate banana protein smoothie for Damian and cereal for Dick, that was set aside and a bowl of mixed fruit placed in his lap. 

 

"Fruit first, then cereal." Slade said seriously having the other half of the protein shake in his own glass as he started to clean up. 

 

Damian smirked, "Pennyworth would be proud."

 

"Traitor." Dick glared and took a bite of strawberry. 

 

"So, kid ... Meeting's tonight. With Dad Bat MIA what do your little batlings need out in the field?" Slade asked seriously from the sink. "Weapons, supplies, tech?"

 

Dick instantly perked up, "Oh yeah.." 

 

He set the fruit aside and wandered into the spare room before returning with Slade's phone, handing it to him. He even stole a sip of Slade's shake before wrapping an arm around Slade's waist.

 

"Tony the Bronze Tiger texted you with meeting information. I don't know who all is going to be there or how many supplies they have but.." Dick trailed off and returned to the counter where he sat back down and popped a grape into his mouth, talking around it.

 

"I know the rendezvous point is in the open… I don't think bringing artillery would be a good idea. We can have it in the car or whatever and pick a cache to leave it in if they need help. You should go as Deathstroke and I'll play your pet but I was thinking since there might be villains there I'd have my Nightwing suit under my clothes so I can change." 

 

It didn't take Dick long to finish his fruit and move onto the cereal. "We should try and get there a little early so we can get brought up to speed." 

 

"I have an old garage in Gotham that I know is still in tact near the narrows. Has some basics in it, but for a mercenary, not a group of brats." Slade teased drying his hands off. 

 

He didn't mind Dick taking charge, at the current moment, Dick was expected to be submissive and ... Well, his pet. Giving the younger an outlet to do what he excelled at,  _ leadership _ , was necessary. Besides, Slade generally worked alone, leading a group wasn't exactly a strong suit of his (which might surprise some). He was just fine with taking his boyfriend's lead. 

 

"I can have a runner drop off some supplies to it as need be. I want to check and make sure it hasn't been compromised in anyway before hand. Then you can give the code and location out as you please."

 

Slade picked his own smoothie up and sipped some of it, thinking more. "And… I think You should just go as Nightwing. The Court can think I’m making a statement and I'm not going to demean you in front of a group of people we have no reason to deceive in the first place. Besides, even if they are part of the resistance, I don't want to give them any reason to think they are allowed to treat you as anything less than an equal."

 

Damian was watching the two of them talk, green eyes carefully examining the situation. "What about a suit?"

 

"I... May have picked one up while I was out." Slade had been near Bludhaven and Dick's apartment was ridiculously easy to break into. "I noticed you left the one Jason brought you at the cave so…” The male shrugged, “ I also got your gear, escrima sticks ... I can't have you running around with me as Deathstroke and  _ not  _ be able to defend yourself."

 

Dick couldn't help but smile softly at Slade before nodding, "Alright. That sounds good. It'll be dark when we go out and from what I've heard security is tight, High Court officials have been trying to purge out and eliminate all remaining heroes… Even if you want them to think you’re making a statement I want to avoid them.” 

 

“Roy has a drone in the bracelet he gave me, while you were gone I figured out how to use it. It can help us keep an eye out so we don't run into anyone." Dick explained. 

 

Finally, Dick finished his cereal and hopped down to wash his bowl. "Which suit did you grab?"

 

"I tried to pick out one with more protection on it, your usual catsuit is ... Barely protective at the best of times." 

 

"Finally something we can agree on." Damian said, crossing his arms and nodding his head in agreement. 

 

"Anyway, it's that two piece with the utility belt that has the thicker kevlar built in. Though, it was only one of two that wasn't shoved into the back of your closet on the floor." 

 

Dick's apartments were always ... Interesting. He wasn't necessarily a messy housekeeper, but he didn't, by any means, keep the kind of spartan cleanliness that Slade did in all of his own spaces. No clutter, no spills, no mess, beds made, organized.

 

Damian sighed, "I assume you're still going to make me stay here?"

 

"Yes." Slade answered for Dick almost immediately. "I have a list of things for you to do while we are gone to keep you busy. The first is cleaning up the water on the floor."

 

"I'm hurt, Wilson, I can't be cleaning your house."

 

"You were well enough to put a bucket on top of the door, I think you can manage mopping up a puddle. Besides, there is a reward for you if you do." Slade said, making Damian roll his eyes. 

 

"I don't need whatever reward you have to offer me."

 

"Hm. We'll see." Slade had raised three kids, one just as stubborn as Damian, he'd get his way. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  
  


After a few phone calls and some arranging Dick and Slade had jetted off to Gotham, the ride wasn't long but it was filled with a bit of uneasy anticipation. There was so much that could go wrong. Being caught by the High Court, the resistance meeting going poorly, but ... Slade had a feeling that Dick was worried about an entire other set of issues. Mainly? Those regarding their relationship. This was the first time Dick, since Bruce, had to be with him around friends, family, and colleges since they began dating. Slade wasn't expecting much, there was a nearly silent agreement between the two of them that they wouldn't be bringing up the subject on their own. This meeting was supposed to be about strategy and didn't need to turn into gossip about their relationship. Also, Slade had a sneaking suspicion that Dick might be embarrassed by them still. It wasn't something he wanted to actually believe, because Dick had said so much that contradicted that fact, but there was an inkling he had that maybe Dick wasn't as proud of their being together as he wanted to believe. 

 

In the end; only time would tell. 

 

Slade and Dick had checked out the storage facility and were pleased to see that it didn't have a single sign of the destruction that blanketed most of the city. The fence was called and agreed to drop off the supplies, plus would be on call for the foreseeable future to make any other drops that they might need. Slade didn't even want to talk about how much money he had to pay to get the woman to agree to this task but any amount of money to destroy the High Court was worth every penny.  Later, they had finally made it the narrows. 

 

"Should be just around the corner." Slade said through his mask, pointing to the dark alleyway that slid in between two larger buildings. 

 

He was in full gear from head to toe, the only things he skipped were his larger guns and settled for a couple daggers clipped to his belt instead of his larger swords. The last thing he needed to do was come to a meeting armed to the hilt and give off the wrong impression of why they were there. 

 

"By the way ... It's nice to see you back in blue finger stripes again."

 

"I've missed it… A lot actually… This reminds me of when we used to work together… That was actually when I began accepting that I had a crush on you… I mean I still ignored and fought it but.." Dick shrugged and turned the corner of the Alley. "For the record, it's nice seeing you in your Deathstroke uniform… You'd look awful in the High Court garb. I'm surprised they don't force you to wear it."

 

It was after that comment a ball of energy flew passed Dick. Nightwing jumped back and looked at Deathstroke only to find that ball of energy had clung to Slade's chest armor. Electrical bursts could been seen running through and around Slade's body as he was electrocuted. Slade had barely been able to move let alone block the taser and that’s when he realized he had been entirely distracted by Dick in his suit. Really, who could blame him? Especially now that he knew all of what was under it.

 

Slade hit the ground after tensing up, the electricity charging through him with a white flash that sizzled out leaving him a tad disoriented and wanting to punch a bat brat or two. Dicks eyes then moved to the end of the Alley where Harper had emerged from the shadows holding a giant taser gun. 

 

"That's okay, I think he looks better in my electrical garb." She said with a smirk.

 

Dick lit up when he saw her, relief spreading through him as he covered his mouth and choked out a snort. 

 

"Harper! He's with us!"

 

"Uh.. Hello!? Mask here? Am I the only one who  _ actually _ cares about hiding my identity? Dick." She definitely wasn't using his name. 

 

Nightwing couldn't stop himself from hugging her before he moved to help Slade up, "Jesus… What did you hit him with?"

 

"109 volts…" Harper shrugged.

 

Cass had jumped down on top of a fire escape hanging behind them silently. She had been so shocked to hear that Dick had been taken by Deathstroke himself. She worried for him, knew the kind of things that man was capable of. The things that Bruce and Tim told her he'd done to both the Titans and the Justice League.

 

It was hard for her to even consider Deathstroke being on their side but when she thought about their body language it began making sense. Dick had been loose, moving freely, hands swaying with his walk like they did whenever he was excited to go out on a nightly patrol. He was purposefully giving Slade distance though, as he walked she saw him move toward the man, then correct himself forward. When Slade was electrocuted he did genuinely find it humorous, but there was a faint tense to his shoulder showing true concern as well.

 

Even though Cass didn't know Slade as well, she could tell he was more relaxed, guard down toward Dick. He checked his surroundings, but otherwise kept his full attention on Dick by him. His reaction to the taser? Genuine pain.

 

Once Dick had helped Slade off the ground and into a somewhat stable upright position Cass came swinging down from her post and all but about tackled Dick into a hug. Usually, she wasn't so open with physical affection, but Dick was alive and  _ okay _ ! He wasn't dead!

 

Dick grunted, a smile on his lips as he quickly turned around and hugged Cassandra tightly. 

 

"Cass! I should've known you'd find Bluebird. I was worried about you."

 

Slade looked at Harper with a hard look, "Nice to see you all too. Ben didn't tell me we'd have a welcoming party."

 

Harper returned the hard look Slade wore, suspicion in her gaze. "That's funny because Ben didn't mention  _ you'd _ be showing up. From what I hear you're willing to do just about anything to fill your bank account."

 

"Hey." Dick interjected, his body shifting between the two. "We can trust him."

 

"Can we?" Harper asked, "Can we trust any of them? These are people who would be more than happy to see us dead." Why was she so tense now?

 

"If Slade wanted us dead he would've killed us before the Court even considered taking over." Fuck… This wasn't going well. He decided to be indirect and took Slade's hand giving it a squeeze. "He wants to stop the Court just as badly as everyone else."

 

Slade was glad he had the mask on because he flushed just a tad. It was such an open gesture that he hadn't been expecting, he barely responded in fact, just lightly holding his hand in return as he tried to keep his focus off of that and on the environment around them. He had already made the mistake of letting his guard down once tonight. Slade couldn't afford to do it again. 

 

Harper sighed and powered her taser down, "I trust you, Dick… Lets get moving, your family is waiting to see you." She then looked at Slade before glancing to Dick. "What's the code?"

 

"17-23-9." Those numbers seemed so familiar…

 

Harper gave a nod and got moving, eyes ahead as they headed into the abandoned building. She took them under the rubble and through the hall, stopping at the door and knocking. Croc answered, she had Slade repeat the number, and she headed in. The room was already full of all the guests though most of the heroes were missing. Harper passed the bar and the armory slipping into the secret tunnel. 

 

She lead the two a little ways down before turning to the right instead of going to the crashed jet. They then stepped into a small cavern where everyone in the batfam was.

 

When they entered the room both Barbara and Jason had been standing by the table in the center of the room, sitting in front of someone on a chair. Jason had his arms on his hips like a disappointed mother, helmet held under one arm against his side. Barbara was shaking her head at something before pushing her hand through that always gorgeous red hair that flowed down her back. 

 

"Slick!" Roy yelled.

 

Dick smiled at the redhead before his eyes landed on another figure. "Barbara?" Dick asked, a mix of strong emotions in his voice.

 

Barbara's attention turned instantly toward Dick, surprise, then a large smile, then ... Anger. It was so quick that, if you didn't know her, all you would have seen was the anger. 

 

"Where have you been?" She asked crossing the room toward him, revealing Tim was the one being scolded by Jason and Barbara together. "No, I'm sorry, let me rephrase. How  _ dare  _ you run off like that, Richard Grayson. You just decided on something and left, like usual, and left me with all of the kids."

 

"I resent that." Jason said jokingly. Barbara turned to level him with a sharp look.

 

"Shut it." She warned before getting in front of Dick and poking a finger to his chest. "I ... We were worried  _ sick  _ about you. Had no idea for  _ months  _ what had happened, where you had gone, if you were even alive only to find out you were with  _ Deathstroke _ . I'd punch you in the goddamn teeth if you already weren't a bruised mess." Barbara commented, looking him over. 

  
  


Months? Dick didn’t think he was in the Court’s captivity for that long. 

 

Finally, with a sigh, the anger dropped out of her voice as she hugged him. "You idiot." She squeezed more than was entirely necessary. "I'm glad you are okay."

 

 Nightwing exhaled and shifted back putting a hand on her cheek. "I wouldn't be me if I didn't make stupid choices." He smirked. Dick finally dropped his hand and shifted back.

"That's true, doesn't make it any less frustrating." Barbara replied with a sharp look. 

 

"How have you been doing?" 

 

"Fine. Helena scooped me up from the High Court, we've been playing the pet game and running jobs to help the resistance. We just got back from a coordinated effort to rescue a group of meta children that were being held on a base in Nova Scotia. Could have used you ... Barely got in the front door before alarm bells were ringing." 

 

They hadn't been nearly quiet enough, but, they accomplished what they set out to do and now fifteen children were safer because of it. "Speaking of rescue efforts..." 

  
  
  
  
  


Slade raised an eyebrow at Roy. "Slick?" He questioned completely lost as to why he'd say such a thing. Of course Slade Wilson wouldn't know about couples names.

 

 "Ya know… Slick! Slade, Dick. Take them mash 'em together…" Roy began explaining, "It's like Jay and I are 'Joy'." He wasn't exactly being quiet here but… Oh well.

 

"Roy." 

 

Jason nearly hissed out. He wasn't about to out Dick in front of everyone for having a ... 'Friendly' relationship with Slade. Jason left Tim hesitantly to reign in his boyfriend, er, fiance.

 

Roy looked at Slade, arms crossed. "So how's Damian doing? He healin' up okay?" 

 

"He's up to his usual bratty behavior so I'd say he's recovering just fine." 

 

Slade sighed, taking his mask off now that they were inside. He tried to ignore the eyes on him, even Barbara was regarding him carefully though... He felt almost the same way. The way Dick had hugged her, touched her was so familiar and ... No. No. Slade wasn't going to fall victim to this childish jealousy. His eyes turned back toward the pair now standing in front of him. 

 

"He set up a bucket of water on the door frame this morning."

 

Jason nearly buckled over in laughter. "I can't believe he actually did it! Oh ... That little shit." He was almost crying. "God damn it, Roy, we owe him twenty bucks each now. I really didn't think he'd actually do it." 

 

A smirk spreading across the redheads face as he gave the other a mischievous look. "How'd  _ you _ take it, Captain Crunch?"

 

"About skinned him alive." Deathstroke answered honestly before looking over at Dick, his face softened a little bit. "Just stupid kid things, Dick handled it, mostly."

 

Jason all but rolled his eyes, elbowing Roy in the side. "I think the pirate has fallen for the blue booty." He sassed making Slade glare at him. "You two official yet or still just being-"

 

"We aren't discussing this." Slade interrupted, looking around. "It'll only be a distraction. This meeting isn't about that."He crossed his arms. 

 

Roy couldn't help but to quirk a brow, Slade was awfully defensive. If that wasn't a yes then Roy didn't know what was. It was honestly cute, if the redhead was being honest, he'd tell Slade that he was always supportive of Dicks crush. He saw the way the little Robin stared at the big bad Deathstroke and Roy always told him that 'Slade was hot so there was nothing wrong with looking'

 

"Where is Lian?"

 

"With that German doctor. Tony the Tiger was nice enough to drop them off in Germany on the way here. Ended up being a good thing because Tim needed to be seen by a doctor." Jason mentioned, looking over at him then back.

 

"He looks ..." Slade started.

 

"Terrible? Yeah. Dehydration, possible concussion, malnutrition. Tim wouldn't let them look at him anymore. Hooked him up to an IV on the way here... He won't tell us what happened. Fucking stubborn ass kid. I'm hoping he'll talk to Dick or Harper." 

  
  
  


Tim had left his seat on the chair as Barbara looked over at him standing by Harper and Cassandra. He'd simply walked up to both of them and wrapped them both in a hug. Cass responded by snuggling her head into his shoulder.

 

 "Communication is great but ... Seeing you two alive and okay in person is so much better." Tim breathed, then touched Cassandra's hair. "You need a haircut."

 

"You weren't here."

 

"I know." Tim said almost apologetically as his attention turned to Harper. "I ... heard about Steph and ..." Tim swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I know you two were there and I can't imagine." 

 

Tim already looked exhausted. His cheeks still flushed from his time in the box, dark circles under his eyes from getting absolutely no sleep for ... Four days now? He couldn't remember. The rest of him was pale, which only highlighted the bruising on his temple and bottom lip. His eyes couldn't help but to shine talking about Steph which just added to his pathetic looking state.

 

 "I love you guys ... I'm so sorry I couldn't be here to ... I don't know."

 

"Yeah... She.... I couldn't stop them.." Harper’s words were above a whisper, her heart aching. She hasn't let any of this out and right now it was hard to hold it in.

 

Tim shook his head, "Harper, I know you. You did everything you could. What you've accomplished here is incredible. I couldn't be more proud of you, and Steph ... God she would be too." 

 

 Dick had gotten to them at this point and without any words wrapped his arms around Harper and pulled her into his chest. He heard about Steph on the news... He cried for hours on the way here. His fingers brushed through her hair as he looked at Tim, "How are you doing?" He asked with a look that read 'don’t lie. I see right through you.'

 

Tim watched Cass wring her hands and stare at Harper. It was the look she got when she wanted to help and didn't know how. It also hadn't completely escaped him how much touching Cass had allowed from Harper, that light blush on her cheeks when Harper put her arm around Cassandra's shoulders. 

 

Dick was always the family hugger, the one who swooped in to deal with crying and other hard emotions, but ... Tim could see that maybe Cassandra needed to be given a chance here. He put a hand on Cassandra's shoulder, grabbing her attention as he leaned his head toward the pair as if to say, 'go ahead'. 

 

"Dick." 

 

Tim started watching Cass literally squeeze herself between Dick and Harper in a hilarious fashion. She went under Dick's arms and popped up between them before hugging Harper tight against her chest. Tim couldn't help but laugh. Dick squeezed Cass and then stepped back looking the girls over. Harper completely melted into Cass, crying into her chest as she embraced her tightly. The way Cass held her was so supportive and loving, it didn't take long for him to suspect that they had a more intimate relationship. He knew Harper was Bi, he just never knew what Cass identified as.

 

"You needed to cry." Cass said in a hushed tone against her ear, nuzzling her a little too. 

 

A hand came up to replace the one Dick had in her hair, combing it back out of the way. Barbara came up to the two girls not long after, gently suggesting they take a seat at the table so Harper could relax a little more. Cass never fully took her hands off of the other girl, and even once they sat down Cass sat in front of Harper and used a tissue to help clean her face and caress her face at the same time. It was definitely odd behavior for Cassandra, but for her it just felt so natural ... For once. 

  
  


"I um." Tim tried to recover, his mind felt so foggy even the smallest distraction had him needing to refocus. "Fine. I'm doing fine considering. Ra's is Ra's so it isn't ideal, but it isn't anything I can't handle." He avoided Dick's eyes to look off at a wall. "I'm safe. I know you are worried but he won't do any lasting physical damage."

 

"Tim…. Just because you're with Ra's doesn't mean you have to pretend that what he does to you is okay." Dick then began studying Tim's temple before looking over the other signs of dehydration, "What did he do to you, Tim? You can talk to me." 

 

He felt like he was begging but… God… He and Slade needed to work on getting Tim out of there. Dick glanced back at Slade before refocusing on Tim.

 

"I never said what he did was okay, what I said was that I can handle it." Tim repeated firmly, "I know what is going on here, Dick. You and Barbara are probably already trying to plan some way to get me out of this and Jason has  _ already _ said Ra's is good as dead the next time he comes by him. You're worried, you don't think I can handle any more of this." 

 

Tim looked at Dick again. "But I can, I  _ have _ to. This isn't just about me, this is about everyone. We are  _ all  _ making sacrifices to,  _ literally _ , save the world. I am the closest to the High Court and their upper command because of my connections with Ra's. I have access to things no one else does at this point and I cannot give that up because you guys are trying to be protective." 

 

"....It's called the box." Tim said softly, sitting down on a beat up looking loveseat near them. "Heated to something like a hundred degrees and cramp enough you can just barely fit in it, there is no moving or stretching. There is barely enough room to expand your chest to breathe even. So you just sit there and ... Sweat. Better than lashes though." 

 

The teen shrugged his shoulders. "He should have killed me for what I did. I got in his face, yelled at him, I think he knew I was seconds from hitting him." Tim bit his chapped bottom lip a little. "The High Court sent me a picture of Steph's body, a cutting of her hair, and her cowl. They told me that if I didn't start shaping up that there would be consequences. I lost it, Connor tried to calm me down but I just .... Couldn't. Oh, um ... Connor has been at the compound because of some weird exchange Luthor and Ra's made and ... Anyway." Tim was getting off subject, it was hard to focus. He couldn't stop thinking about Stephanie's corpse and it was making him ill. 

 

"When I went to Ra's, I told him that one of my conditions was that he'd make sure my family was safe, that none of you would die. He broke his promise, but, as he so eagerly reminded me ... So have I." Tim scrubbed his face and looked down at the floor. "I think ... No. I know they murdered Steph because of me. I'm not stupid enough to think that it's my fault but, if I had been more careful then maybe she'd still be alive. I don't know." He sighed.

 

 "Really though Dick, I'm okay. I can do this, I have to do this. Otherwise, who will?"

 

"Tim.. I'm sorry…. I don't want to sound like I doubt you… I don't… You're the best Robin there's been. You're smarter than all of us put together and unlike any of us, you know how to manage your emotions.. My concern is with Ra's… He's ruthless. Mean.. Twisted… He's  _ already  _ hurt you, Tim, and I don't want him to kill you." 

 

That was nothing but honest. Dick then sighed again resisting the urge to pull him into a tight hug, "I'm glad he hasn't… And I'm glad you're okay… I know this is pushing us all to the brink and we're all going to have to endure things we can barely handle but you  _ don’t _ have to do this.”

 

"I'm not going to try to 'rescue' you Tim... But.... We are going to come up with plans to get you out of there if things go South... Just... Tell us please." Dick pleaded before he removed his gauntlet. 

 

He pressed a button on the side of the bracelet Roy gave him extracting the spider like drone. He handed the device to Tim, "This sends me camera and audio feeds.. It notifies me by making my bracelet vibrate and then it stores the information for me to listen to or watch... Just let me know if you need a quick extraction. I know you have Kon but... I just.... You're my baby brother, I can't help but to worry."

 

Tim took the bot Dick gave him, looking it over. "You really don't think I can handle this. That's why you're complimenting me so much ... Picking out a 'best' Robin objectively for you is like asking a mother who her favorite child is." He commented. "I don't need help. You're handling Slade just fine and he's  _ just _ as untrustworthy  _ and  _ cruel. Or have you just forgotten what he did to Rose and the Titans? It's dangerous for  _ both _ of us. If you don't need an evac plan than neither do I." 

 

Tim handed back the bot. "It's too risky anyway and we both know it." He went to stand up and push his hand through his hair. "Let's get this family meeting moving now."

 

"Tim! that's  _ not _ what's going on here. The problem isn't your efficiency, it’s that you  _ don't _ know when to stop. I don't want you pushing yourself until you get killed…. "And being with Slade is  _ not _ like that." There was some anger, he was going to have to get used to this argument. "Slade may have done fucked up things but he is  _ not _ a Ra's Al Ghul and I know  _ damn _ well he wouldn't hurt me." 

 

Dick said that bit a little too loud and it caused Roy and Harper to both look over. Shit... Now wasn't the time for this. Instead of carrying on Dick sighed and walked away from Tim, storing the bot back in his bracelet before putting the gauntlet back on.

 

"We'll see."  Tim muttered.

 

 Dick moved to stand by Slade and just about leaned on him however, after leaning towards the other he pulled himself away. 

 

Roy bit his cheek and slung an arm around Jason and Dick, "Wow... You're getting along with everyone."

 

Dick shoved Roy off of him and shot him a silent glare, Roy put his hands up and moved behind Jason, hugging him and softly kissing his neck. He loved how that washer looked on his necklace. He still needed to get Jason a real ring. 

 

"Aw cute." 

 

Barbara teased from over by the girls which had Jason turning six deep shades of red instantly and getting antsy in Roy's hold.

 

 "Oh my God, stop it, Jay, we all know. You two are dating, it isn't a secret." Barbara pointed out with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "Now, everyone have a seat or listen up." 

 

She commanded, which seemed to get everyone moving. Dick was an excellent leader, but so was Babs and she was also terrifying to piss off. Even hot head Jason knew better than to start fights with her. 

 

"Deathstroke leaves first." Tim said sternly, looking toward him.

 

"Hey, Dick's right he isn't a threat." Jason of all people piped up to defend Slade. "We can trust him."

 

"Doesn't matter. This is Bat business." Barbara countered. 

 

"What about Roy?" Cass added fairly.

 

Barbara just laughed, "Roy is  _ family _ . He and Lian have been at the last two family Christmases. I  _ trust _ him."

 

Dick was just about seething. No... Slade wasn't family but this was a war... A war that needed as many people as they could get, especially strong people who may or may not have a healing factor. 

 

“Slade is-” Dick started before Slade squeezed his shoulder.

 

"That's fair…. I'll wait outside." With that, Slade was leaving Dick's side and heading out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. 

 

The moment the door shut he plugged an impossibly small drive into the media console on the table, illuminating the clear screen in the middle with files he began pulling open as he sat down at the table. 

 

"Now, if we are done I can start. Seats." Tim seemed just as irritated as Dick and was giving orders like Bruce would have after a long night on patrol. 

 

Jason looked bothered, taking glances at Dick as he purposefully had Roy and himself sit in the empty seats closest to Tim so Dick and he had some space. Jason and Roy where the only ones in the room who knew and Jason personally knew how hard it was to be with someone that Bruce didn't approve of. Sure Slade was different, he was a mercenary, not just a bad choice making recovering drug addict, but that didn't mean Jason didn't understand the sting of rejection when people didn't see your loved one the way you did. What Jason saw in Roy was a compassionate MENSA level genius who was also his lovable idiot and an amazing father. He didn't just see the bad things, the mistakes, because they weren't who Roy was anymore. Part of his past, part of what made him who he is? Sure. So ... Jason wanted to believe Dick saw something in Slade and, honestly? Jason saw some of it too. Lian told him stories of Slade comforting them on the ship, about making Slade art, how she felt comfortable and safe around him. Lian's opinion was one that Jason respected, child or not, she could read people better than he could. So for now? Jason was okay with letting Slade date Dick, okay with the mercenary around the family. The man had won over Jason's daughter, so he had his support.    
  


Dick frowned and broke eye contact before staring at the floor, reluctantly making his way to the table. He didn't sit down, he just held onto the back of the seat beside Jason making the wood creak in his grip. Dick was going to tell them after the meeting, his own little 'fuck you' to his family.... He wanted to get it all over with so that afterwards he could elope with Slade as opposed to being stuck listening to their bullshit. 

 

"You okay?" Jason asked Dick in a hushed tone, looking over his older brother's face.

 

Dick glanced at him and shook his head at Jason's question, he wasn't okay... Jason understood not to pry, unlike Dick he could take a hint about people needing space. He nodded and looked forward away from Dick. 

 

Tim had his eyes trained on Dick. A bit of regret and hurt in his expression. Tim had been so excited to see his family, to imagine being around them again and not so ... Alone. After this he was going back to being alone. Sure Connor was there now but they couldn't even be together.

"So... Timbelina, what's your master plan?" Roy asked.

 

"I don't so much have a plan as much as I have information." Tim pulled up the screen shot Harper sent him a few days earlier. "Harper has been able to hack into the High Court's system-"

 

" _ Very _ nice Harper." Barbara said with genuine praise and surprise. Shit, she had been struggling to break through for months. This was amazing news. 

 

"-However the written text wasn't anything we recognized off the bat. It looked familiar though, eastern for sure. It took me a while to pinpoint the base language and start translating but this is similar to Earth chinese from around 1200 BC but ... Evolved. It shares some form characteristics with the early forms of arabic language. At first I thought they'd made it up to cover their tracks, Harper suggested they may have been part of some secret society in the mountains. Regardless these are not aliens, somehow these people are from earth ... Or some form of it."

 

"Bruce is supposed to deal with this kind of alternative realities bullshit." Jason groaned, old man needed to get back to life and clean this damn mess up. 

 

"They  _ are _ human. That was confirmed  by Barbara when she ran a DNA sample from yesterday's successful takeover of the youth compound in Nova Scotia." Tim flipped through the different test results on the screen as he clicked different buttons on his keyboard. 

 

"I've been able to put together a timeline of their activities based on their database, prior knowledge, and some detective work." Tim pulled up a literal line on the screen that opened up to different points. "People began disappearing twelve months ago. The High Court took them, then returned them without memories or with a renewed passion for revolution under the Highest Court. Turns out they were not only brainwashing those they kidnapped, but they were testing them for meta abilities, stealing their blood and DNA.”   
  
“Some records for individuals gave them a rating in four core categories: strength, intelligence, invulnerability, and unique. Based on this, the person's DNA was chosen for the 'next step', human trial. As we have suspected, the High Court has been building the perfect soldiers using the DNA from metas across the globe. We have reason to believe that even their researchers and scientists are created using the same idea of perfect genetics." Tim knew this information might be shocking, it wasn't really great and it was weird as hell. 

 

"After four months of planning and preparation they blew up our government's systems. We could never tell before how they so easily infiltrated these buildings but ... They used employees from each site as human explosives. Each had gone missing at some point before and were implanted with the explosive devices. These people likely had no idea what happened." Tim tabbed over. 

 

"At six months the Justice League was attacked and higher restrictions and round ups of metas started. More research facilities were temporarily set up. At nine months ... Metas began to be killed in Court custody. In another three to four months they plan on moving onto the next phase. As far as I could pick up between a conversation Ra's and the Honor it's about 'replacing populations' and 'the birth of perfection'. It's cryptic, doesn't tell us much but ... It gives us an idea of what D-Day is. My guess? If we can't take things back from them in this next couple months ... We never will. We are at the precipice. Either we hit them now or don't bother at all."

 

"We need to share this information." Dick finally spoke up, "We can't stop them unless we have help and we can't get people to pick up their speed if they don't see the timeline." 

 

"There's some people here who have access to the High Court... If they can infiltrate from the inside.." Harper started.

 

"We have to hit them all at once or divert their attention. If they know we're attacking we will be targeted." Roy pitched in.

 

Finally, Dick sat down and leaned back, he couldn't shake the pit in his stomach. "We need to work on infiltrating their support systems... Ra's... Luthor...." He mentioned, "They're using both of them... They need them."

 

"That will help but we still need to wipe these guys out.." Harper said before getting up and grabbing a round orb before setting it on the table, "Based off of Tim's research I began looking into ways to stun the meta gene... Hypothetically a blast from this will freeze the neurons in the brain that tells the meta attributes to activate thus shutting them down, kind of like Blackgates prison collars. Its an electric emp... Problem is I need to test it and if it works on a normal meta it  _ is _ still possible it won't work on a High Court official." Harper said before taking a seat.

 

"And how will you test it?" Roy asked as Harper frowned.

 

"I need a volunteer." Her eyes shifted to Dick who tensed.

 

"No... Slade isn't a toy... I'll find another way to test you emp...."

 

"Deathstroke is the best option, Dick." Barbara chimed in. "He isn't a normal meta, or rather he wasn't born a meta. These people are the same, they were altered later in life, so was Slade.  There are other metas we could try it on, but the results wouldn't give us the accuracy his would."

 

"If you can work on figuring out how to stop the High Court's forces I ... Connor and I are working on turning Ra's and Luthor against each other. They'll destroy themselves." Tim said trying not to make it sound as morbid as it probably did. "If that EMP works the rest is a piece of cake." Tim finished, looking toward Dick. "I know you don't like the idea, but it's the best one we have. If Slade is trustworthy and with the cause he shouldn't have any reservations about doing this. We  _ have _ to do this, Dick."

 

"This has nothing to do with whether or not he's worth the cause.... He’s just expendable to you.” Dick snapped, “He's not a lab rat, we  _ don't _ experiment on people.... What will happen of the emp is ineffective? What are the risks if it doesn't work?" He didn't care how defensive he looked right now.

 

"I would think given his abilities the blast wouldn't be fatal... I mean maybe worse case scenario he loses his powers permanently." Roy pitched in. 

 

Dick gestured towards him, "Permanently lose his powers? Slade is one of our best bets of defeating the High Court  _ because _ of his abilities. We can't afford that risk."

 

Jason looked pissed and uncomfortable, he sat with his own arms crossed and stared down at the table in front of him. He was empathetic, always had been, and seeing plus feeling what Dick was going through made him feel itchy and wrong. What if they asked to do experiments on Roy? Jason would never allow it. 

 

"We need to make sure the device is as safe as it can be before a trial. Roy should look it over before the first test."

 

"I already looked at Harper's drawings. The device is built well I assure you." Tim shot back. 

 

To question Harper's ability to make a well functioning device was to question his own; he taught her nearly everything. Besides Roy and himself already got onto tiffs as it is.

 

"Then it won't hurt for Roy to give it a second look. I think everyone will feel more comfortable if we did." Jason pushed staring Tim down who folded with a nearly silent, 'fine'. 

 

"Why don't you give him the choice?" Harper finally asked, "I know this goes against your ethics, Dick... But... This shouldn't be your choice. It's not your body. It's not your powers."

 

Like hell it wasn't. Dicks eyes fell on the table, brows furrowed as he seemed to pout. "Fine..." It was so hesitant, "But I'm going to be the one to talk to him about it..."

 

Cass watched Dick's face. She had been this whole time, she leaned in close to Harper until her lips were just barely touching the other's ear. "He loves him." Cass said quietly, but so matter of factly as if it was an undeniable truth. 

 

Harper looked back at Dick, thinking back to when Dick held Slade's hand. She then leaned in and whispered back, "I think they're seeing each other.... This must be hard for him. No one will accept that." She heard all about Slade but... If Dick found something to love in him then maybe the guy wasn't so bad.

 

"If there isn't anything else-" Barbara started before there were voices heard outside. 

 

One male, presumably Slade, and another female voice could be heard outside. 

 

"-They are in a meeting-"

 

"Then I will have to interrupt it!" 

 

The doors came open to reveal Koriander in her nearly glowing red headed glory, all but pushing past Slade as she entered the room, floating immediately toward the table.

 

"What is he doing here?" She gawked  back.

 

"Kori, we asked you to wait out in the meeting room." Barbara tried to remind her, but it was far too late. 

 

Kori spotted Roy and Jason and squealed, b-lining toward them and lifting both boys out of their chairs easily, crushing them into a hug against her chest. 

 

"You're here!" After which she kissed both of them on the mouths like it was no big deal at all, Jason flushed, Tim actually laughed a little. "You both learned a new language."

 

"Belarusian ... Nice to see you Star." Jason said in genuine reaction.

 

"You too! How is my princess?" She asked Roy.

 

"That's what I should be asking you, butter cup!" Roy responded, letting an arm shift around her body. He loved her. "Lian's doing great, she's even made some friends." He explained.

 

Starfire couldn’t help but smile and let out a chuckle before her green eyes fell to Dick, "Dick! Your okay too! ... Angry though..."

 

Dick fayned a smile, "I'm... Fine.... Just a tough meeting." He explained before standing and giving her (and incidentally Roy and Jason) a gentle hug. 

 

Roy frowned before pushing Kori's hair back, "Where have you been hiding?"

 

"I was off planet when everything started. You know ... Home world business." She waved it off. "I got back and couldn't get ahold of anyone, you two had disappeared. I thought about looking but I didn't want to expose you. Barbara and Helena found me when I destroyed some compound they had been spying on. Whoops." 

 

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've been helping them ever since. We just rescued over a dozen kids from this horrible place. I'm helping take care of them in Hawaii at the moment. You two should come! I could use an extra hand." Kori suggested with bright eyes and a hopeful tone. Jason almost considered it for a moment ... Almost. 

 

"If the meetings over..." Dick trailed off looking towards the door before back to Tim. “Slade offered some supplies for everyone.” He reached and typed the coordinates of the cache on the computer, “Not that you care.” With that Dick turned and left.

 

"He seems upset..." Kori said as she watched Dick walk away with a frown. "What happened?" 

She asked having released Jason and Roy. 

 

"Timmy and him got into a fight. Plus ..." 

 

Jason looked around, Tim was getting up and handing over his copy of information to Barbara while he called for Harper to show him to the ship so he could make a complete secure line into Nanda Parbat. 

 

"It's complicated. Dick's in love." 

 

"Oh boy. Who's the lucky lady this time?" 

 

Jason couldn't help but chuckle a little.

 

"He's fucking Slade." Shit, those weren't the right words but at least the volume was contained, "I mean... He is but they're dating... At least they seem to be.. If not then they're lying." Dick was gonna be pissed but oh well, the cat was already out of the bag and there was no going back. Fucking Roy.

 

"Fucking Deathstroke??" The first part came out loud and then trailed into something like a whisper. "How is that possible?? After everything he did to us how could-" Kori stopped and shook her head. "No. He's being manipulated somehow, there is no way..."

 

"Kori ... Slade isn't a terrible guy." Jason said which put a horrified look on Kori's face. 

 

"You hush your mouth, Jason Peter Todd." 

 

"No, wait listen. Even Lian likes him-"

 

"You two let him around Lian?!"

 

"Holy shit I forgot what it's like to have an actual adult around." Jason said mostly to Roy. "Look, all I'm saying is that Dick likes him and, frankly, there isn't a damn thing we can do about it whether we like it or not. So all we can do is trust Dick's judgement-"

 

"He has  _ terrible _ judgement." Kori mumbled. 

 

"Okay. Still. He's a big boy." 

 

"You expect me to keep this a secret, don't you?" 

 

"Please?" Jason asked, Kori didn't budge an inch, literally staring down at him. "Fine. I'll tell you a secret in return."

 

Jason reached over and grabbed Roy around the shoulders and reached under his uniform to grab out the ring that was placed on what was now a much more heavy duty chain ... As was the dumb washer that Jason loved, around his own neck. 

 

"Roy and I are getting married."

 

The scream, or really squeal, that she admitted probably could be heard through the entire hideout.

  
  
  
  
  


Once outside Dick instantly wrapped his arms around Slade and buried his face into the others chest. 

 

"Woah ... hey Kid." Slade said, surprised but only for a second. 

 

His shoulders relaxed, a hand wrapping around the middle of Dick's back, the other combing through the hair at the base of his head and the back of his neck. 

 

"Family problems? ... Trust me, I get it." Slade tried a light joke and then hugged him a little tighter. "Need to talk or just unwind?"

 

Dick was so grateful for Slade, especially when he checked in to see if Dick wanted to talk or not. It wasn't the first time but he still loved it, it made his stomach flutter and his heart race. His eyes shifted up to meet Slade's mask, 

 

"They want to test an emp on you. The idea is that it'll stun your meta genes and get rid of your powers. The one they want to test will only have temporary effects but they want to make emps that have a permanent impact.... Turns out the High Court comes from the mountains... They're human, they just have been kidnapping metas and experimenting on them, extracting their DNA to make themselves super soldiers." Dick explained, his grip on Slade's waist tightening, "If Harper or Tim's calculations are wrong then their Emp may either kill you or permanently disable your abilities.... It's possible it could have worse effects too but.... I told them 'no' and they said it was your choice."

 

Slade heard screaming, but ignored it. He listened to every word Dick said and decided this was the kind of conversation that was done without a mask on. There was some bunk room just feet away he walked them to. Once the door shut he took off his mask and settled the both of them down on the untouched bed. 

 

"I'll admit I'm not excited to be experimented on again." Slade started, pushing back his hair to fix it. "But what you are telling me is that what is standing between us finally having a weapon to defeat these people and total annihilation is my life and or safety." He let out a short laugh. 

 

"You're family is right, we have to test it." Slade knew Dick was not going to like that answer. "Listen, I'm not afraid to die. Nor am I afraid of becoming vulnerable again. It just means I stop taking as many risks and die sooner rather than later." 

 

Based on what doctors had told him? Slade could live well past 150. That's why, despite his increased age, his body still performed like it did in his twenties. 

 

"Also, Tim has hacked into my multimillion dollar jet security system and crashed me into the ground.... Multiple times. I think we both know the risk of failure won't be so severe."

 

"Of all the times you could be a hero, you chose the worst one." Dick sighed and looked down. It was obvious he wanted to protest but... How could he? He jumped in front of bullets like it was some kind of childhood game. 

 

"I just don't want you to get hurt." He admit before taking Slade's hand, "I don't want to lose you." His voice sounded much more hurt, his eyes finally reached Slade's and he leaned in to plant a soft kiss, though it was short. "Roy's going to make sure it's safe before we test it...."

 

"Why does that somehow make me feel less safe?" Slade asked himself half seriously. "Roy just seems more about making things blow up than the fine tuned nature of an EMP device." Slade kept it light for a moment more he let out a light sigh. "Dick, listen to me." 

 

He knew he had Dick's undivided attention whenever he wanted it practically. The boy wonder definitely had a way of making someone feel like the most important person in the world. It was a trait he could imagine many women and men before him swooned for.  Slade placed a hand on the side of Dick's face, letting his thumb brush across his cheek and down to the corner of his lips. 

 

"We are going to make sure it's safe, double check the numbers, everything will be okay. I'm not going to die, I'm not going anywhere." Slade reassured him as fingers moved down to grasp his chin. "You're stressed and anxious ... I may be way out of line but-" Hee put his lips close to Dick's, a pause for clarity and consent. "I think we have enough time for me to help you relax."

 

Dick could feel the heat coming to his face, a leg slowly moving to rest over Slade's legs. 

 

"You're... Bad." 

 

He couldn't help but to comment before kissing Slade, the other was quite literally a drug that Dick could hardly say no to. He knew they were supposed to be focusing, prepping for the meeting, discussing how to run this test safely but right now? Dick was completely lost in the sensation of Slade's lips against his own. A hand moved up to softly grip the others hair before he slowly broke the kiss, leaving a bite along Slade's bottom lip.

 

"Bad? I thought you liked that..."

 

Slade pinned Dick under him on the bed once the kiss moved from lips to tongues and more. He smirked at the feeling of Dick's teeth on his lips and tongue, his hand moving down to click open Nightwing's utility belt. 

 

"I like the one piece, believe me-" Slade started, pushing the skin tight material up from Dick's waist and past his abs. "-But this is much more practical." 

 

He bowed his head down to kiss along Dick's neck, then skipped to tease the expanse of the hero's stomach with his mouth. Dicks body shivered at the feeling of Slade's gauntlets running along his skin, he honestly didn't think he'd get so turned on having Slade touch him in uniform.

"You know... Switching to a two piece permanently might not be out of the question." Dick pant out, tilting his head to the side as his legs tightened around Slade's waist. 

 

Slade hooked the thumbs of both hands under the waist band on either side of Dick's pants, looking up at him. "So, I never got a yes."

 

"Can I just say how much I love that you need that verbal confirmation?" 

 

Dick smirked, most people weren't so diligent with it, if Dicks body said 'lets have sex' they did it without question. Slade? He knew there could be mixed signals. Knew that Dick was flirty, that he might want to just make out and touch but not go all the way. 

 

"Like you said... We should have enough time.. So...." The hero smirked and pushed his fingers through Slade's hair, " _ Yes _ ."

 

"I may be villainous at times, but I'm not a monster. I know how to behave like a gentleman." Slade commented, kissing Dick's navel as he began pulling down his pants. "Verbal consent also means I can get into our  _ preferred _ activities more quickly." 

 

Slade was pretty confident in his ability to read a situation and know what his partner wanted, but that was never a hundred percent guarantee and he knew that. Especially with someone like Dick who it was better to be safe than sorry with. Slade by no means wanted to handle Dick with soft hands (well, sometimes) or baby him into feeling like a helpless victim; neither one of them wanted that. So, as stupid as it might seem to some that Slade asked for consent to have sex with his own boyfriend, Slade would have to disagree with such sentiments.

 

Once Dick's pants were down, Slade slid his hands up the hero's sides to further expose his chest, textured gloves brushing and then playing with the hero's nipples. 

 

"God I missed you." Slade breathed out before grabbing the hem of Dick's boxers with his teeth and beginning to pull down. 

 

Dick’s face had flushed red, heat instantly pooling in his lower region until he heard voices outside.

 

"Star no! No-" 

 

 A second later the door slammed open, one hinge at the top breaking completely making the hero flinch. Koriander’s eyes were glowing in furious green, hands flexing as the same green charge surrounded them. 

 

"Get off of him!" Kori all but yelled, putting a hand up as if she was going to send a blast right through Slade's head at any moment. 

 

Slade didn't flinch, all he did was sigh, which in turn let Dick's waist band fall from his teeth and back against Dick's navel. "Your friends and family have the absolute worst timing, pretty bird." 

 

"Don't call him that. Don't touch him! Move away. I don't know what you've done to him but the Dick Grayson I know would never sleep with a murderer like you." She seethed, hand charging up even more, the threat she posed was  turning more into a serious possibility of Slade being reduced to ash.

 

 Dick sat up and fixed his shirt before pulling up his pants. The words the woman spoke hurt but it was a reaction he expected. He then stood between them and put a hand up causing her to slowly lower her hand to her sides, but still her eyes glowed. It was a sign she was still ready to blow any second.

 

"Star... I know this seems... Crazy, but there's no manipulation going on here... I’ve been lied to and tricked. I know what it's like. Slade has proven time and time again that he's not doing that to me." God... Was he really ready for this? "He's shown me a side of himself that none of you have gotten to see... You just... Have to trust me. I'm not asking you to like him but please be civil.."

 

Kori wasn't having it. "I will  _ not _ be civil with him." She said stubbornly, pointing accusingly at Slade. "Have you forgotten what he's done? The lives he's ruined?" She asked shaking her head. "Not just anyone - your friends. The way he manipulated Terra? Or hurt Raven? Even Rose and Jerricho-"

 

"Enough. I think we get the picture." Slade was trying to sound calm, look civil, but his jaw was clenched hard, hands flexing. 

 

He had no issue owning up to his actions, but having to hear about how much his children suffered because of him was ... Too close, too much to handle in the wake of Joey's death.

 

Kori pursed her lips but didn't stand down. "Even if you aren't being manipulated by him, even if you believe he cares. How dare you forgive him for what he's done when you couldn't even look at me after-" She stopped, letting out a breath. "No. How dare you forgive him for everything he's done to the people you love? It's selfish and wrong Dick."

 

Kori's words stung like a knife to the chest, he couldn't argue with her. Slade did such awful things to so many of the people Dick cared about and now here he was trying to jump at any opportunity to have his hands on him.

 

"To choose not to forgive is only toxic... I know what he's done... I know the things he'll continue to do... But the thing is, Kori, he's so much  _ more _ than those actions... More than just Deathstroke... Maybe it's selfish and  _ wrong  _ but these feelings are not going away." It took so much for his voice not to crack and break. "And.... That's the difference between him and you.." 

 

Going down this road would be a mistake but he just couldn't stop himself, "I  _ thought  _ I was in love with you but I wasn't... And it hurt to confront that so I clung onto the first excuse I could have." Now he was really feeling like a Dick.

 

The hero fell silent for a while before sighing heavily and looking back at the alien princess, "I'm sorry, Star... But Slade's going to be in my life unless he gives me a reason to leave him in the future." 

 

"We were together for a long time. We almost had a child together ... Even if you never loved me, you  _ always  _ respected me, and I you. That's why we are still friends, that's why I still care for you. Why I wish you would listen to me." Kori explained, looking back at Slade once more. 

 

"I could never respect someone like you. I've killed, so have Jason and Roy, but we have morals. We protect innocents and do what is right even when it isn't easy. You can play hero for a few months because, right now, it's in your benefit. If we win this-" She looked back at Dick. "He will turn on you in seconds. It will be Adam all over again, won't it?" She looked genuinely sad. "Dick, you're going to get hurt."

 

Dick got a pit in his stomach. He remembered dumping her for that man. She and Barbara were the only ones who really knew about him and both of them said it was a bad idea. Dick ignored them and as a result? Self loathing and a lack of self trust. If he was wrong about Slade…. He couldn't go there.

 

At this point Slade had stood at Dick's back, reaching around Dick's waist to clip his utility belt in place and letting his hands move back across his hips afterward. 

 

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see." Slade responded flatly. 

 

Nothing he could say was going to change anyone's mind, he could throw himself on the ground and vow his ever dying love for Dick, it wouldn't matter. What did matter was Dick believing it, Dick knowing that Slade was in this honestly and not for any other reason. 

 

Kori wanted to say something else, it was etched in her face. Finally Jason appeared in the doorway, Roy not far behind. "Okay, I thought everyone could play nice, but obviously I was way too hopeful." 

 

"I'm not in the mood, Jason." Kori started, giving him a sharp look that he, surprisingly took in stride as he moved in front of her.

 

"Easy, I know." Jason said, putting a hand on her bicep and slowly rubbing it up to her shoulder and back down again. "This isn't something that is going to resolve itself. You've told Dick how you feel, he's heard you. However, this is his choice to make."

 

"You're so calm about your brother being with this man. How are you okay with this?" She seemed to calm a bit with Jason's practiced, somewhat intimate touch that moved to hold her hand.

 

"I'm trusting Dick to be a big boy and make his own choices." Jason used the hold on Kori's hand to move them both out of the room. "Meeting starts in five minutes." He reminded them, taking it on himself to redirect Kori away toward Roy in the hall.

 

"Where are you two staying?" She asked softly, looking upset and a bit defeated.

 

"In my old apartment ... The nice one." Jason had to make sure to add because ... Man some of his safe houses were trash. "You want to have a sleepover?"

 

"Yes, please."

  
  
  


"I'm sorry.." Dick said in barely a whisper.

 

 It was almost strange being in this situation. The outcast. Now Dick knew how Roy felt when Dick turned his back on him. 

 

Slade let out another sigh and put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "I'm... Sorry that this day is turning into such a mess. I know you were looking forward to seeing everyone."

 

Dick sighed and looked up at Slade before turning to face the other, "We knew this would be… I'm going to tell the rest of them after the meeting… It's… It's not going to go well but I want you to know that I see passed everything that they're going to bring up." With that, Dick kissed Slade's gauntlet. 

 

"You need to come to the main room, the meetings going to start soon. It's already running late." Helena's voice interrupted from the hallway.

  
  


Dick sighed and moved out of the room to speak with Helena but before Dick even made it to the doorway she had vanished from sight. Another sigh escaped the male, his eyes shifting towards his brothers briefly. Roy was next to walk out, then Harper, then Dick.

 

Back in the main room, everyone seemed somewhat antsy. There sat Croc, Riddler, Harley, and the Bronze Tiger. 

 

"I say we get this started." 

 

That voice belonged to none other than Edward Nigma. It was honestly refreshing to see him in his ridiculously green suit with his damn green bowler hat and question mark cane. 

 

"We wait for the doctor." Tiggs had practically growled out, his gaze landing on Slade as he gave him a nod. 

 

He meant to talk to his pal before the meeting started however, due to Harper dragging him away he never got the chance. Dick had stopped behind the sofa that was positioned in front of the large whiteboard, just right of the bar. His eyes scanning the names and photos strung up as Nigma hopped off of a barrel he was sitting on.

 

"Oh come on, Mr. Sherlock Holmes isn't coming. I'm sure he got caught or something." He said as he reached to grab one of the photo's.

 

"Touch that and you will lose all of your fingers." A sharp voice cut through the crowd carrying a heavy English accent.

 

"OO! Can I cut them off? I love ripping fingers off with my teeth!" Another voice followed.

 

Dick had frozen, he recognized both voices. The second one belonged to The Joker's Daughter, Duela Dent. Craziest person Dick’s met… But that's not the voice that sent a sharp chill down his spine. Oh no. It was the first one. The one he recognized with no delay. The one that he heard in his dreams.

  
  


Adam Foster.

  
  



	18. Familiar Taste Of Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shits about to go down.

The tall blonde male had just stopped by the bar and poured himself a drink by the time Dick looked at him, he was dressed in a nice black suit and tie… Nothing unusual for the man. It was evident by the way he carried himself that he was military, ex marine. 

 

"Ah, Doctor-"

 

"Adam?" Dick interrupted Edward, enticing the Brit to look up. 

 

Dick wasn't the only one shocked at Adam's presence in the room, both Jason and Tim's heads turned toward the man and tensed for different reasons. Jason knew this man ... Somewhat. The exact story was fleeting, but this guy hurt Dick bad, and Dick got in explosive fights with Bruce about him for hours which had Jason's anxiety as a child shoot through the roof. 

 

Tim? He only knew the man based on Batcomputer information. It was one of the first things Tim found when he hacked Bruce's private files as Robin. Tim read about Adam, watched tapes, news stories, gained Bruce's perspective of the man which ... Wasn't great. 

 

He shot Harper a look. "Did you know about this?" He asked her in a low tone over Cass who was sitting between them. 

 

Harper seemed completely lost here, she had never ever, ever heard of Adam before this. 

 

"Uh oh." Adam didn't hesitate to start before Nightwing stormed over.

 

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?!" Dick's voice held nothing but resentment and anger.

 

"I'm grand, thanks for asking, luv." That only warranted a  glare from Dick, "I guess I'm trying to save the world or whatever… Stopping the High Court, you know.. All that jazz."

 

"Right.. And I'm supposed to trust you. I'm supposed to believe that you're not working for them. That you're not gathering the rest of the heroes so you can turn them in!"

 

Adam quirked a brow, "I'm a tad offended, I thought you knew me better than that. Robin, I'm a control freak. I have OCD.." No kidding, he's adjusted his cup several times since Dick approached him, "I  _ don't  _ like being told what to do. You may not trust me, hell you probably shouldn't. But you, of all people, should know I would rather die than live under someone else's thumb."

 

'And you? I'd hope at this point you'd know me well enough to know I'd rather die than live under someone else's thumb' Slade's words echoed in the back of Dick's mind just as clearly as Adam spoke them. Almost word for fucking word. 

 

"Who's to say you're not using everyone here to get yourself a seat on top?" Dick pushed, fighting the pit that just bloomed in his stomach. He was hoping he'd never see Adam again. 

 

"Can you guys save this for later?" Helena asked.

 

"No." Dick snapped immediately before jabbing Adam's chest with his finger, "When he's involved, people die."

 

"Funny considering you're sleeping with someone whose reputation is built around people dying."

 

"Who the hell said that?" Fuck, fuck, fuck. This was spiraling out of control.

 

Adam rolled his eyes and released the cup from his left hand, pushing his glasses up. "Well firstly there's the hickeys that are covering your neck, even without those you're walking evidence." 

 

The brit reached over and plucked a single white hair off of Nightwing’s uniform, making it the first example, "You also smell like his cologne and soap. Cypress? Never your thing, you always went with shea butter and coconut. Sure, as his pet you'd have to use his things but when I walked into this room you were partially facing him, your hand just ghosting over his. Subtle. You want to show your affections however, you stop yourself because you don't want people to-" Adam didn't get to finish his thought before Dick grabbed the glass of bourbon and threw it into Adam’s face.

 

"Shut. Up!" He growled.

 

"Who would've thought the great Deathstroke was a queer." Nigma antagonized.

 

 It was the very reason Dick was trying to keep it a secret. Sure, there was the fact that he was just outed in front of his entire family but he planned on telling them anyways. He could feel the disappointed and disapproving looks, the tension, the judgmentality. Rather than engaging with the Riddler, he turned his ammunition towards Adam.

 

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you even think about what comes out of your mouth?! You can't just go around ripping people's secrets out of them and holding them out to display for everyone! You can't just pretend that you're suddenly a good guy and that you  _ want  _ to be here!" Dick was melting down, "YOU CAN'T BE HERE!" He finally yelled.

 

Slade had stayed still at first, yet some mixture of toxic emotion swirled in his gut that he couldn't pin down exactly as he watched the interaction. He moved to take a step forward from his spot when he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

 

"Don't." Benjamin said, standing next to Slade. "It won't solve anything."

 

"It would make me feel better." Slade said allowing Tiggs to fill in the blanks to exactly what he'd planned to do. Somehow, they both seemed to understand. 

 

Tiggs actually smirked a little, which made Slade want to shove him. "Almost been ten years since I've seen you get so worked up over someone." 

 

Ten years? What was ... Oh. When Slade thought Adeline had died, when really, the person he married had. The only person other than blood family he'd loved.

 

Momentarily, Adam seemed lost for words but the moment tears began flowing from the hero he shifted and pushed his fingers through Dick's hair, speaking softly. In fact, his voice was so soothing it was almost angelic.

 

"Sh, sh, sh, why don't you take a few deep breaths and calm down? Hm?"

 

"No!" Dick went to shove Adam however, the male moved and Dick missed, "I don't trust you."

 

"That's okay… You're not here to trust me. You're here to gather information with the only people who are able to stop these people from taking over." Adam reminded, "And I know I hurt you, I know this is hard for you.. But we need you to focus. Go to your partner. Calm down. After the meeting we can go back to the lake house and you can do whatever it is you need to do… Sound good?"

 

Dick stared the other down for several minutes before finally moving, going to Slade and looking up at him with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry." He whispered, "I didn't want to ruin your reputation."

 

Just like that, the fight was over. Dick looked like a kicked puppy and it had the mercenary's features softing immediately. He regretted not putting his mask back on before entering the room. Slade almost hesitated before touching Dick, but realistically, everything was out in the open now. There were no secrets to hide. He could clearly feel a few more pair of bat eyes glaring hotly at him. Slade wanted to care for Dick's sake, but couldn't. 

 

Slade pushed his hand through the same spot Adam had, thinking about the other man touching Dick so intimately made his blood boil. He felt like, somehow, he needed to erase that touch and replace it with his own. His hand settled down at the base of Dick's neck and trailed down to his shoulder. 

 

"Had to happen." Slade started, looking over Dick's face and then giving him the slightest smile, which was much more than he usually would have in such a situation. "Reputations are for people who need the approval of others. Certainly nothing I've ever concerned myself with." 

 

It was Slade's way of telling Dick it was okay, that he wasn't angry, nor was he embarrassed by Dick. Sure their relationship would raise questions about his associations and such ... But realistically Slade drummed up so much business he didn't quite care if he lost some. Dick's abused puppy look slowly began to fade as he sighed and put a hand over Slade's before resting his forehead against his chest. 

 

"Aws. They are just precious." Harley perked up, having walked across the room from where she had been chatting up Barbara and Helena toward Nigma. 

 

She long had abandoned the Harlequin outfit and all symbols of the joker, sporting a more modern look with domino, half cut leather jacket and one piece with shorts underneath. 

 

"It's like Romeo and Juliet. Two warring sides, the Montagues and the Catapults..."

 

"Capulets." Tim had to correct.

 

"Shut it, pipsqueak, I was close enough." Harley scolded Tim back who just pitched the bridge of his nose. "Anyways. They don't need any wise cracks from the audience. 'Specially not from some washed up nobody." 

 

Harley was right in front of Nigma when she said it, snatching the cane out of his hands and using her unusual strength to snap the thing in half before letting both halves fall to the floor.

 

 "Could have been your neck, yah know."

 

Edward glared at Harley, now wasn't the time to fight. He had a spare back at home, "Yeah... Could've." Nigma stated, irritation on his features.

 

"His neck would've been so much better." Duela snickered at the thought before sitting on the counter.

 

Harley moved to sit right next to where Slade and Dick were standing with a bright smile on her face. "This seat isn't taken is it, sugar?"

 

Dick looked down at Harley and offered a soft smile, he liked her. If she wasn't so crazy he could easily see himself being friends with her. He let his hand move down to Slade's wrist before he took him and lead him to the sofa, seating them between Harley and Tim. Dick’s head moved to rest against Slade's shoulder as his arm wrapped around the others. Slade didn't falter or shy away from the contact. In fact, he was ready to double down if need be, shooting a death glare at anyone who dared to stare for more than a few seconds if he caught them. Slade rubbed his thumb over the top of Dick's hand that was joint with his own. 

 

A few seconds later he noticed another head laying on his other shoulder. "Harley..." Slade warned.

 

"Okay, okay. Jeez, he looked comfy can you blame a girl for tryin'?" Harley replied, sitting up and crossing her arms. 

 

Tim shot her a bewildered look, "Oh don't act like yous haven't thought about it, Tiny." Harley said which made Tim flush deep red ... 

 

Yeah he had thought about it. Slade was a complete DILF, he can't imagine there weren't many people who  _ hadn't _ thought about it. Tim had let the argument speak for itself, Harper must have gotten some idea of the relationship between Dick and Adam at that point. Any other follow up questions would be answered later. For now? He could see the hurt and anguish on Dick's face and suddenly ... He felt like a real ass for treating his older brother the way he had earlier. Tim moved a little closer to Dick, putting a hand on his knee in silent support.

 

The room went quiet for a moment before Helena broke that silence.

 

"Now that the petty drama is out of the way can we get to the meeting?" She asked, standing in front of the room. 

 

Barbara just about snorted out a laugh at Helena's behavior. The woman amused her, she couldn't help herself. Helena was so forward, yet incredibly shadowed and convoluted. Each action intentional towards a purpose, but not always clearly stated. Dangerous, difficult, yet ... Alluring and complex. 

 

"Yes, we don't have limitless time." Adam stated before adjusting his glasses, "So as we all know, the Court is in favor of Ra's and Luthor." He began bringing all the new people up to speed. 

 

He pointed to photos on the far right of the whiteboard and explained that those were known captives of the Court, beside that showed lists of where certain slaves had gone and who were their masters. He then moved onto the bottom of the board where there were presumed dead and then to the left where there were people unaccounted for. Among those were Batman. 

 

"And how did you come by this information?" Dick asked, quirking a brow.

 

"I work in one of the High Court facilities. I have access to this information."

 

"So they don't think Batman is dead?" Maybe that was bold but... If the Court suspected he was alive then that was very dangerous.

 

"Mmm well.. Thanks to his whole Batman incorporated they believe there's more than one but they don't know who's the first... I, on the other hand, think that man is far too stubborn to die. Knowin' him he'd drag his ghosty ass out of hell and possess some poor bastard." Adam said with a shrug. "Anyways, it's irrelevant... Now, who wants to share first?"

 

"The Court is building a new base, by the docks... There have been a lot of ships coming in and out. Smells like ninjas." Croc spoke up, all while Adam began taking notes on some kind of tablet. The screen was see through however, so everyone could see what Adam was writing... Mirrored of course.

 

Tiggs eyes fell onto Rose's photograph, her picture was tapped below Ra's showing that she was his pet. "I have an update on Rose." He stated, eyes on Slade. "Ra's gave her to Luthor." 

 

Dick instantly tensed, "He what? Why the hell would he do that?"

 

"Because he's a sociopathic genius." Adam said with a little smirk before turning to the board, moving Rose's picture and taping it under Luthor’s perfectly straight. "He's trying to wipe out the competition"

 

"You didn't tell them?" Tim asked Benjamin accusingly, but it seemed Slade would be quick to forfeit Ben's chance to answer.

 

"You knew where my daughter was this whole time?" Slade asked his long time friend, a man who was like a brother to him. He felt entirely betrayed. 

 

"Not exactly... He didn't broadcast Rose's presence, I only found out a couple days before he traded her in for the clone... I was going to tell you but the Court went to Nanda Parbet, I was tasked with escorting them. Red Robin informed me two days before the Court’s visit. If I refused or made an attempt to contact you we both would've been exposed… I planned on telling you after but they had put me on several assignments, none of which is near your hideout." 

 

It wasn't an easy choice to make but Tiggs knew Slade's baby girl would hold out long enough for daddy to help her. Slade believed him immediately and questioned it no further ... Yet it didn't change his predicament. 

 

"Ra's wants you to get angry and go kill Luthor. He knows you will, in fact, he's so sure of himself that he's sitting on it like an insurance policy. One phone call to you in the morning and he can guarantee Luthor's death by sunset." 

 

Ra's loved chess, something Tim quite enjoyed too. It was probably the only activity they could do in each other's company that Tim did like ... That was if Ra's could keep his mouth shut, and he rarely did. 

 

"Adam is right."

 

Slade was back to clenching his jaw and had Dick's poor hand in a death grip. What they were telling him was that if he went to rescue his daughter he would be playing into Ra's Al Ghul's hand. If he didn't then she would be subjected to whatever torture Luthor and the High Court had in store for her. The rational mercenary and father inside of him were jostling back and forth in his mind. Rose was his only living child, his daughter and he loved her dearly.

 

So, Slade fell silent, his eye staring forward at Rose's picture, face void of all expression. There wasn't anything to say, at least not here. It didn't matter what this resistance group wanted him to do ... He was going to rescue his little girl. What was the answer to this situation? 

 

Dick sighed. "We can't just go kill Luthor."

 

"Not to add fuel to the fire, Darling but... It's in our best interest... Ra's and Lex are both powerful people.. But the Court favoring Luthor means that their technologies are advancing faster than we can keep up with. If we eliminate them, then we leave them weak."

 

"We don't kill." Dick argued.

 

" _ You _ don't, but there's plenty of people here that do." Nigma chimed in, "As much as I hate to say it. Glasses has a point. We need to take advantage of this opportunity even if we lose the two of you in the long run."

 

Dick clearly didn't like that answer but... He knew it was Slade’s choice... He knew what Slade would choose.

 

Adam sighed and ran his left hand through his hair before adjusting some pictures, "Nightwing... Remember... This is what's going to let your relationship succeed. You need to remember that you're not responsible for Slade's actions... And you need to let him do what you won't, especially when he's so damn good at it." He may have secretly hired him a time or two. 

 

Adam then tapped on the tablet and held it flat as a 3D projection filled the room. He drew an x over Luthor and adjusted some of the photo's. "If The Court’s attention is shifted to Ra's uprising, then they won't see us arming up... They have several strong holds-" He tapped a button as a Map of the US showed up, four red dots across it,  "That are poorly guarded. These are where they hold the 'broken' captives until they're ready to be bought out. We should be able to take them all down without the Court noticing... Then we can rehabilitate the captives and add them to our resistance."

 

Slade slowly let go of Dick's hand before he crushed it and let his eye close as he centered himself. He needed to think about this like a job and not a personal vendetta. When he got too emotional he started making mistakes. They couldn't afford any mistakes. 

 

"We will need to make it look like a hit job." Slade started. "If I go in, kill Luthor and take Rose, then Ra's can claim innocence. He will be able to convince the Court it was a crime of passion and revenge rather than anything dubious on his part. It won't cause a rift big enough to shift The High Court's attention. They'll track me down, kill me, and be back on their same path within forty eight hours." 

 

The way Slade talked about his own death was indifferent, as if it was hardly of concern to him or anyone else in the room. Even though he knew well for at least one person, that couldn't be farther from the truth. 

 

"We have to either bring in Ra's involvement to implicate him. Or, we fabricate the event to look as though it was the work of Ra's all along." Slade's sights fell back to Benjamin. "With some assistance, it could be done convincingly... Even to the trained eye."

 

Benjamin paused and thought for a moment, "He traded Rose for the clone.”   
  
"Connor." Tim interjected with a nearly venomous quality.

 

 Tim didn't mind Damian saying it, mostly because Damian called everyone something horrible, but when others did it? Connor was a  _ person _ , his own person with feelings and a life. He was not a 'clone' of Superman, nor of Luthor. He was so different from both, and that's why ... That's why he loved him. His chest tightened a little thinking of Superboy, back in Nanda Parbat by himself with Ra's. The guilt Tim felt was overwhelming, but even more than that, his heart hurt thinking about what he was going back to: them being friends again, no touching, kissing, just ... Distance. Tim suddenly felt the urge to throw up. 

  
“It's possible its a back up plan for if you don't kill Luthor.." Ben thought aloud, "Thing is, because Rose is involved you will be the first suspect." 

 

"Which wouldn't exactly be a bad thing." Adam said before clicking on the tablet some before pulling up some kind of wire device with a large needle on the end, "The High Court had a means for extracting memories... We can use a psychic to implant memories of Ra's giving you the command to kill."

 

"Make it look like he was meeting with Ra's to get his daughter back... And that Ra's convinced him to kill Luthor." Roy pitched in, "But they'll try to prove this happened through Ra's."

 

"Yes, which is where Benji comes in... He will need to gather evidence to prove that Ra's wanted Lex dead." Adam stated, "I can get put on the assignment specifically to buy us time. They trust me."

 

"Funny, if they knew how much of a backstabber you were they wouldn't have thought twice about it." Dick pointed out before sighing.

 

Slade found himself squeezing Dick's thigh everytime he interrupted, but couldn't help a slight smirk from spreading across his face. It was petty and childish, but Slade wasn't above such behavior, or rather, enjoying it.

 

 "This is still too messy... We shouldn't out right plan on killing Luthor."

 

"Put a pin in it." Adam said though his tone wasn't harsh. "Luthor will call us out the moment Rose is dragged away. It's why he must die... And the Court will see it as an act of treason if we can prove Ra's is the one moving the chess pieces. Give me time, I'll figure it out."

 

Tiggs nodded, "I'll gather information in the meantime."

 

"Take some of Harper's equipment." Adam said as he wrote notes.

 

"Maybe I should become a villain, no one cares when the bad guys are name dropped." Harper muttered, seriously there was no keeping it secret. 

 

“You tase people enough to count as one, any updates?”   
  
“Some audiofeed from RR’s biotransmitter told me that Azrah is taking some of Ra’s troops… That’s the consensus, anyways.. He doesn’t touch anything that doesn’t smell like war.” Harper informed.   
  
“I’ll look into it.” Something in Adam’s body language read distrust.   
  
“Who’s Azrah?” Dick asked.

 

"The Court’s warchief…” Adam responded before carrying on orders. “As for the ninjas on the Gotham's docks... It sounds like Ra's is going to be taking control over Gotham, we'll want to start the process of finding a new meeting spot."

 

"Pro-cess." Dick mocked slightly, he found the accent cute. 

 

"Oooo what about Daddy's playground?" Duela asked.

 

"If it's not in Gotham it'll work, take the batgirls with you to fortify it."

 

Barbara stood up, Cass turning her head toward the woman immediately. Batman may have been 'the boss', but Barbara had been her leader for a long time. Having her back was like having structure restored to her life. Barbara nodded her head which had Cass standing and taking Harper's hand to bring her with them.

 

Barbara leveled Duela with a firm look and pointed finger.  "Any funny business and I'm tying you to a pole until we are done. Got it?" She looked completely serious.

 

“Funny business? You shouldn’t have worn that outfit then.”   
  
“Says the girl wearing a deadman’s face.” Harper mumbled.

 

"Alright, alright fine I'll come too." Harley said standing up from her seat and sighing. "I ... Know the place. Make sure this looney doesn't walk you into any traps or nothin'." 

 

"Boo! No fun! No wonder daddy likes me more!" Dulea smirked at Harley before making her way through the tunnel.

 

Harley turned to pat Slade on the thigh and then pointed a metallic blue painted nail at Dick. "Red and I betta get an invite to the wedding or we are crashing it." She then smiled and went to leave with the other's through the door. 

 

She tried to sling her arm on Barbara's, who pointedly pulled away. "You'd think I was contagious or sumthin."

 

"I don't want to catch whatever it is you have going on up there." Barbara mentioned to Harley's head.

 

Harley just laughed and poked her own temple. "Don't be ridiculous, crazy isn't contagious. Trust me, I'm a doctor." 

 

The meeting seemed so short but given everyone's lack of answers there wasn't much they couldn't talk about. Adam tasked Nigma with hacking into the Court’s databases, a task Roy was to share. Jason was assigned on gun duty meaning that he were to collect any High Court weapons he could get his hands on. 

 

His emerald eyes then shifted to Tim, "I need you to help Benjamin with gathering evidence against Ra's... Literally anything you two can get your hands on will be a big help." With that he began wrapping things up and gathering supplies. 

 

Tim put a hand back on Dick's leg and squeezed a bit harder, his cheeks were flush, eyes glassy, while the rest of him paled. "A-Are we done?" He asked quietly, squeezing a little more. "I want to go." Tim knew that Dick would be able to read him, that he wouldn't have to explain.

 

Dick frowned and let out a sigh before he sat up and shifted, pulling Tim into a soft hug. "Go ahead, I have some business to finish up here... Be safe, okay?" The male said with a voice full of sympathy. 

 

Dick kissed Tim's head and gave him one last reassuring hug before he stood up.

 

"Be ... Careful." Tim’s eyes shifted over to Adam and then back to Dick. 

 

Slade Wilson was dangerous enough, but Adam really was bad news. Slade's one saving grace was that he rarely killed for fun, it was a job. Adam? He'd poisoned an entire city and coerced Dick into unknowingly helping. That was the kind of manipulative man that scared Tim, kept him up at night. The kind that was callous, purposeful, but otherwise ... Seemingly normal. 

 

Once Dick left his side Jason quickly came to replace him, seeing that his younger brother was needing a shoulder to lean on and with Dick otherwise distracted the responsibility fell on him. Not that he  _ really _ minded of course, even if Tim had him hadn't gotten along in the past, today was an entirely different story. Jason convinced Tim that staying the night with him would be best. He did this without consulting Roy or Kori (who were probably planning something of their own for the night). He simply told them that Tim and himself would be heading back to the apartment ahead of them. Kori easily agreed to give Roy a 'ride' home with her. Jason only reminded her to stay low to the ground. This was still High Court territory ... Everywhere was. 

  
  
  


Dick walked over to the brit, crossing his arms. "So you're the one who organized this whole resistance thing, huh? Do they always end up with little result?"

 

"I wouldn't say it ended with little result. We're piecing together a way to bring down the Court, it takes time." Adam peeled each photo off of the wall, "We have a lot to catch up on."

 

"I just need to know you're not in this for yourself." Dick commented before looking away. 

 

Adam sighed, "You're angry, resentful. I don't blame you." The male took a glance around before pulling Dick to the side, near the bar so they could talk in private. "I hurt you... Manipulated you.. Used you. I told you everything I knew you wanted to hear so you would do what I wanted you to.. And because I did that, you betrayed yourself… Your morals ”    
  
“Blood is on your hands because of what I did. You're left to doubt your sense of trust, left to hate yourself.. I didn't mean to hurt you this way.. But I knew it would be a result... I promise you, Dick, I'm not lying to you here... If you want to help with the resistance, then do it.. If not then you don't have to be here."

 

Dick was in tears well before Adam had finished, the other wasn’t manipulating him however, it was easy to see how he could.

 

 Nightwing shook his head and chewed his lip, "You did more than hurt me, Adam... Children died because of you..."

 

"I know... And... Dick, you can't keep blaming me.. You will never stop hating yourself until you take responsibility for the part you played."

 

"You never asked if I  _ wanted  _ to stop." Dick said without missing a beat, though his expression softened as he looked away. 

 

"Why don't we head to the lake house? It's getting late." Adam said with a delicate sigh.

 

"Slade's coming too."

 

"Of course, I wouldn't think otherwise."

  
  


Slade was watching Dick converse with Adam, arms crossed against his chest again as he leaned, half sitting on the couch arm. Slade knew about Dick's exes, even knew that he still loved a few of them. A man of Dick's calibur was bound to have plenty of people who wanted him, so the idea of competition isn't what bothered him. However, what did was the familiarity the two shared that seemed to stretch beyond what Dick had even with Kori, his longest known girlfriend. In addition, Dick had told him so little about Adam, as if he was hiding him from Slade. 

 

Benjamin had approached Slade and set a hand on his shoulder, "You alright? You just walked into a shit storm…. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Rose... I know this is hard for you..."

 

Slade turned his head toward his friend slightly, his eye not dragging off of Dick at the bar immediately with it, instead it stayed before focusing in on Ben. 

 

"I've walked into worse. We both know that." 

 

He replied as if he was trying to avoid the real subject, pushing it off because he knew the real feelings it might bring up could easily overwhelm him. He couldn't afford to break down in front of these people here, not like he had with Dick under the dogwood tree in his family's cemetery. 

 

"I understand why you couldn't. I'm not angry with you. At first maybe, but I know you." Slade gave him a small smile. "You've always been a good friend and an even better ally. If you had the opportunity to tell me sooner, then I know you would have. You did the smart thing by not risking your position to tell me." 

 

Slade's eye hardened once again, shifting away from Ben to gaze off at no particular person or thing. "Sounds like I'll have to wait to get to her anyway ... I don't know if I can wait as long as they need me too but .. I'll try. I just hope she's strong enough to last until then." He let out a humorless laugh. "She's mine though ... Of course she's strong enough."

 

Benjamin sat beside him, a soft sigh escaping him. "Rose is a tough girl... You trained her to be a fighter. This Court thing is tough but if anyone can make it through, it’s her.... You're doing the best you can do as a father." Benji said as he pat Slade's shoulder, "I'll keep an ear out for her. Make sure she's okay, talk to some contacts. We'll get her home to you." Tiggs gave Slade another squeeze.

 

"I wish I could tell you that things are going to get better but... I can't... Honestly, I don't know if we're going to see the other side of this but at least we can say we tried.." After a brief pause Tiggs smirked, "I think I owe you a drink. We'll have to find some time to find ourselves some semblance of peace."

 

"Peace would be nice." Slade said almost wistfully, his eye watching Dick again. "Let me know what you hear. I'm going to put a few ears to the ground as well ... I might just call Luthor myself and see if we can make a deal. Wouldn't be the first..." 

  
  
  


Dick was standing beside Adam silently, the words spoken between them seemingly disarmed the bomb that is Dick Grayson. Unfortunately, with the stillness all those old feelings stirred back up. The butterflies, the itch to grow closer. Dick hated it. Hated that these feelings were still there and even more so that they were identical to the ones he felt for Slade. He resented the fact that he had these feelings after the way Adam hurt him let alone having them while being in a relationship. 

 

"You know.. I held a child as he died.." He started, feeling a tear drop, "I wanted to help people... To make a difference... I trusted you because I thought you wanted that too."

 

"I did just... In a different way but we don't need to get into that...... When I say that you need to take responsibility, Dick, I don't mean for the entirety of the event... It  _ was _ my fault. Not yours. But you still feel guilt, you wouldn't feel that way if there wasn't something you were trying to avoid."

 

Dick didn't want to talk about this, he just stayed silent up until Adam reached in his pocket and pulled out a penny before sliding it over. Dick looked at the coin before looking at the blonde, his hand hesitantly taking the penny and twirling it in his fingers. 

 

Slade felt the shift in the conversation as Dick took the penny, "I'll ... See you later Ben." He said almost as an afterthought, pushing himself up from his half seated position and uncrossing his arms.

 

"I hated myself for it for a really long time... Tried to.... To kill myself over it. I don't know how to forgive myself because there was a small part of me that  _ knew _ something wasn't right... I could feel that your intentions weren't what you said they were. I let my feelings for you cloud my judgement because I wasn't willing to admit that I was wrong about you." 

 

"I held onto the  _ hope  _ you were a good person when I knew I should've walked away. I hate myself for loving you so much. It always hurt knowing how fucked up you are. I feel guilty because I know that if I listened to myself then no one would've died." Dick was clenching the penny now.

 

With Slade’s first step forward, Adam pulled Dick into a hug, the second, his hand smoothed through Dick hair, touching him  _ again _ . Slade wasn't a jealous type, or at least he didn't think he was, but Adam shouldn't be touching Dick. Not like that. 

 

Slade was absolutely infuriated. Having to watch this man tear Dick down into tears and then try and console him afterward like it wasn't his own doing? No. It was possessive, maybe a little crazy, but ... Dick was  _ his _ . 

 

"Kind of cruel to bring a man down so you can be the hero isn't it?" Slade said in a voice that nearly rumbled from his chest. It wasn't overtly dangerous sounding, but more powerful. 

 

Slade barely thought the action through, but he wanted those hands off of Dick. It took two deliberate motions, one sliding under Adam's wrist to flick it off of Dick's head, another to grasp around Dick's waist and spin him around toward Slade. Now ... That bit was definitely possessive. 

 

"The first time wasn't enough for you?" Slade asked as if it was a genuine question, but just looked at Dick, not regarding Adam in the slightest. 

 

"I suppose that's one way to perceive this." The male responded, "He won't heal properly unless he lets himself break down." 

 

It was obvious that Slade was pissed, jealous. All that told Adam was that Dick told Slade  _ everything _ , things he didn't even tell Barbara or Kori. Now those two got the story from the news and other whispers but they never heard Dick explain what being with Adam was really like. That intense love and trust, that feeling of security that was ripped away by deceit. The  _ confession  _ that Dick was still in love. 

 

Dick may have been a natural at reading people but Adam was an  _ expert  _ in microexpressions and even taught Dick a couple of things. He knew Dick still loved him and could see the struggle in the others eyes. 

 

A hand came to rest on the side of Dick's face, a thumb brushing the tears rolling down his cheeks. "You'll give us a minute."

 

 It wasn't a question, more an order. Leader or not of whatever resistance this was, Slade didn't care. As far as he was concerned, Adam had no control here,  _ especially  _ not over him.

 

"Right... I'll wait by my car for you two, Dick knows what I drive." 

 

Slade watched Adam leave, the room was vacant, it helped him relax a little to be alone with Dick. His eye went back to Dick from the door. Every muscle in Dick’s body was tense, he almost felt as though he cheated on the other though he knew he didn't... He couldn't help but to question if it was out of the question... That very thought made him want to throw up. 

 

Dick looked up at Slade and took his hand, lost for words for a moment though he couldn't help but to start justifying himself. 

 

"It's... How he used to get me to talk when I was younger.. 'Penny for your thoughts.'" Dick began to explain. "He's right, Slade... I need to talk about what happened so I stop blaming myself for it."

 

"Not like that." Slade replied squeezing his hand. "I'm... Not saying the conversation shouldn't happen. I've told you before that confronting your past and talking about it is good for you, and I meant that." He grabbed a tissue from somewhere in his dozens of pockets and started to gently clean off Dick's face. 

 

"But that wasn't... Right. The fact he was willing to pull you into what  _ should _ have been an intimate conversation, let alone make you get emotional, uncontrollably so, in front of people  _ I _ know you didn't want to see that. Dick, that isn't healing, that's dictated public humiliation and benefited no one but him." 

 

Maybe Dick had gotten something out of it but Slade knew he'd grow to regret the way he acted tonight, the way he had left Tim to fend for himself when he clearly needed his brother because Adam demanded his attention. Slade would never ask that of Dick because it wasn't fair to. 

 

"If you need to break down it should be in a safe space with  _ only _ people you want to be there. If it can be planned in advance." Slade crumpled the tissue in his hand and threw it over into the trash can before letting his hand return to Dick's face. "I ... Trust you though. I tried to stay back and let you handle it, but ..." He sighed. "I don't trust  _ him _ and I didn't ..." 'Want him touching you' he almost said but let his voice trail off instead. "I'll go with you, only if you want me to. I'm here for you, not him or anyone else. Alright?"

 

"He wasn't.." Dick paused, brows furrowed as he shook his head, he felt undeniably stupid... “Slade.. I attacked him the moment I saw him, that wasn’t his fault.. It… It’s just complicated.” 

 

The hero shifted, his forehead against Slade's chest as his hands moved to rest on the others waist. "I don't want to go with him but I need to make sure he  _ really _ is on our side... If he gathers enough people then he can hand them to the Court on a silver platter and surpass Ra's and Luthor." 

 

Nightwing looked back up at Slade and sighed, "He wasn't lying when he said he didn't want to live under their control but that doesn't mean he's on our side...... I need you to come with me. I can't be around him without you." That hurt to admit and it showed by the way Dick broke eye contact.

 

Slade felt an anxiousness he hadn't been entirely aware of until now, easing at the simple feel of Dick against him, hands on him. It made Slade feel needed but also in some way reassured him that Dick still wanted him to be near him. A concern he shouldn't have had because  _ he _ was the one with Dick now, a person Dick told he loved. Then again, hadn't Dick said he still loved Adam too? His heart sank. 

 

An experienced side to him told Slade to push Dick away, create distance so when the blow finally came (because it always did) it wouldn't be as bad ... He'd be ready. So why was he pulling Dick closer? Putting his hands around the younger man and holding him without hesitation? 

 

"I'll be there. Like I said ... I'm here for you." He promised, missing Dick's eye contact but still being able to read what it meant. 

 

Dick couldn't be around Adam without Slade ... Not because of what Adam would do, but, probably, because of what Dick might do. That was the blow his body had been trying to prepare him for and like a fool, he'd left himself wide open.

 

Dick slowly looked back up at Slade and offered a small smile before he reached up to put a hand on Slade's cheek, he stood on his toes and kissed him with purpose. A kiss that said, 'I know this hurts but I promise I will always love you.' Maybe it was more than what the kiss said because the second Dicks lips left Slade's he spoke the truth with nothing but heart. He was making a promise. 

 

Dick then turned and began leading Slade through the tunnel, it took him a minute to find Adams car, especially through the rain but once he found the silver BMW he lead Slade right to it. 

 

"You can sit up front." Dangerous territory, sure, but Slade would be squished in the back.

The inside of the spotless car smelled like a soothing lavender, the culprit being a small satchel in the center console. Once the two were in Adam had begun driving. 

 

"Why are we going to the lake house instead of your apartment?" Dick asked, sitting forward in his seat so his head was between the two men.

 

"Because my apartment was confiscated along with my citizenship."

 

"But they left your lake house?"

 

"My lake house is under the name Ethan Baker. They didn't have a reason to take it." Adam explained, glancing to see a puzzled look on Dick's face.

 

"And who's Ethan exactly?" Was that jealousy?

 

"Ethan's my first name, Baker's my mother's maiden name."

 

Dick seemed satisfied with the answer and fell silent a moment, "Does it bother you that your fuel gauge isn't exactly on the line?"

 

"You are literally the spawn of satan.”   
  
“Actually, my friend Raven is…. You know what else I bet bothers you?” Dick asked making Slade smirk slightly.

 

“How about you play some music?" Adam asked passing Dick his phone.

 

Dick happily took the device and fulfilled the request, his talking shifting to singing for the remainder of the ride. It became apparent who introduced Dick to a lot of the musicians he listened to, the playlist shifting from Soundgarden and Tears For Fears to Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin. The two sang together creating a very harmonious sound, it was easy for them to shift back into how things were. After an hour of driving Adam pulled into a dirt driveway, his house in the midst of a forest.

 

The front carried beautiful landscaping and had a blue wisteria tree in the front. Off to the side there was a lush garden enclosed within a fence that had snap peas growing along the side of it. Adam wiped the door handle before stepping out making his way to the front door. He wiped the doorknob, unlocked it and stepped inside. 

 

Dick followed and instantly took his shoes off at the entryway, nodding for Slade to do the same. Slade nodded and took off his boots. It took a bit with the straps and blade attachments, but eventually, he got down to the bottom of it all. He figured making himself look less aggressive might not be such a bad idea either. So, Slade took some extra time shrugging off his sword harness, utility belt, and gun clips. Unlike Dick, he respected Adam's home by arranging them neatly by his shoes.

 

 Inside was a fluffy white carpet that lead into the living room. To the right was a tv stand, the compartments overly organized with the top carrying a small selection of movies and the bottom compartments filled with books. Straight against was a small glass table with a black metal framing, and a couple of black leather couches. Beyond that were large black doors with a frosted glass center, from what could be seen it looked like an office space. To the left of the french doors was another book shelf and to the left of the room against the wall that lead into the kitchen was a black acoustic piano. Adam passed the living room and piano and stepped up a couple small steps that lead into the dining room that was just as modern as the rest of the house, to the left was the kitchen with marble counters and a small island. To the right of the dining room was a small hallway. His bedroom to the left of the hall and the bathroom across from it.

 

 "I'm going to shower, if you're hungry you know where the food is." Adam said before vanishing. 

 

Dick walked around, pulling some of the books slightly out of place along the tv stand and bookshelf, which only made Slade roll his eye while a smirk crept over his face. His mask was forgotten at the door too, but the gel in his hair hadn't been able to stand up to the thing being pulled on and off. It laid around his face more, wanting to return to its natural part.

 

"You'll get us in trouble." He said half heartedly, following Dick into the kitchen. 

 

Dick rolled his eyes at Slade, "I think I'll get in more trouble than you will... Adam's too smart to start a fight with you." He said with a playful smirk.

 

The young hero pulled his gloves off and dropped them on the kitchen island before he looked in a glass storage case as some leftovers. It was some kind of stir fry, it looked good save for the kale. He sighed and put it away before grabbing an avocado from the counter. He mashed it into guac and grabbed some sweet potato chips from the pantry before sitting on the counter slowly eating. There wasn't a spec of dust to be seen and everything was organized beautifully. 

 

"Are you hungry?" Dick finally asked Slade. There wasn't a microwave but Dick wouldn't mind heating up leftovers in a pot for Slade.

 

 He positioned himself in front of Dick on the counter. "Not in any way food can satisfy." Slade stole a chip anyway, mostly so he had an excuse to lean into Dick's personal space. 

 

"You know ... I've never heard you sing like that." Slade commented, still holding the chip. "Your voice is beautiful. You can sing for me anytime." 

 

He hated how he sounded like he was fishing for Dick's attention and affections. Why even after reassurance did Slade feel so ... Unstable? He was thinking too much, that had to be it. Dick knew how bad Adam was for him, even if they were so comfortable with each other. Slade and Dick were comfortable with each other too. Though ... Dick never sang like that around him. He sang lullabies for Damian but that was it… He’s also never showed Slade vulnerability like that in public. In essence, Adam and Dick had a type of easiness that came with time and affection. Dick and himself hadn't been allowed that time yet and Slade ... Well, Slade loved Dick. God he did, but that was the information he had been battling to keep locked up. But now? He secured it down further. Even if Dick said he was committed there were warning flags everywhere.

 

Dick had dipped his chip into the guac before taking a bite, "I'll keep that in mind." He said offering a soft smile. 

 

Nightwing set the guac bowl down and reached to take hold of Slade's arm, pulling him closer to his space, letting his head rest on the other’s shoulder. Dick was silent a moment, before he suddenly perked up and stood on his feet.

 

"Now that you've given me permission to sing for you.."

 

 He trailed off, grabbing both of Slade's hands before pulling him into the living room. He himself moved away from Slade to take a seat at the piano where he seemed to pause briefly. 

 

"I used to binge watch Glee as a kid.. I always loved it when they did mash ups." Dick explained as he pressed a few keys to find the right notes. 

 

"Jericho loved Glee too." Slade said with a genuine smile. 

 

Of course Slade was still mourning his son but fond memories were still joy inducing. His son had introduced him to so much music through TV, movies, CDs, almost anything that had a beat to it. Slade would buy him whatever he wanted to feed his hobby. Grant and himself enthused with him when Rose and Adeline had long been done. 

 

Slade leaned comfortably against the wall by the hero as he started to play. Eye closed, letting the smooth, melodious sound of Dick's voice light his skin and nerves with fire. 

 

🎶I guess the time was right for us to say,

we'd take our time and live our lives together day by day.

We'll make a wish and send it on a prayer.

We know our dreams will all come true with love that we can share

 

With you I never wonder - Will you be there for me?

With you I never wonder, you're the right one for me.

 

So hold on to me tight.

Hold on to me tonight.

We are stronger here together, than we could ever be alone.

So hold on to me.

Don't you ever let me go.

 

With every kiss, our love is like brand-new.

And every star up in the sky was made for me and you.

Still we both know that the road is long.

We know that we will be together,

Because our love is strong. 🎶

 

When Slade’s eye opened again he saw Dick in an entirely different element than he had before and it was beautiful. Every syllable that left his mouth was like a prayer, his fingers moving expertly against the keys. He was absolutely enthralled.

  
  


🎶I finally found the love of a lifetime.

A love to last my whole life through.

I finally found the love of a lifetime.

Forever in my heart.

 

And there's a thousand ways for things to fall apart,

But it's no one's fault.

No it's not our fault, no.

Maybe all the plans we made might not work out

But I have no doubt even though it's hard to see

I've got faith in us and I believe in you and me

 

So hold on to me tight

Hold on, I promise it'll be alright

'Cause we are stronger here together

Then we could ever be alone

Just hold on to me

Don't you ever let me go🎶

  
  


The piano playing slowed before Dick finally hit the last note, hands in his lap as he stared at the keys. Those two songs laid out all the ways he felt for Slade, he felt open and vulnerable and it showed in his stance, in his breathing. Slowly he stood and moved to the other, taking his hands.

 

 "What did you think?"

 

"Dick that was ..." 

 

Slade didn't have the words and he didn't know if he needed them. He slid his hands up Dick's arms and cupped his face, kissing him. It was slow but deep and highly passionate. He allowed his tongue to explore every inch of Dick's mouth as he turned and pressed the younger against the wall behind him. Slade wanted to show Dick the same beautiful affection he'd just shown him in song.

 

Dick moved his hand to rest in the back of Slade's hair. His other hand moved to Slade's hip pulling him closer as the kiss deepened. His tongue rubbed against the others before rubbing against the roof of Slade's mouth. His heart raced, his breathing grew more shallow as he completely sunk into all of Slade's touches. He was in bliss. He felt every ounce of love and affection that Slade had to show, that was until Adam's voice ruined their perfect moment.

 

"Cute... Now, please don't shag in my living room." 

 

Slade just about did 'shag' Dick there in the living room just to prove a point.  Alas, the man wasn't quite that petty. 

 

The Brit was already fixing the books that Dick had messed up. He was wearing a clean white T-shirt and sweatpants. On his left forearm was a tattoo of a compass, the face being a world map. 

 

"Are you ready to talk?"

 

"Yes, let's go into my office." Adam replied, fixing the last book before moving to the frosted glass doors, opening both of them. 

 

Inside the room was a nice black desk with a fancy office chair behind it. In front of it were a couple of lounge style leather seats. It honestly looked like a stereotypical psychiatric office. Dick lead Slade into the room, masking his feelings for Adam by being more affectionate with Slade. He brought Slade to a small love seat near the window that looked over the lake, seating the male down before sitting beside him with a leg over the others lap, Slade's hand finding purchase on top. Meanwhile Adam dug through his desk pulling out some files.

 

 "I know you don't trust me... Which is fair, honestly, I'm not going to waste time changing your mind..  But.." He trailed off, moving in front of the two and sitting on the edge of the table that was in front of them. 

 

"These are a list of people you know that are currently in the High Courts care and what the Court plans are for each of them."

 

Dick sat up immediately, grabbing the files before flipping through them, nearly paling. 

 

"Where did you get this?"

 

"I work for them... These are some of my assignments."

 

Dick sat back, "They're wanting to turn Wonder Woman into a weapon."

 

Slade mentally mapped out the order of Adam's files and grabbed at the last few of them in Dick's hand, sliding them out. It should have come as no surprise he was looking for Rose. He found her

 

'Wilson, Rose - Next Generation Project

Status: Phase 3

Patient stable, P1 stable at 1 month.'

 

That didn't tell him much at all, in fact it raised more questions than it answered. 

 

"Jon's alive too. In stasis. Damian will be relieved to hear that." When did Slade care how Damian felt? Speaking of which...

 

'Wayne, Damian - Perfect Soldier Project.' 

 

"Perfect soldier project? Next generation project? They sound like code names." Slade said with a tad bit of irritation. "What do you know about either of these?

 

'Kent, Connor - Perfect Soldier Project, Specialty.'

 

'Gordon, Barbara - Pet, Next Generation Project Candidate.'

 

'Drake, Timothy - Classified, Redacted.'

 

'Allen, Barry- Regeneration Project 1.0 failure. Statis, comatose.'

 

'West, Wally - Regeneration Project 1.3 successful. Statis, critical condition.'

 

'Allen, Bart - Regeneration Project 2.0, transferred for further testing.'

 

'West, Wallace - Project Lifespan Failure. Statis, critical condition.'

 

Dicks eyes followed Slade's, landing on Adam who seemed to be thinking. 

 

"The High Court is invested in peak evolutionary processes... They believe that mankind can be completely invulnerable and could possibly live forever. People who carry the metagene have proven that humanity is on the brink of that evolutionary process however, due to things such as war, disease and corrupt governments they don't believe humanity will survive long enough to get to the point of immortality."

 

"They take every useful meta they can so that they can run tests... It's why the heroes that don't have powers end up as pets. Now this doesn't mean that they don't touch people who are normal... Normal, or 'the ungifted' as they call them, people are their test subjects... For instance they're working on bonding the genetics that cause regeneration."

 

"They take samples from the meta and put it in their ungifted and see if the results are fatal.... For those who are skilled but aren't meta, the Court wishes to enlist them as soldiers. Help them overthrow any resistance and keep balance in our world.." That addressed the speedsters and Damian.

 

Adam adjusted his glasses before looking at Slade, "Their previous attempts were all failures... The one successful attempt put both their subject in critical condition.. Its not reliable... Your daughter carries your genetics, your healing factor... They want to see if under the right circumstances and with the right splicing they can upgrade people through the maturation of a metaperson."

 

Dick looked absolutely lost and Adam read it in less than a second, sighing heavily. 

 

"They want to see if she can give birth to the perfect human..." 

 

The hero felt like he was going to throw up, his fingertips becoming numb as his head began to spin. These were his  _ friends _ and they were being used as lab rats. His attention shifted down, his eyes reading over Beast Boys name before he looked the file over. His vision grew blurry as he caught glimpses of photos of the boy before and after the experiments. He was mutilated beyond believe. 

 

Adam was quick to move grabbing a trash can for Dick who nearly threw up before it was even in front of him, the other male now sitting on the other side of the couch beside Dick mostly making sure the vomit didn't get on his floor. 

 

"Why don't we put these away?"

 

The doctor set the can aside and cleaned up the files before moving out of the room to set the trash can outside. He would have to discard it later. Once he returned he put his attention on Slade

 

"Rose is comfortable for the moment... They're wanting to run intensive tests on her psyche... Test how prone she is to trauma... They need me to clear her before they can move forward." 

 

Perks to being a psychologist. It was almost odd that he suddenly had this information given the fact he just found out Rose was transferred to Luthor however, the Court called him while Dick was serenading Slade, they wanted Adam to see her within the next two days.

 

Slade felt like he was being spoken to through water. They were going to  _ forcibly _ impregnate his daughter. His body began to vibrate, hands clenching hard, knuckles white. They couldn't do this to her. They  _ couldn't _ !

 

Rose never told him she even wanted kids, and even if she did, this was not how it was supposed to be. Forced to carry some experiment monster inside of her just to have it ripped away from her after nine months. This was ... Dick was upset too, Slade knew that, part of him called to comfort the other but it was such a minuscule voice compared to the screaming in the forefront of his mind. Go save her, protect her. 

 

"I … A minute." Slade said before getting up and leaving the room. 

 

The mercenary walked through the house, heading outside to sit on the edge of the porch, head in his hands.

 

"You alright?" Adam asked.

 

"He's going to kill Lex for letting this happen."

 

"Likely but... Can you blame him?" Adam asked with a sigh, "You should talk to him.. I'll prepare some drinks."

 

Dick nodded and slowly rose to his feet, the photos of beast boy still burning in his mind. He made his way through the house and outside, moving to sit behind Slade where he wrapped his arms around him and let his forehead rest between his shoulder blades. 

 

"I'm sorry... I didn't think they'd do this to her... When we get to the tree house I'll work on tracking down Luthor."

 

"I can find him." Slade said in almost a whisper. 

 

Dick's pressure and warmth on his back felt familiar and comforting. He stayed silent for a moment longer, completely still. 

 

"I know you don't want me to kill him." Slade said sitting himself up more and putting one hand over Dick's. "I don't know how else to resolve this, Dick. I don't want you to... Be upset. However, my family ..." He stopped and closed his eye again. 

 

"She comes first. She's all I have left. I'm all  _ she _ has left. I promised to protect her from everything and every moment I sit here and wait is one more moment I'm breaking my promise to her." 

 

Slade's form began to tense, hand squeezing Dick's. "In the morning, I'm going to contact Luthor and see if we can work out a deal. If we cannot then ..." He didn't need to finish it, Dick knew what he meant. "I'm sorry."

 

The raven haired male sighed and tightened his grip on the other.

 

"Slade...." He started before pausing, "This is your choice to make... You can't expect me to not be upset and... You can't expect me not to stop you." 

 

"I know you can't stop the killing... I know you  _ want _ to respect my boundaries but that isn't always going to happen. I accept that even though I'm not okay with it." 

 

Dick paused again, his cheek resting on Slade's back. "It's times like this that we'll have to be strong because we  _ will _ fight. When the time comes...  _ If _ it comes I'm going to do everything I can to stop you and.. If I don't then I'll be angry.. Disappointed but I  _ won't _ walk away from you…"

 

"You're going to have to be okay with that because I can't just stay behind when I know what you're planning to do and.. You can't lie to me, Slade, because this won't work if you do... I love you. I love Rose. I want to help her and while I believe there's another way we can save her.. She's  _ your _ daughter."

 

Slade shifted around to look in Dick's eyes, "You can't have it both ways, Dick. You can't ..." His jaw tightened around the words. 

 

He was now fully facing Dick, legs crossed and free from his hands. Slade kept this distance. "You don't get to set the rules and expect me to follow them. If you think you are somehow doing me a favor by 'allowing' me to kill, but at the same time, saying you'll do anything to stop me  _ and _ I'm not allowed to lie to you about it …"

 

"You are tying my hands and  _ forcing _ me to have to break those rules." This was too serious a talk to be having on Adams porch, but when else if not now?

 

"I admit that killing that man the other day with you there was wrong  _ only _ on the principle that deceiving you was wrong. I should have told you what I planned to do or let him live, it wasn't fair of me to lie to you."

 

There was a pause between them as Slade thought about how to say what he needed to next. "I ... Wanted you to be there when I went to rescue Rose. I thought you'd have my back, you  _ promised _ you would. However, I can't concentrate on saving her life and you running in front of my bullets at the same time. Even if you hate me for it, I won't put you in harms way. If that means drugging you or tying you down until it's done I will. Don't make me have to do that."

 

 Slade sounded serious, but like the words hurt him somehow because he didn't  _ want _ to do this. What other choice was Dick giving him?

 

Dick's expression shifted into one that was far more hurt, he couldn't help it. He knew how contradictory his words were. "You can't ask me to stand by and watch you kill, Slade." His voice was barely a whisper. 

 

He finally removed his mask and held it in his hands, how the hell was this supposed to work? "I can't do that... You  _ can't _ ask me to do that  _ ever _ . I'm not asking you to stop killing, Slade, but because you're unable to respect my boundaries I have to manage that... Which means when we are together I  _ will _ fight you if you try to take someone's life.... If you go out alone or take on a contract then that's your business.."

 

"If you don't want me to jump in front of your bullets then don't take me with you." Finally Dick found the words and sighed, "I'm not asking you to stop killing, Slade. I'm not asking you to give that up. It's not fair... But.. I  _ am _ holding my boundaries around you killing in my presence.. I can't… Knowingly let you run off to kill Luthor." 

 

"I'm not talking about some contract kill with some nobody target, Dick. I'm talking about Lex Luthor. A man who has killed and tortured, what is now, thousands of people. Your friends, family, my son and daughter. I'm asking this  _ once _ you back off so I can save her. So I can make sure she lives. If you won't..." Slade shook his head. 

 

"If you won't let me do what I need to make sure she's safe, Dick, then... This isn't going to work. It was never going to work." The words felt like fire coming out of his mouth, he wanted so badly to take them back but ... This was his kid. How couldn't Dick understand?

 

"If ... Being with you means Rose might die, means  _ you _ might die then ... I can't. I won't do it. This isn't about killing or some blood lust I have against Luthor. This is about having to do  _ whatever it takes _ to save her. No bars held. Period. I won't let morals come in the way of saving what is left of my family ... If you can't respect that then ... Dick, we  _ can't _ do this."

 

As Slade spoke pain filled every inch of Dick's face, a sharp pain in his chest. He knew if he didn't change his mind he would lose Slade. The raven haired male just sat in silence, his gaze slowly shifting off of Slade's face and towards the ground, brows furrowed as he held his breath. 

 

"Fine.." Dick spoke with evident pain in his voice. "Do whatever you need to do to Luthor." So he was willing to abandon his morals for Slade, that was a hard pill to swallow. 

 

Dick stood up and turned to the door, hand on the door knob as he went to enter the house, however, he stopped and looked back at Slade.

 

"I'll just stay home while you do it... Wait for you to come back." He flashed the best smile he could before he opened the door to step inside. 

 

That last part stung at Slade. Dick had promised to him in a batcave not to long ago that he would help Slade rescue Rose. He'd promised Slade that he would stay by him even when Slade wanted to go off by himself. Dick had said Slade needed him there and ... In a way, he'd been right. Slade wouldn't have been able to concentrate without Dick, probably never even would have found those kids. Slade wouldn't have even bothered to look once he realized Rose wasn't there.

 

Dick ... Something about Slade was so drawn to, so enthralled by. Dick opened Slade up in ways he hadn't been able to achieve since he was a child, pushed him out of the boundaries he had built up so strong over years of mistakes and distrust with others. Most importantly: Slade  _ trusted _ Dick.

 

Dick came with Slade to his family home, had his brat brother lodging in his house, was dragging him into situations he never would have even attempted to allow someone else to bring him into. Dick was just ... Different. Different from anything he allowed, that he knew. Made him uncomfortable yet ... He felt so comfortable, a sense of belonging with him he couldn't always explain. But there was trust, always. Why, now, did it feel so broken?

 

Slade had seen the fakest smile Dick had ever given him fall over his boyfriend's face and felt like letting the earth open up and swallow him whole. But ... After a moment, he was still alive, above ground, so he stood and followed Dick inside. Boots off at the door and going to find Adam and Dick ... It was going to be a long night.

 

Dick was already in the kitchen by the time Slade entered the house, sitting on the counter with a glass of scotch in his hands. He didn't seem to have taken a drink, instead he was staring at the contents. Adam tried his little game of sliding the penny over only this time Dick flicked it off the counter causing it to slip under the fridge.

 

"Really?" Adam asked earning a small smirk from Dick. 

 

Dick's eyes shifted to Slade before he handed the glass over to him, shortly after grabbing another wine glass that had been filled with cranberry juice. 

 

"The High Court has a curfew I guess... Anyone out at this time is taken in and either released in the morning or..." Dick trailed off.

 

Adam picked up the conversation after sipping his own scotch, "You two can stay here for the night, you can sleep in my bed as long as you two don't decide to shag." He then looked Dick over, "You can fit in my clothes." He then looked to Slade. 

 

Adam was a good 4 inches shorter than him standing at 6'2, "You'll fit in my robe... I also have a spare toothbrush."

 

"I don't mind sharing." Dick spoke, staring off at nothing, "You can use it first since I threw up earlier... We can figure something else out for tomorrow."

 

The very idea made Adam shutter. Maybe it was his OCD or maybe it was the fact it was absolutely  _ disgusting _ to share a toothbrush. He adjusted the glass on the counter a couple of times.

 

 "Sounds cleanly."

 

"I've had worse things in my mouth." Dick commented, Roman made sure of that.

 

"Precisely my point, you eat things off the floor."

 

"It just means I have a healthy immune system." Dick shrugged and downed his juice before kissing Adam's cheek, maybe too far but.. "By the way I ate a chip off the floor  _ before _ I threw up." 

 

"You are disgusting!" Adam shuttered and didn't hesitate to get to work washing off his face. 

 

Slade didn't like what just happened, even if it thoroughly grossed the man out. If it was  _ anyone _ else, maybe Dick's family, Slade wouldn't have cared. This was Adam though, Dick's ex-boyfriend that he  _ still _ loved. How could Dick think that kind of behavior was appropriate?

 

God, he needed to shake this jealousy off before it took away his whole night. 

 

Dick took Slade's hand more hesitantly than he would've liked, "Let's take a shower."

  
  
  


Slade went in first and started the shower, letting it warm up while he stripped out of his outfit, putting it to the side in a pile. He helped Dick unzip anything he might have needed while the hero let his clothes fall messily onto the floor. Slade got into the warm water before Dick who opened up one of the cupboards finding the spare toothbrush Adam had been talking about, it wasn't hard to find seeing that the Brit was as organized as he was. He went ahead and got toothpaste on it before he stepped into the shower, passing it to Slade... After he had paused and checked out every inch of the others body. He couldn't help it. 

 

"Let me wash your hair." Slade offered, grabbing the appropriate shampoo ... It didn't smell like his. 

 

"Dick, I have to ... Talk to you about something."

 

"Brush first, I wanna get this taste out of my mouth." Dick said honestly before he got some soap on his hands and got to work on cleaning Slade's body. 

 

Slade did as he was told, brushing his teeth and mouth thoroughly with an efficient pace. After he rinsed the tooth brush, probably more than what was necessary, and used some fresh toothpaste to clean it further he loaded it up again and passed it over to Dick nearly good as new. 

 

"What do you need to talk about?" Dick asked before he started brushing his teeth.

 

Slade smoothed his hands through Dick's hair and began washing the thick, black locks with massaging movements. Now or never he supposed. 

 

"Dick I ... I need you to be there with me when I go to rescue Rose. It's not fair for me to ask that of you and I  _ know _ that." 

 

Slade closed his eye and began to slowly rinse Dick's hair but his request had completely shattered every ounce of his boyfriends comfort. Dick's body tensed as he took a step back with nothing but hurt on his face, the toothbrush low by his waist before he set it down. 

 

Slade slowly opened his eye, "I ... Can't do this without you. If you weren't there when we went to the last location I wouldn't have been able to focus, I would have messed everything up because my emotions would have gotten the best of me." Being so vulnerable and open was ... Hard. So hard. "Dick, I need you there by my side ... Please."

 

 Slade was asking him to turn his back on his morals. To stand there and just  _ watch _ him kill Luthor. It made Dick feel sick… It felt like Adam all over again. 

 

"Slade...." He started before shaking his head. "I promised myself I wouldn't ignore my morals for someone else again..." 

 

Dick broke that promise once with Catalina... Was he willing to break it for Slade? It was more obvious than not that the hero wanted to say 'no', nothing about the way he looked at Slade showed any openness but... He remembered what Slade said outside. Slade was ready to end them for his daughter, ready to walk away from what they had if it meant that his baby girl could get home safely. Dick didn't think Slade would make this request if he thought he could save Rose without his help but.... Dick shook his head and pushed his fingers through his own hair, leaving his hand there a moment to cover his face.

 

"I'm not asking you to ignore your morals. I'm asking you to  _ be _ there for ..." Slade started to say, his voice sounding genuinely surprised and if he was honest, a little off-put. "Never mind." 

 

 Slade had just been expecting for Dick to be there for him without having to ask because that's what people did for those they loved ... Right? If Dick asked Slade to come with him on a mission and not kill a soul he could do that. He  _ would _ do that because if Dick  _ needed _ him, there wouldn't be a question. Now Slade was asking Dick, just this once, to do something for him that  _ Slade _ needed. 

 

"Fine.." Dick's voice was barely audible under the sound of the shower. 

 

Suddenly, he felt absolutely disgusting, who the hell was he these days? 

 

"Thank you," Slade said genuinely.

 

He stepped forward and slowly putting his arms around Dick and drew him in close to his chest, leaning the rest of his height over the top of Dick. 

 

"You don't have to ignore them. Just help me get my daughter back, Dick, that's all I need from you, not anything else. Just help me get her home alive and safe."

 

"You don't understand, Slade..." Dick said with a heavy sigh, "To do nothing  _ is _ to ignore my morals... I can't claim to be against killing if I'm going to sit by and let it happen. That'd be like a cop watching a robbery and doing nothing because he's off the clock." He tried explaining but he felt like it wasn't getting through. 

 

His perspective was different from Slade's. One could say that Slade saw it the same way Dick first explained their relationship. A vegan and a butcher. A vegan can sit by and watch their friends eating meat without condoning the action but.... This was different. The very idea of just sitting still while Slade killed in front of him made him sick.

 

"I don't want to talk anymore." 

 

Dick couldn't. This was already emotionally taxing, he didn't want to hear all the reasons he should be fine sitting there. Slade respected Dick's need for silence. This wasn't going to be easy for either of them for entirely different reasons it seemed and now Slade was regretting ever asking for such a favor in the first place. Right now though, even with Dick fighting this, Slade was somehow relieved by Dick agreeing to help him. Even if Dick was going to struggle at least he wouldn't be alone in this and Slade needed to somehow repay Dick for that. Needed Dick to know how much this meant to him. 

 

Dick took to washing Slade's hair in silence.

 

"I like your shampoo better." He said after a while of massaging Slade's scalp before he moved down to wash the others beard.

 

There was a small smirk that came over Slade's face. "Me too, I like when you smell like me." 

 

It sounded kind of weird, sure, but it wasn't the first time he had said it either. Slade didn't want to own Dick, if he did, he already could have and the Court had given him the power. Instead, Slade just liked the small claims he came to have over Dick. 

 

Slade let the shower finish with them quietly enjoying each other's touches and cleaning various parts of their bodies. By the time it was over, Slade had a towel wrapped around his waist and was brushing his fingers back through his towel dry hair so it was out of his face and unstuck the hair from his neck. 

 

Slowly he moved out into the bedroom, glancing over at Dick who moved to the dresser to find some clothes.

 

 "Hey, handsome ..." Slade gave him a half smile. "Come here, it's been four days since I've been able to get my hands on you alone."

 

The hero slowly looked at Slade, biting his lip softly before approaching the other. 

 

"Four days is a really long time." He acknowledged before gently running his hands up Slade's sides. 

 

Dick liked watching how the muscles moved under his fingertips. 

 

"I thought about you a lot while you were gone." Nightwing said with a red tint to his cheeks. "I missed you a lot."

 

"I thought about you too." Slade answered honestly, watching Dick's motions, his face, focusing on the hero's lip caught between teeth. 

 

"... Especially when I was alone in bed at night."

 

 There was a suggestion in his voice, stepping closer to Dick and letting his larger hands take Dick's chin, the other closing around his lower back.

 

 "Though, today has been a test of my patience." His face leaned closer, lips moving ever nearer. "Know why?"

 

Slade tipped up Dick's face, their lips now  _ nearly _ brushing. "Every time  _ he _ touched you, I just wanted to move in and touch you myself. Frustrated doesn't even begin to explain it." 

 

He was admitting his jealousy in front of Dick, sure, but he'd have to bring it up eventually if he kept going on like this.

 

 "But ... At the end of the night, I'm the one here with you. Aren't I?" Slade closed the distance between them, the kiss was slow like the one before, but much shorter.

 

It filled the hero with desire. 

 

When Slade pulled back, his eye was hungry, gripping a little harder on Dick's chin. 

 

"Let me show you what you mean to me."

 

"You wanna break the rules?" Slade's tone was suggestive enough but Dick still asked. 

 

The hero moved the hand that had been on his chin away, he already missed the firm grip. He pulled Slade's hand to his mouth and softly scraped his teeth across the skin. 

 

"When have I ever followed rules?" Slade asked him, watching his mouth. "Isn't that what you love so much about flirting with danger?" Of course he was referring to himself as the personification of that danger. "That you get to slip out of the confines of what's expected of you and ... Do something else entirely. Thrilling, isn't it?" 

 

Slade shifted his thumb into Dick's mouth, swiping it against Dick's teeth before pushing forward to press against his tongue. 

 

"I've been thinking about your little fetish with danger. How you liked me putting my hands around your neck, wanted me harder, faster inside you. The way your eyes nearly roll back when I bite or hold you down." 

 

Slade fell silent a moment as he watched Dick’s breathing shift, watched his pupils dilate and heart rate increase. Dick honestly looked like he was going to pounce on Slade but the older male wasn’t going to give him the privilege and so with one swift motion he pushed Dick onto the bed, his own form looming over him not seconds later. 

 

"I'm not opposed to a rougher nature. In fact, I'd be honored to perform such services." He said honestly, pausing to bring the thumb out of Dick's mouth. "Are you ready for something like that yet?"

 

Dicks body was burning hot with desire, craving Slade's touch and heat. He wanted it to  _ hurt _ , wanted to feel painfully close to the other. The hero quickly grabbed Slade by the hair pulling him into a rough heated kiss. His lips pressed against the others hard before he slipped his tongue passed Slade's lips, teasing the older man's tongue before breaking the kiss with a firm bite on Slade's lower lip. 

 

"Are you kidding?" He pant out, "You said you wanted to show me what I mean to you... I hope that was a promise.. Cuz I don't want you to hold back tonight."

 

"It was a promise."

 

Slade grabbed both of Dick's wrists and forced them up above his head and pushed them down into the mattress. He arranged his hold so both thinner wrists could be held firmly in one of his larger hands. This left his mouth and other hand with plenty of freedom to do as they pleased. 

 

That spare hand wound into Dick's hair pulling it until Dick's head moved to the side and exposed that beautiful neck to him. Slade's mouth found its place there. Dick’s member twitched under his towel as a small moan escaped his lips, pulse  fast against the others tongue. 

 

The hero was like putty in the others hands only growing more and more workable the hotter he got. Next thing he knew teeth nipped and bit along teased flesh while Slade’s lips dragged and kissed everything else. 

 

"I want to devour you." The merc growled.

 

"Well luckily for you.... You're allowed to leave marks." 

 

Dick's legs wrapped around Slade's waist, one foot trailing up Slade's thigh before he managed to push Slade's towel off of his hips. 

 

"I need to feel you… Give me a reason to beg for you."

 

 The hero wasn't a beggar, far from it actually. He's had a couple lovers try and get him to beg and they never succeeded but... This was different. Dick  _ wanted  _ to lose control, wanted to completely give into Slade.

 

Slade let out a sound that reflected the absolute hunger he felt just imagining Dick begging ... begging for  _ him _ . It was raw, deep, and the kind of sound that was almost felt rather than heard. His head moved up as his gaze was intensely staring into Dick's warm blues. The way Slade looked was lust filled but he regarded Dick like the most precious gift he could ever receive. He didn't have to say he loved Dick, if anything, it was plain as day to anyone paying attention. If they could see the way Slade looked at Dick, they'd know.

 

Slade's hand wove out of Dick's hair and down to his neck. His large palm and fingers wrapping around the top, under the raise of his jaw. Next, his thumb slipped under Dick's chin, pushing it up and back. That same pressure went down onto his Adam's apple to restrict his breathing. Slade hardly waited before kissing Dick again. It was heavy but wasn't slow or methodical. It was performed like Slade fought in combat, there didn't have to be any serious thought put in anymore, he just  _ moved _ with perfect form and expertise that could only be achieved by decades of practice and partners. 

 

Dick kissed back with force, almost fighting the other as his tongue slipped into Slade’s mouth. These touches felt raw and vulnerable, he knew he was leaving himself completely open and if Slade was the wrong person... Well... This fun would be cut very short. 

 

The merc rolled down into Dick's hips, feeling the drag of his hardening member against the other's erection. Shifting the towel between them out of the way easily so Slade could  _ really _ feel him. Dick’s head felt like it was spinning, his body tingling and sensitive. His hips shifted beneath Slade to get the towel completely off the front half of his body so there was nothing between them, the heat of their skin felt like ecstasy. 

 

Slade stopped the kiss after enough time had passed that Dick would need unrestricted air flow. The pressure on Dick's throat eased as Slade's lips left him and attached to under where he was holding down Dick's wrists. Dick looked beautiful like this. Soft moonlight pouring in, face flashed, hair mussed. Slade couldn’t help but to just pause and appreciate the way his partner looked underneath him.

 

He decided to show that appreciation by kissing under Dick’s arms, pausing at the sensitive areas at his wrist, inner elbow and collarbone to massage them with his tongue and graze his teeth across the skin. Slade did this all the way down to his chest. The harder nips were reserved for thicker skin where the pain would be harder pressure than anything sharp and sickening. 

"Mm." Dick couldn't hold back the squeak he let out. 

 

The longest pause was at Dick's chest, where Slade started to press down to reduce his air flow once again. Now, Slade lavished the same affections over the sensitive areas of Dick's chest, taking special care to tend to his blush colored nipples and leaving large, deep colored hickeys patterning the area.

 

"Gnn, Slade." Dick pant out in a whisper, trying to be somewhat quiet.

 

His head was spinning between the reduced airflow and ecstasy, Dick honestly didn’t remember the last time he felt  _ this _ good. He pressed his hips up against the other harder taking his own breath away as he arched into Slade, he asked for this. Asked for Slade to make him beg and yet here he was feeling that need to rebel. Dicks legs wrapped around Slade's waist tightly as he brought their lower halves completely together leaving no room for movement.

 

Slade noticed that Dick was quieter than usual, or rather, he seemed to be holding back his voice. Apparently, Nightwing couldn't entirely abandon all rules. Definitely a golden boy if he ever met one ... But Slade liked the fact that he could work a little bit of a naughty side out of the hero. Surely the desire to dominate Dick came from the same part of him that enjoyed the thrill of a well done contract. It called for something more dangerous, hard, wrong, but feeling  _ oh so _ right.

 

"I want to feel more of you." Dick’s foot softly ran down Slade thigh, he wanted to pull Slade's hair, shift on top of him, take him for everything he had.

 

"You still have the mental facilities to keep your voice down," Slade started as his teeth released from around what was now a particularly red nipple. "You don't want to get caught." 

 

The smile that followed was absolutely devious in every way. Oh, Slade was going to make absolutely sure that Adam knew  _ exactly  _ what was going on inside his bedroom tonight. He wanted Adam to sit there, listening carefully to the sound of Dick's muffled moans escaping through the drywall, know that Dick Grayson submitted himself to Slade in ways the mercenary  _ knew _ he wouldn't for anyone else. 

 

"Bruce always did teach me to behave." He spoke in response giving Slade a surprisingly innocent look. It was a look that breathed a challenge into the air, he wanted Slade to make him feel dirty.

 

"If I remember correctly, you asked me to  _ make you  _ beg..." Slade reminded Dick, fingers slipping up from around Dick's throat and started slipping into Dick's mouth. "If you care about what anyone else thinks, hears ... Then you aren't ready to surrender to me yet." 

 

He didn't want force, complete control, no ... What Slade craved from Dick was absolute surrender. It was the allowance Dick  _ gave _ Slade to dominate him. Slade didn't mind having to earn it, in fact, it was his second favorite part (next to being inside of Dick of course). 

 

Slade pressed his hand down harder into Dick's wrists causing a muffled and soft moan to escape him. Instead of trying to gain distance to lessen Dick's grinding of their hips, Slade shifted them so that his member could rub just below Dick's own and stroke between the strong, supple mounds of his ass. Lastly, he attached his mouth to Dick's neck with a more enthusiastic feel but the same natural skill. It took a while, but Slade made his way up to Dick's ear, grabbing it lightly between teeth. Dick would be able to feel every quiet utterance Slade spoke, every breath he took. 

 

"Let me hear your song, pretty bird."

 

Dick’s body tingled and his member let out small drops of precum. With another soft moan Dick suckled the older man's fingers, working without hesitation to get them nice and wet... He also just liked the feeling of something in his mouth while Slade rubbed up against his rear. 

Slade was so caught up in tasting and touching Dick's body that he didn't even notice Dick's movements until it was much too late.

 

His other leg slowly made its way up Slade's back, his body sinking into the mattress below before the hero abruptly turned his hips causing his body to roll on top of Slade's. His next movements were fast and forceful as he broke out of Slade's iron grip, a hand moving to grasp onto the males hair hard before he forced him into a rough kiss. Dick pressed into the other until he tasted blood on his lips, only then moving to lick Slade's neck. 

 

" _ No one _ has ever gotten me to beg... If you want that you're going to have to work  _ really _ hard for it." Dick took Slade's fingers back into his mouth, his tongue slowly grinding against them. 

 

Slade's free hand grabbed onto Dick's hip with bruising intensity, thumb sinking into the curves of the acrobat's amazingly toned groin muscles. 

 

"Work really hard?" He repeated,  "We'll see."

 

Dick couldn't help but to smirk, Slade thought he could get him to beg without working hard? Cute. Even cuter? No...  _ Sexier _ was the flush on Slade's face. Dick never saw him like that... Well... Not before this. It was foreign but got the males blood pumping.

 

Dick dropped Slade’s fingers from his mouth before he leaned into his neck, teeth scraping against Deathstroke's pulse before Dick pulled his head back and whispered in his ear. 

 

"You haven't let me ride you yet." Tongue flicking out to lick the outer shell of Slade's ear as the heroes mouth moved back down to leave a bruising bite beneath Slade's jaw.

 

With his hands on Dick's hips Slade lined his cock up to move between the dual roundness of Dick's ass. Dick bit his lip as he felt Slade's member grinding between his cheeks and rubbing against his entrance, he had half the mind to force him in right then and there but he knew the amount of pain that would cause would take all the fun out of this... Which reminded him that at some point he'd need to fetch the lube from under the bed. While spit worked well for Slade's fingers (barely) it wouldn't last long enough for his bigger package.

 

"Well, what are we waiting for?" 

 

Slade rewet his fingers inside his own mouth and reached around to Dick's entrance, suggesting how the hero should lift his hips with his grip. Deathstroke didn't hesitate to slip two fingers into the smaller, slowly fucking the inner wall with curved pressure against Dick's prostate. It was about stretching Dick, yes, but more so it was about teasing him to make him  _ want _ more. Slade put in enough depth to just start a skim of pleasure, a tingle, and slow enough that it just begged for  _ faster _ and  _ harder  _ movements. 

 

Slade wanted, no,  _ planned _ on fucking Dick into this mattress until the bed frame broke. However, to tease him first. God, Slade wanted to push Dick into abandon and more. 

 

"You're tight, strong, beautiful." Whether Slade was talking about the hero's ass or his entirety was hard to say but maybe that was the point. "Watching you bounce on my cock would be ..." He didn't usually speak in such a vulgar manner despite his profession. "An absolute pleasure."

 

Dick bit his lip and tried moving his hips to increase the friction however, he felt resistance from the hand on his already bruised hip. 

 

"Slade." He whispered mouth moving to lick and nibble Slade's neck. The marks wouldn't stay but Dick fully intended on marking Slade as his for the next few hours. 

 

His body flexed around Slade's fingers as another whine escaped him, one hand reaching down to stroke himself in an attempt to relieve some of the unbearable pressure that was building up. 

 

 "Do you know how often I've thought about riding you? How  _ deep _ I want you inside of me?" He couldn't stop himself from letting out a soft moan as a hand moved over Slade's throat, Slade wasn't the only one who could do the choking. 

 

Slowly, Dick applied pressure, the grip on his own cock tightening with the one on Slade's throat. He could feel fear and adrenaline rise up as he decided to push his boundaries, test his luck. Clearly, Slade liked to show dominance and power, he only deserved a fitting title and while most may go to 'Master' it was far too literal given their circumstances. 

 

"I want you to fuck me until I can't walk, daddy." 

 

Slade had to expect a lot of inappropriate things to come out of Dick's mouth. Most of the time he believed it was just to get a rise out of Slade, but this particular thing got Slade rising in any entirely different way. 

 

Maybe others would have found it distasteful but Slade found it absolutely arousing. Especially with the way Dick's sweet lips let it slip out in obvious want. Slade nearly growled, eyes raking over Dick, his fingers curling deep against his prostate as if to reward him. 

 

"Say it again." He commanded, teasing him once again. "Beg ‘Daddy’ to fuck you."

 

Dick let out a louder moan. He still muffled it with a hard bite to his own already split lip. His cock was aching despite his own self pleasure. 

 

"Daddy's going to have to work harder than that." The words were firm but Dicks eyes weren't, they were full of lust and want. 

 

It showed even more as Dick pressed back against Slade's fingers trying to get them in deeper. Why was he torturing himself this way?

 

"You're a stubborn brat." Slade replied with a firm smack to Dick's ass and then another causing soft sounds to escape the other. 

 

The reverberations were absolutely perfect, as was to be expected from the best ass in the vigilante business. Even better? It was all his for the night. 

 

"I gave you the chance to behave, just remember that." 

 

Slade slipped his fingers out of Dick and reached over to grab a pouch he'd taken off earlier that was on top of his clothes. He slipped a bottle out of it and into his palm, looking over it for himself before connecting his gaze back to Dick's. Slade sat up and pushed Dick back with unrelenting force. However, he used his grip on Dick's hips to roughly push him onto his stomach, Slade putting his weight on top of the hero immediately after. 

 

The sound of a cap popping open was heard, then next, those two same fingers slipped back into Dick again, Slade's knees holding down Dick's legs to prevent him from moving too much. 

 

"I found this while I was in Spain a few days ago." Slade started, swirling his fingers around inside Dick, fully coating  _ everything _ . The woman who sold it told me the ingredients would make any man or woman burn up with intense pleasure." 

 

Slade kissed Dick's neck and bit down hard, then lapped at the broken skin. "Her son said it tingles, warms, just amplifies sensation. Offered to show me ... But-" He took his fingers out, coating his hand with more lube before covering the length of his cock with slow strokes. "I didn't want to see anyone but  _ you  _ burning with intense pleasure."

 

Dick could already feel the sensations of tingling and heat by the time Slade kissed his neck and bit down hard enough to draw blood eliciting a loud moan, one that was likely audible from the other room. This was it, this was Dick breaking under the pressure of pleasure. The sensation of the lube began burning deep inside of him and around his entrance, the feeling even when through his balls and groin as more time passed by.

 

He wanted to feel Slade inside of him, feel that deep internal massage and stretch. The very idea made him moan quietly. "I love you." He could resist saying it, "I want you inside me." That wasn't quiet begging but the warmer his insides got the closer he grew. 

 

Slade felt his heart stop a little, how many countless times had Dick said that now and Slade hadn't responded? Hadn't told the younger how he felt, it was too much exposure. Yet, looking down at him now, Slade didn't understand why he was so scared ... What the hell he was waiting for. 

 

"Dick ..." Slade breathed and flipped Dick over again, putting both hands on either side of his head, just staring down at those beautiful blues. 

 

He leaned down and placed his forehead against the mattress next to Dick's. "I'm going to give you everything you want ..." Running a hand up Dick's torso and letting it sit on the side of Dick's face.

 

Dick felt the atmosphere change, he couldn't get tired of this view, of seeing Slade over him looking at him like he was treasure. His fingers found their way to Slade's hair as his head moved against the mattress, fingers curling in the others hair as he shifted to press against him. Everything felt like it came to a slow. It wasn't just rough and lust filled, it was emotional, deep, spiritual, even the tone in Slade's voice when he said....

 

 "I love you, Richard." Slade finally lifted his head and met Dick's gaze again. "Let me have you." He was the one asking now, begging even. Slade didn't just mean Dick's body though, he wanted to have every part of Dick.

 

Dicks breathing stopped. He didn't start breathing again until Slade looked into his eyes and that's when he felt an intense rush of emotions. Butterflies, love, admiration, appreciation.. He was honestly lost for words for longer than he should've been. His hand moved to Slade's cheek, thumb brushing against his cheekbone. 

 

"You're the only one I want, Slade... I've never felt like this before." Sure he loved Adam in a near identical way but Adam never felt this safe and warm. "My whole life I've been searching for someone who can fulfill my needs. Someone I can take care of. A partner." 

 

Dicks brows furrowed, now wasn't the best time to get emotional but this was Dick Grayson, "For once I don't feel like I'm alone.. You have me...  _ all _ of me. Mind, body, and soul." 

 

His fingers brushed through Slade's hair before he pulled him close to plant a delicate kiss on his lips, arms tightly wrapping around his shoulders where his face buried itself. 

 

"You have me for life."

 

"Sounds like a prison sentence." Slade said almost unintentionally and then cursed under his breath. "You're family is wearing off on me." 

 

Wow, leave it to Slade to ruin a perfect moment in five seconds. Usually he was so ... Put together. He didn't know what to do now that he was so exposed, raw, real,  _ nervous _ . Emotions weren't something he wore on his sleeve and the only other person Slade had  _ ever _ told he (romantically, of course) loved, was Adeline. 

 

Sex was one thing, Slade could easily separate emotions and sex, he  _ always _ could. So, while Slade was anything but an inexperienced virgin, intimacy wise? He'd only shared this much of himself with one other person in his whole lifetime. Yet, here was Dick. Some bratty twenty-five year old hero, with blue eyes, who ate  _ and _ behaved like a child half of the time had taken him completely. Because, despite Dick's age, his naivety and optimism there was a man who wanted Slade, needed Slade to be with him. Someone that had stuck through more than a rough few months. 

 

Slade refocused himself after a small chuckle. "It'll be the first one I'll serve voluntarily." Slade offered, kissing his neck. "As long as you'll let me." 

 

"Mmm, there's no reason I wouldn't let you, Slade... I know that... I can be an ass and that we but heads sometimes but that doesn't mean I'm going to walk away from this. I like fighting with you." He admit, fingers tracing Slade's spine as their hips ground together.

 

 A soft longing moan escaped the hero, his body was aching. He never wanted someone so badly that it literally hurt but at the same time the sensation was dangerously addictive.

 

"Let me finish showing you how much you mean to me."

 

"You're killing me." Dick chuckled and lifted Slade's chin to kiss him, "I can't wait any longer, Slade..." Fingernails dug into the older males back, "I need to feel you... Please...." 

 

It felt so foreign but... Good. Dicks lips pressed against Slade's lips as he spoke, "Please show me... I want to feel every ounce of love you have..." He bit Slade's bottom lip softly before turning it into high gear, "Please, daddy... Fuck me."

 

Slade was taken over by desire, the way Dick bit his lip, the tone in his voice, the way he called him ‘ _ Daddy _ ’ was, by far, his favorite sexual memory in all fifty some odd years of his life. 

 

"You couldn't have begged more sweetly." Slade replied, sitting himself up and all but manhandling Dick into position underneath him. 

 

Slade took Dick's thighs and pushed them up, forcing Dick's hips off the bed. There was a pillow snatched from somewhere that was placed under Dick's lower back, which Slade added with a, "Trust me." Before moving on. 

 

One leg was propped on top of Slade's shoulder, allowing Slade to line his lubed cock up perfectly with Dick's entrance. He guided the length in slow, every inch it pushed in causing low sounds of pleasure to rumble up from his chest. Dick's hands tightly clutched the blankets below, pleasure filling his face despite the pain that filled his lower region. The stretch burned but between the sensual feeling of the lube and being fingered, the pain wasn't overbearing. 

 

 Slade gave Dick a firm smack on his ass again once he filled him to the hilt 

enticing a sharp yelpish moan followed by the sensation of Dick's entrance pulsing around Slade's thick member. Dick's eyes were filled with desire as he looked into Slade's eye, leaning up to delicately kiss him as his body slowly began to relax. Each pulse from his heart sent waves of pleasure and tingling up his spine. From now on Slade was only allowed to use this fancy lube, it took the bite of pain off almost completely.

 

"God, you're so ..." Slade didn't finish with words, but with a lust filled sound of approval. 

 

Dick smiled, a thumb brushing over Slade's lip before the other began to move. A soft moan escaped the hero as his hand fell to tightly grip Slade's shoulder. 

 

"Your.... Fucking addictive." He moaned out.

 

Slade started slow, letting Dick adjust to his length and girth. He waited for the initial dragging tightness to go away, for Dick and his body to relax into the pleasure fully until he could thrust into him with smooth ease. 

 

Like a switch, Slade leaned forward, hands finding Dick's hips as he started a brutal, hard fuck. It wasn't necessarily fast (yet), but it focused on every  _ inch _ of Slade being buried inside Dick, pointedly thrusting up toward his prostate.

 

A sharp moan escaping Dick once more as his back arched and both legs tightened around the other. One hand moved up to grip the pillow beneath his head while the other moved to cover his mouth, loud scream like moans escaping the hero each time Slade thrust himself in. Each time Slade hit his prostate Dick could stop himself from screaming 'Slade' into his hand. It took awhile for Dick to gain some control under the intense amounts of pleasure, flexing his lower region to squeeze around Slade's cock. That always hurt but it hurt so damn  _ good _ . Dick's muscles moved in sync with Slade's rhythm, massaging his member the same way Slade massaged Dick's insides. 

 

Finally, Dick's hand moved off his mouth and he grabbed a fist full of Slade's hair, roughly pulling him down as he moaned into his ear.

 

 "Spank me... Mmm... Please." He was letting go, despite still stifling some moans. 

 

His mouth moved from Slade's ear to his neck, using Slade's hair to pull his head to the side so Dick could have more space to leave a hard bruising bite which, in turn, muffled his next loud moan.

 

Dick wasn't the only one moaning, Slade was in the throes of pleasure where instincts started to take over everything else. Good thing his instincts and his mind agreed: Dick was hot, sexy, and needed to be fucked. Well ... And spanked. 

 

"Bossy." Slade commented with a smile showing he wasn't fully serious. 

 

He pulled out of Dick suddenly and grabbed Dick's leg off his shoulder and the hero's side, flipping him none too gently onto his front once again. Slade then used his hands to pull Dick's hips up, giving the side of his thigh and ass a hard smack before he pushed himself back inside Dick again. Both hands found Dick's hips, using his own thrusting motions and pulling Dick's hips back toward him to get in deeper. God did it feel good. Slade was beginning to lose control of himself, thrusting into Dick with an absolutely punishing speed and force, that with anyone else, probably would have been too much. His hand only loosened it's grip to deliver skin clapping spanks to Dick's ass and thighs. 

 

"Fuck- ... Dick..." Slade moaned out, probably sounding the most abandoned he ever had around Dick.

 

The hero could tell Slade was letting himself lose control and god did that make Dick happy. Every thrust, smack and moan from the other was nothing short of arousing. The bite of pain and soothing pleasure was sending Dick overboard and he couldn't help but to let out loud screams of pleasure. His hand clutched the blankets tightly as he rolled and moved his hips with each of Slade's thrusts only making them increase in power and force. The hero wondered if he was bleeding from how hard they were going but god he didn't want it to stop. Since when was he such a masochist?

 

"Slade!" 

 

 There was another smack to Dicks ass, the sound of the bed creaking with Dicks voice chasing after it. It happened so fast the hero just about fell over, his face ending up in the mattress as the bed collapsed beneath them. Dick choked out a chuckle between his moans, a hand reaching down to start stroking himself.

 

 "Fuck... Daddy, I'm so close." He pant out, forcing his hips against Slade's nearly violently. "Pull my hair?" God he loved how animalistic Slade was but he wanted more.

 

"Cum for me, Dick." Slade all but growled, reaching up to grab Dick's hair and pull his head back to look forward. "God ... I'm going to fuck you until your filled with me.  Make you mine." 

 

Slade pulled a hand around Dick's front, his forearm against his sternum as he pulled him up closer to Slade and further down on his hard cock. 

 

"Fuck, Slade." 

 

Slade's hand wrapped around his neck and began to choke Dick while still giving him the pounding of his life. Broken bed or not ... Slade Wilson wasn't stopping.

 

Long streams of cum began escaping the hero's member.

 

"D-Dick ... Fuck-" Slade moaned out before a few more hard thrusts had him cuming inside of Dick at the hilt.

 

God Dick loved the way the other moaned his name. After the initial release, Slade rode out the waves of his orgasm with slow thrusts in and out of Dick, his hand loosening around his throat and hair.

 

His entrance was tight around Slade's member as all his muscles flexed, his strained breath heavy. 

 

"Next time you should cum on me." Dick really didn't mean to say that out loud but he was in cloud nine and it slipped.

 

 His face was flushed and he turned his head to kiss Slade lovingly before wiping the cum off his hand and onto the blanket. Dick slowly moved off of Slade's cock, body already sore, legs and butt lightly bruised from being spanked.

 

The hero laid down on his back and pulled Slade down beside him into the damp broken bed, "Adam's gonna kill us." He chuckled, pausing to bite his lip before wiggling closer to Slade to let his head rest on his chest. 

 

Slade felt amazing, worn out and satisfied. He was out of breath a little, a rare sight, and looked slightly flushed from his chest up to his cheeks. He laid easily against the bed and let out a chuckle.

 

 "Worth every second." Slade said honestly, raising a hand to comb gently through Dick's near mess of hair to untangle it. 

 

As the initial excitement and adrenaline began to slow down Slade and Dick were left with something more comfortable. This place where they could exist by each other more honestly. 

 

Dick listened to Slade's quickened heartbeat silent a moment before finally speaking. "No one has ever made me feel so… At home before…"

 

Slade had his eye closed when Dick spoke. His hand momentarily stilling in his hair before it fell to rest on the back of Dick's neck. 

 

"I've... Had that feeling of home before." He answered honestly, leaning down to press his lips into Dick's hair against the top of his head. "I've been without it for ... A very long time. But, last night," 

 

The merc paused to pull Dick a little closer. "I couldn't stop thinking about coming home to  _ you _ . Not my house, to my place but ... You." 

 

Slade began to massage his hand down Dick's back and shoulder. "You've got me talking like some naive kid, like I don't know how bad this could all end up but ..." He let out a small airy laugh. "I want to  be at home with you, I want to love you. I ... Deserve you." 

 

Slade, ultimately, was a villain, a fifty something man, with three kids, a dead wife, and a plethora of horrible deeds longer than Santa's entire naughty list. There was nothing in any of that should have brought him and Dick together. If anything, every single one should push them so far apart so ... To admit Slade deserved to be happy, accept Dick and his love was huge. It was fragile, but huge. 

 

Slade let himself relax next to Dick and just comfortably hold him against his chest. "I'll clean us up in fifteen just ... Stay with me for a while."

 

Dick wasn't fully surprised Slade had felt at home before, he was confident Adeline and Slade's children gave him that feeling. The difference was that Dick had a habit of falling in love with the wrong people or falling in love too quickly. The love of his life, Barbara Gordon, was nearly perfect except she didn't give him the assuring push back he needed. He needed someone he could get into a screaming match with without breaking up. Someone who would turn around and take responsibility for their actions. He needed someone he could open up to and tell he was raped… He could never do that with his ex's.

 

"I'm glad you realize that… You always talk like you're a bad guy. You're not a hero but you're a good man and…" Dick paused, "If you wanted you could fall into that grey area between hero and villain… Regardless of what you choose, I'll be here.. Always… And I love you." 

 

He smiled again and kissed Slade's neck with a happy sigh, hand holding the others. "I'll clean us off you rest….. Promise you won't give up on us…. I want you to keep coming home to me. I want you to feel like you have someone to love… Someone who will be your  _ partner _ . I want you to know you will always have me."

 

With that silence fell over the two as Dick focused on the sound of Slade's breathing and beating heart.. Slade fell asleep.. Shit, Dick almost did too but awoke when he remembered he was going to clean them off. Quietly the hero slipped out of bed and cleaned himself in the bathroom before he returned to wipe some of the dried up blood and sweat from Slade's skin. After tossing the rag across the room Dick curled up close to Slade falling asleep instantly in his warm comforting embrace.

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


Luthor stood in front of the room, Rose to the left of him. Her hair was wrapped around his fist and blood was dripping off of her face and onto the floor. The look in Luthor's eyes was demonic, sickening. He was overjoyed with the amount of pain the girl was in. The next thing Dick knew, a bullet flew through the room hitting Luthor in the head splattering blood and brains against the wall. The room spun and the floor fell out from under Dick. As the room came to a still, Dick's eyes shifted down to Luthor's body just below his feet. One hand was covered in blood and the other was holding a gun. 

 

"Did it feel good?" Rose asked before he felt a whisper in his ear, "Did you enjoy killing him?"

  
  
  
  


Dick gasped and quickly sat up, sweat dripping down his face as his heart hammered in his chest. It took him a moment to get his bearings as he looked around the moonlit room, the familiar scent of flowers and lavender filling the space with the undertone of Slade's natural smell. Dick's eyes shifted to his sleeping lover as his breathing stabilized. It was just a nightmare. Despite how lovely the night had ended he couldn't help but to dwell on Slade's request to be there with him when he kills Luthor. He was head over heels in love with Slade, he knew that much. Knew there was nearly nothing he wasn't willing to sacrifice to be with him. It scared and hurt him all at once. He knew if he let Slade kill Lex that he might as well be the one pulling the trigger and that haunted him.  The raven haired male sighed, eyes on his lover as he studied his features under the moonlight. Slade was absolutely stunning in this lighting. The other must've been exhausted because he didn't seem to have stirred from Dicks abrupt waking up.

 

"You're going to be the death of me." Dick whispered and pushed some of Slade's hair out of his face. 

 

Shortly after he leaned in and kissed Slade's forehead before quietly slipping out of bed. It didn't take much for the hero to fetch sweatpants from Adam's dresser and slip them on over his naked frame. He knew that Adam would still be awake despite it being 3am, that man never seemed to sleep. 

 

The hero slipped out of the bedroom shutting the door quietly behind him as he entered the dimly lit hall. The light was coming from the kitchen and Dick could hear the sound of water being poured, Adam must've made himself tea. Dick had barely stepped foot into the kitchen before the brit spoke to him.

 

"I thought I told you two not to sha-" The male didn't finish his sentence as he turned to look at his shirtless ex.

 

Dick's neck carried multiple bite marks, bruises and hickies, his collarbone, chest and nipples barring the same markings. Dicks hips were covered in dark bruises shaped like the pads of Slade's fingers. 

 

"He doesn't hesitate one bit does he? Let me guess… You broke the bed." 

 

Dick felt his face flush slightly at Adams comment before rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah but… We'll pay for it." 

 

He moved to the counter hearing the low growl that escaped the brit. Adam couldn't fathom the fact they made a mess but he shoved his irritation down and approached Dick lifting his chin. 

 

"Possessive much?"

 

Dick softly pushed Adams hand away before hopping onto the counter, "It's… A different kind of possessive. It's not like he sees me as his property, I wouldn't be allowed to talk to you if he did… It's more of.." Dick paused, "He's proud that I'm his. He wants to show it off."

 

"And you like the attention so it works." Adam pointed out before leaning against the counter, "Since you're up I should tell you that Oswald is hosting a little… Party. A celebration of the Court's power."

 

"It's not going to be a nice event, there will be slaves being belittled left and right but Luthor and Ra's should be there… I want to talk to Ra's.. It'll give Slade an opportunity to talk to Luthor." Adam set his cup on the counter adjusting it a couple of times before releasing it. 

 

"When is this?" Dick asked, eyes on the floor.

 

"Two weeks from today.." Adam watched the younger male, he could tell something was off. He could see sadness and shame in Dicks body. 

 

Before Adam could say anything Dick's attention shifted to the music playing in the background, Adam must've turned the stereo on when he and Slade started having sex. 

 

"This was always my song to you… Time is running out.." Dick mumbled.

 

"By Muse… I'm not surprised." Adam stated before adjusting his tea cup. 

 

🎶I wanted freedom

But I'm restricted

I tried to give you up

But I'm addicted

Now that you know I'm trapped

Sense of elation

You'll never dream of breaking this fixation

You will squeeze the life out of me🎶

 

"Sounds accurate…. So what was it that drew you out of Slade's arms at 3 in the morning?"

 

"....He asked me to be there when he kills Luthor.."

 

"Hm, how is it you managed to fall in love with two men who make you betray your morals?" Again he adjusted the tea cup. 

 

"He's not making me… Unlike  _ you _ he gave me a choice." Dick said shooting Adam a short glare. 

 

"And what did you choose?" Adam humored.

 

Dick instantly broke eye contact, his eyes getting glossy, "I chose… Him… I chose to set my morals aside."

 

"...What is it about men like us that makes you betray yourself? Why do you do that to yourself, Dick?"

 

The hero felt some tears stream down, "I don't know…. I just… I don't want to lose him. I love him."

 

"You love Barbara too and you wouldn't do this for her.." Adam pointed out, crossing his arms after moving the cup. 

 

"I don't know… I don't know what it is, Adam… I can handle hating myself if I have him… He listens to me. When I'm upset he asks me if I want to talk about it or if I just want to cry. He asks if I want him to listen or if I want his advice.. For once I don't feel alone, physically or emotionally."

 

"He takes care of you…. And he sees you. You don't have many people that do that." Adam stated.

 

"What do you mean?" Dick asked.

 

"Bruce sees you as the one who's supposed to set an example for his brothers. Jason sees you as the perfect golden child. Tim sees you as someone who's self sacrificing when sometimes you want to be the one taken care of.. And Damian sees you as a father.." 

 

"You have no room to make mistakes because if you do you have to worry about their perspectives changing… With us you can mess up and we still see you for who you are.."

 

Dick frowned and began softly sobbing before Adam moved to hold him. Dick couldn't stop himself from softly crying into the other, face in the others neck.

 

"But is being seen really worth giving up the only valuable parts of myself?"

 

"You have to decide that for yourself, Robin… And you have to live with the choice you make." 

 

The two made eye contact as silence spilled over them for a minute, Dick speaking in barely a whisper. 

 

"Did you love me?"

 

"Mmph…." He sipped his tea and moved the cup aside, "I tried really hard not to.. I just.. I couldn't not love you, Dick.. You have so much love and humanity." 

 

Adam's hand found its way to Dick's cheek, softly rubbing the tears away. Dick saw it long before it came but he was too slow. He put a hand on Adams chest just as Adam leaned in, softly pressing his lips against Nightwing's.

 

Dick made a halfhearted effort to push the other away, one hand locked on the others chest while the other held onto the counter. Adam's hand found its way to the side of Dick's neck as he deepened the kiss. Dick had barely returned it, his body more stiff as his lips barely moved against the others. He felt butterflies but he felt so… Guilty.

  
  



	19. Under Your Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say shit's about to go down last time? Cuz now I really mean it.

Slade had stirred when Dick kissed him on the forehead and got out of bed. He hung somewhere between sleep and rest waiting for Dick's return from getting a snack or going to the bathroom. However, time pressed on and Slade pushed himself up from the mattress, awkwardly standing up from the bed that was now low on the floor. He grabbed his eye patch, securing it over his eye and pulling Adam's robe halfway on, leaving the front open but replacing his boxers. 

 

Slade silently pushed the door open and heard Dick and Adam's voices. 

 

"But is being seen really worth giving up the only valuable parts of myself?"

 

What were they talking about? Slade went to reveal himself when he heard it. 

 

"Did you love me?" 

 

Why was Dick asking that?

 

Then Adam was touching him again, Slade felt hot immediately but it was quickly followed by his heart dropping straight into his stomach. He focused his trained eye on the hand Dick laid to rest on Adam's chest, by the time he moved back to look at Dick’s face … Kissing. Adam was kissing him and Dick was ... 

 

‘Push him away.’ Slade thought,waiting for Dick to do the right thing for what seemed like hours but must have been just seconds.

 

Slade didn't say a damn word but he approached rather silently as well in a way that should have been impossible for such a large man. A hand enclosed around Adam's wrist, moving it from Dick's hair. Using a tugging and rotating motion, Slade twisted Adam's arm behind his back knocking the tea cup onto the floor in the process.With that momentum, he slammed the man into the refrigerator while Slade's other hand pressed down on the back of Adam's neck. He was seeing red and he wanted to kill this man.

 

Dick shot up immediately, a pit in his stomach. "Slade!" 

 

He wasn't upset the other got involved, he was more concerned that Slade would kill Adam. He could see murderous rage in Slade's expression. 

 

"Morning to you, sunshine." Adam had the audacity to hiss out which made Dick sigh heavily. 

 

He had a deathwish that was for sure. 

 

"Adam, don't make this worse." Dick nearly begged. 

 

"Please, you broke my bed, think of it as revenge." Great... So now Dick was the pawn in a power struggle.

 

"You're begging me to put your head through this door." Slade said through gritted teeth, pushing Adam's head harder into the stainless steel as if to make a point earning a soft hiss of pain. 

 

After a moment Slade pulled Adam off the fridge and tossed him back on his legs toward the perpendicular counter top where he caught himself. 

 

"I expected that behavior from a snake like you." Slade seethed, before turning his gaze toward Dick and he was angry alright. But, there was hurt too. "But from you?" His tone said it all, that he couldn't believe what he had seen.

 

"Slade I... It's not like that. It's not what I came out here to do." 

 

"The kid had a nightmare, I was trying to clear his head." Adam spoke despite knowing full well he shouldn't have done that.

 

"Shut up." Dick snapped at him before looking at Slade, "Slade, you need to believe me when I say I love  _ you _ not  _ him _ ..  I don't want him." 

 

"That's true."

 

"Adam, I said shut up."

 

"Not what you came out here to do??" Slade questioned like it was a ridiculous response to give him. "Why didn't you wake me up? Why come out here with-" He started between firing back and forth between Adam. 

 

He had enough. Slade turned toward Adam, then, with a swift motion punched him in the face with enough force to shut him up for a while. The hit managed to not only break Adam’s glasses but his nose as a hard crack could be heard before the Brit his the ground.

 

"...This was a mistake ... Shouldn't have come here."

 

Part of Dick wanted to see if Adam was okay but… He knew the other had been through worse and instead turned his attention to Slade completely.

 

 "Yes... It was... We should go... I know the curfew is up but we can get around it." His voice was barely a whisper as he tried to fight back tears. "Slade... I don't know what i was thinking coming out here to him but what I do know is that my intention wasn't to.... Kiss him or to be with him..." Dick bit his lip, he needed to stop talking. "Let’s take his car and go."

 

"No." Slade said after a moment of silence between them, moving past Dick. " _ I _ shouldn't have come here ... When you told me you loved him still I thought-" ‘You loved me more.’ Slade didn't finish as he walked toward the bedroom. "You're staying here. I'm leaving."

 

Dick felt his world shattering around him as Slade spoke, he didn't hesitate to follow him towards the bedroom before grabbing his arm. "I  _ do _ love you more, Slade... He kissed me.. I... I didn't ask for it.. I didn't want it... I wouldn't do that to you." God he was close to getting down and begging the other to take him with him. 

 

Slade jerked his arm away from the hero and  ignored him longer, picking his clothes up and putting them on. He was pulling his shirt over his head when he finally couldn't be silent anymore. 

 

"You didn't want it? You didn't push him away, you were touching his chest ... You asked him if he  _ loved _ you." He was just pointing out the facts as he saw them. 

 

"That’s not.. Slade, You're my home... Remember?"

 

Slade's hands were gripped into fists at his side, shaking at the force. "I'm not ... Anything. I was stupid enough to fall enough for all this, I'm not stupid enough to listen to you manipulate me."

 

"I'm not manipulating you!" Dick snapped back, shit maybe he was but... He couldn't lose Slade... Not now. 

 

"My hand was on his chest because I was  _ trying _ to push him away I... I just couldn't..." God he felt sick and low. So, so low. 

 

“You just couldn’t?” Slade asked pausing in the doorway before he snort, “Well.. I can’t do us.”

 

“No.. Slade..” Finally the tears began streaming down Dick’s face, "I'm  _ sorry, _ please don't do this. I'll do whatever you want, I'll stop seeing him, I'll let you erase him from my mind or whatever, just  _ please  _ don't leave me." 

 

He didn't even sound like himself, Dick honestly felt like someone else was taking over his body. Internally he was screaming to stop, screaming to just let Slade go and  _ not _ break down but it was like there was an overwhelming switch that was flipped causing the young hero to not only act drastically but to act completely uncharacteristically. It made his head spin as all the emotions he pushed down began resurfacing and overwhelming him. He  _ couldn’t _ be alone right now, he couldn’t handle this… Tim was in  _ danger _ , his ex boyfriend who talked him into genocide resurfaced, Beast Boy was  _ mutilated.  _ He couldn’t handle this. 

 

"You don't get to do this." Slade said in a low tone. "You don't get to tell me you love me and Adam, then kiss him. To wait until I'm in bed, sleeping,  _ with you _ ." 

 

How stupid was he to think Dick  _ actually  _ loved him. This was a game, some kid running around treating love like it was something he didn't understand and ... Maybe Dick  _ didn't  _ understand. 

 

"I was right." Slade stood back from Dick. "At the beginning of all this ... We were  _ never  _ going to work." He grabbed keys out of his pocket and dropped them on the nightstand before moving for the door to leave. "Goodbye Dick."

 

He made his way out of the bedroom and into the living room before Dick shook his head and followed him out. Slade had just reached for the door knob before he heard the sound of Dick’s trembling voice behind him, kid sounded like he was having a panic attack.

 

"No, Slade, you're wrong. Don't go." Dick grabbed Slade's arm and pulled him back with all of his body weight, which of course hardly made the villain budge. "I'll change.. Please don't do this! I'm sorry!" 

 

He couldn't even see from all the tears blocking his vision which began to grow dark as air grew harder to take in. Dick collapsed onto the floor, knees down on the ground as his grip tightened on the other as though he would die if he let go. 

 

"Please." 

 

Slade’s heart hurt at the sight, trying to urge him down onto the floor with him. To tell Dick that he would forgive him, because he loved him and they could get through it but.. He knew he couldn't be so vulnerable though, could not let himself become involved in something that could  _ hurt  _ him. 

 

"I trusted you." Slade said after a shaky breath, putting his other hand over Dick's. "You ... Have no idea how much you mean to me. What I gave you ..." 

 

He pried Dick's hands off of him despite the other desperately trying to cling back on. "Kid, I have to go. Let me go." 

 

That made Dick freeze almost as though it brought him back to reality. The hero met Slade’s gaze with broken eyes as his lip quivered, shame and humiliation sinking in as his hands dropped to the floor in front of him. It was almost hesitant, but Slade still turned to go out the front door with his things.

 

The hero’s body began shaking before anger took control of him and he lashed out at the door. With each strike he let out, "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He didn't stop until his hands were dripping with blood, his head falling against the now stained wood.

 

"Fucking whore." Dick sobbed out sinking down to the floor as his breathing grew harder by the second, "I.. H-h-hate you."

 

 He didn't think he could hate himself anymore than he did now. His breathing was sharp and short, his vision fading. "I hate you." He began repeating until finally everything faded to blackness.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


~One Week Later~

  
  
  


"Where? ... Of course. I'll be there. Thirty minutes ... Understood."

 

 Slade spoke into his phone before putting it down on the counter, sighing with relief that didn't reach any other part of his body, which remained rigid and tense since the night at Adams. 

 

"Where is my brother, Wilson?" Damian interrogated with dangerous eyes from the couch. 

 

He was sporting a few new bandages and the house had a few holes in the walls that needed patching. When Slade came back without Dick and then he nor Slade's jet showed up the next morning, Damian wanted blood. Between fits of rage and random malfunctions from Damian's internal technology, the kid had done a number on his own body and Slade's home. 

 

"They found him near Gotham. Aren't saying when ... I'm going to get him now." Slade said as he walked into his bedroom to change. 

 

"I'm coming too!" Damian announced trying to lift himself off the couch and groaning.

 

"No, you aren't. You're staying here."

 

"I am not your ward, I have no reason to listen to you. I will go." Damian insisted, now standing with his crutches. 

 

"Alright, Brat." 

 

Slade emerged already in his suit, approaching Damian and making him sit back on the couch which had Damian swinging to hit Slade. 

 

"You disgusting old man! Stop touching me!" He yelled, Slade taking up the sheet under him and forcibly tucking Damian into the couch. "This is cruel and unusual punishment! This is condemning my human rights!"

 

"The fact I have to deal with you at all is a violation of my right to peace." Slade replied flatly standing up to walk through the house toward his walk out to the landing pad. 

 

"I hate you. I hope Grayson spits in your face when he sees you." Damian grumbled as he cuddled up to on of Dick's pillows on the couch. 

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


"He was outside for a short duration when we found him. Hasn't said a word since arrival, hasn't willingly submitted to any testing or questioning." 

 

A woman with a thin frame, blonde hair, and shining green eyes read off a tablet in front of her. Slade was just pretending he didn't want to punch her. 

 

"Willingly? So-"

 

"Mr. Wilson, we don't allow things like consent to hinder assistance or advancement."

 

That's why he wanted to punch her. "I'm aware." Slade watched her press a few more buttons before speaking again. "Where is he?"

 

"We are having him prepared for release. His clothes are being changed to something more appropriate of his status and he's being detailed. You know grooming and sorts. Last time he was here, no one could touch him let alone prepare him so, you'll be in for a treat."

 

"Detailing? He's ... Why?" Slade stood up and followed her down a series of doors and hallways until they were brought into a room. 

 

It was dark with thick drapes like back at Luthor's gala, soft plush carpet, red decor and a well made bed. It smelled faintly of vanilla and roses. The woman gestured to the chair rather than the bed in the room for Slade to sit. Once he settled, she handed him some tea. Green with lemon and ginger ... His favorite. 

 

"Well, because of his ... Abnormally quiet demeanor we exhausted quite a few techniques to gain information. Simply put, they are treating any injuries he might have. Don't worry though, he will be ready for use as soon as he arrives." 

 

She stood up and proudly gestured to the room around them. "We've come to understand many Masters cannot wait to get home for their pets to service them upon pick up. Or, if a pet is being experimented on, these rooms can be used for a pet to provide services to their master quickly while remaining in the facility. Sex is very important apparently." She shrugged. "Our staff should be up with your pet soon Mr. Wilson."

 

Slade was gripping the side of the chair until it creaked. He felt so guilty, poor Dick. God, he just hoped he was okay.

 

In no time the sound of boots approaching the door could be heard.

 

"Keep moving." 

 

A gruff voice said before the sound of a sharp smack filled the space, it was after that the door opened. There was one guard walking Dick, he shoved him forward and Dick stumbled nearly falling. He was dressed in a tight black tank top, shorts that were equivalent to the size of women’s panties and tight chains around his wrists. His right thigh was red from being smacked by a baton in the hallway but that wasn't his only injury. Dick's eye was black and so swollen he couldn't open it, his arms covered in bandages and bruises. The hero's opposite thigh was bandaged with red stains already showing through. As if that wasn't bad enough, Dick’s eyes held absolutely no light to them. There were dark bags under his eyes and his skin was pale. Around his hairline small beads of sweat were visible, which was accompanied by what seemed like strained breathing. 

 

So, this is what they meant by preparing him. Covering up all the injuries they produced and dressing them in something just concealing enough that he wouldn't be naked. Dick looked ... Destroyed. 

Despite all the pain he was in, Dick had to focus on keeping Slade away. He knew he was sick, shit he was dealing with intense body aches, fatigue and exhaustion. It wasn't Slade's job to worry about him anymore. The hero wobbled slightly before the Court guard pushed Dick forward to stand in front of Slade however, the push only sent Dick to his knees. He covered up the heavy pants escaping him as the guard grabbed his hair and forced him to look at Slade. 

 

"You owe your master an apology." The guard said nothing more to Dick releasing his hair before addressing Slade, "Many masters are impatient so we took the liberty of stretching him for you.." With that he walked out.

 

Dick wasted no time in standing up, a small hiss escaping him as some blood trickled from under his bandage and down his leg. Now that he was closer it was clear to see faint burn marks on Dick’s body, some on his neck from a shock collar but there were other burns on his forearms from what looked like acid. That wasn't even the worst of his injuries. He still had a shirt on afterall. 

 

"We should go." Dick spoke quietly, nearly flinching at the sound of his own voice. He sounded weak. 

 

Slade slowly stood up from his seat once they were alone, regarding Dick a little more before stepping forward into his space.

 

 "Kid ..." 

 

His voice held nothing but concern, reaching out to touch the other's temple around his black eye, feeling a bit of dampness on his fingers from the cold sweat around Dick's temple.

 

 "What happened to you?" Slade asked looking Dick in the eye.

 

Together, dating, lovers, or not, Slade still cared about Dick. He couldn't help that,even if the kid had crushed him a few nights ago he couldn't... God he couldn't see him like this and not want to hold him.

 

Dick pulled away, Slade's hand almost chasing him as if to say, 'come back to me'. Instead, It fell down by Slade's side, clenching and unclenching uncomfortably.

 

 "I'm fine, Slade.... It's nothing I can't handle." 

 

Was it? He felt exhausted. His head was spinning, there wasn’t a part of his body that  _ didn't  _ hurt... It hurt to even breathe. Yet here he was holding all of it together. 

 

"I don't believe you." Slade replied, looking over Dick's body again. "Don't lie to me, Dick."

 

"You need to either tell them you want to take me home or make it look like you..." Dick trailed off, he couldn't even think about that without his stomach turning. 

 

He broke eye contact and stared down at the floor, "They didn't hurt me too bad." The hero lied before glancing up at the other which must've been too much exertion before his vision sparkled for a moment.

 

Slade had grabbed the new collar that the High Court provided him as Dick collapsed. He reacted before he could even think, closing the small distance between them and making sure Dick didn't fall off the bed to the ground. A hand rested on his shoulder while the other steadied him at his waist. The touch was firm, purposeful, and guided Dick to lay on his back.

 

 "Relax for a minute, breathe." Touching his forehead. "Dick, you're burning up."

 

"I'm... Fine..." Dick pant out trying to push Slade's hand off his forehead however, he didn't have the energy which resulted in the back of his hand resting against Slade's. "I just... Have a headache.." That wasn't untrue but that wasn’t the only thing going on with him. 

 

He began coughing and rolled onto his side, covering his mouth. It sounded wet and by the time he was done his breathing sounded more wheezy. He begrudgingly swallowed whatever mucus had wound up in his mouth before slowly sitting up, the sweat on his forehead starting to drip down his face. He couldn't hide this, he knew it all by looking at Slade's face. 

 

"It's just the flu... I'm fine.."

 

"Stop saying you're fine. You  _ aren't  _ fine." 

 

Slade's voice didn't hold the firmness it should have, he was more focused on Dick's physical symptoms. High temperature, wet cough, cold sweats, weakness. 

 

"This isn't just the flu ..." 

 

The mercenary put Dick's hand over to the side as he moved his own, treating Dick with the utmost gentleness. A hand made it's way on Dick's chest. It was hot too, and his breathing was rasping. 

 

"You might have pneumonia. God damn it." Slade sounded frustrated, but it wasn't with Dick, not at all. "We need to get you home."

 

 It slipped out, home? Slade's house, home was ... Different. They both knew that. It wasn't home, not anymore... Dick didn't get the luxury of having a 'home.' His apartment was destroyed (at least he was sure), the Wayne manor was abandoned, forgotten. He couldn't go to Haylys. He had  _ no where _ he could call a home. It stung but so did everything else. He did this to himself. 

 

"I'm going to carry you, just close your eyes. I'll handle the rest. Alright, kid?" Slade took some tissues from the side of the bed and wiped the younger's face down. "Try and stay awake for me."

 

Dick shook his head weakly, "You can't just carry me out of here." For once he wasn't  _ just  _ being stubborn, "The Court will get suspicious... They think I ran away from you. You have a reputation to keep up." He grabbed into the bed frame and pulled himself to his feet. "I'll walk.. If I collapse then the Court will think you're carrying me because you're fed up with my lack of strength."

 

"I know that. Like I said, let me handle the rest. You trust me still right?" Slade asked genuinely. 

 

After how he abandoned Dick at Adams? Let him fend for himself when Dick was so clearly emotionally wrecked? The night had been hard for Slade too ... Actually that was probably an understatement. Even Slade hadn't made it back to the treehouse until the evening after. Dick hadn't been there, and a day later he had called Adam (begrudgingly) and asked if Dick was still there. 

 

So Did Dick trust him? He didn't know anymore... With a slight nod Dick leaned against the bedpost. 

 

"Hang on... just ..." 

 

Slade looked torn on whether or not to leave his side, but ultimately did. He approached the door and threw the thing open, letting it hit the wall next to it with a loud crack. It was immediately clear who was human and High Court, two of the guards jumped, the others didn't so much as flinch. 

 

"Mr. Wilson how can-"

 

"I want whoever is in charge on the floor immediately." Slade's voice was dangerous and low, looking between the group of four men posted at the door. The High Court official that hadn't spoken before he walked off to fulfill said task. 

 

"What is the problem? We had him prepared thoroughly for you. Rather have him dry?" The man said flatly as if he wasn't talking about preferences during forcible rape. 

 

Slade had to center himself, Dick was right, he had a reputation to uphold. He let out a realistic sounding half laugh, but irritation underlining it. 

 

"No. However, I don't enjoy fucking corpses." Slade responded gesturing back to Dick who was coughing again. "You  _ said _ he'd be ready to service me the moment he arrived. He's hacking and coughing, can barely stand. He's useless to me like this." 

 

"I apologize that your pet wasn't kept to your standards. However, I'll remind you that it  _ was _ your responsibility to keep him leashed while in your custody." The woman from before was back, hair now tightly tied back in a perfect bun. 

 

"We also aren't responsible for his medical care. His condition isn't lethal, he's still ... Usable. Whether or not you agree with that assessment is a perspective of preference, but not factually accurate." She put her pen down on the clipboard and handed it off to a man on her right. "I'll keep him here for a few nights to fix his condition until he is in proper working order for you. You can pick him up on Wednesday."

 

Slade didn't like where this was going, not a bit. He let out a sarcastic laugh, "Why? So he can continue receiving the five star medical care he has here? No. I have a gala to attend on Saturday that he needs to be in performing condition for. I'll have him examined by my own physicians and do your job for you."

 

"Very well, Mr. Wilson." She almost looked irritated. "Just make sure he stays in your custody this time. If we find him again, you won't get him back." 

 

"Get over here. Now." Slade snapped back at Dick with an irritated look and tone, pointing to the space next to him. 

 

He didn't expect Dick to even make it halfway there, but that was the point, wasn't it? "You've already wasted my time enough today. Don't make me drag you by your hair out of here, Richard."

 

Dick peeled himself off of the frame and began limping towards Slade. The fatigue and spinning head was enough as it were, but his leg ached up his thigh and through his hip. The hero made it more than halfway, collapsing against the door way before he sunk to the floor and coughed more. His body ached and he felt like he was getting worse and yet he dragged himself off the ground with the door frame and moved to approach Slade. He kept all his weight on his right leg, his body swaying. 

 

"Sorry, Master." He said in barely a whisper. His vision sprinkled black again and he quickly grabbed the other before he nearly fell. He was dehydrated.

 

Slade had to steel himself against reacting to Dick's condition. All he wanted to do was stop him, pick him up and coddle him. That ... Wouldn't go over well in this situation at all. 

 

"See what I mean? He can barely walk, let alone perform services. Get up." Slade put a hand in Dick's hair and gave the appearance he was tugging on it hard by flexing his forearm's muscles. "Fucking brat, more trouble than your worth." 

 

Letting go of Dick's hair, Slade scooped Dick up off the floor where he ended up bridal style in Slade's arms, head against Slade's chest.

 

The woman shrugged. "You're free to depart at your leisure. Would you like one of our guards to take your pet out to your vehicle?" She asked and Slade shook his head no. 

 

"I'll take care of him myself."

 

"Very well."

 

Slade began down the hallway in the direction he'd come, relieved when none of the guards insisted on following him out of the facility and to the back parking lot he used to land his plane.

 

 "Were almost to the jet, just hang in there."

 

Dick went completely limp. He was having a hard time breathing and it was clear he had completely exert himself. The poor bird had fallen asleep before they made it to the jet and stayed out cold until the arrived at the tree house. 

  
  


Dick let Slade carry him inside though the second Dick was indoors he went full mama bear mode, eyes landing on Damian who perked up at the sight of his brother. The hero practically wiggled his way out of Slade's grip before nearly falling onto the floor, limping desperately over to his baby bird. Dick pushed Damian's hair back and tightly tucked him into his arms only for a moment before moving back to get a look at Damian’s smiling face. He could see that the boy had missed him but his eyes didn’t stay focused on Damian’s expression rather, it moved to the new injuries the boy carried thus resulting in a personal attack on Slade.

 

Nightwing stood up so fast he nearly fell as he faced Slade, "What the hell did you do to him?" He growled accusingly, "Just because I hurt you doesn't mean you had to take it out on hi-" He was cut off by another violent coughing fit.

 

Slade looked at Dick in disbelief. "What are you accusing me of? I didn't touch him!" 

 

"Grayson ..." Damian said quietly at first trying to grab Dick's attention, "Grayson!" Damian yelled, grabbing his brother's arm and pulling him down toward the couch. "Don't be idiotic, I'd never let that worthless mercenary get the jump on me."

 

 Damian could have lied and said it was all Deathstroke's fault, but if he did that then Dick would throw a fit and ... Damn it, Dick was obviously in no shape to beat up Slade. Much to his disappointment.

 

" _ Sit down _ ." The gremlin scolding in a  _ very _ Bruce like tone. Then followed up with a quieter, "Please ... What happened?"

 

"I'm fine.." Feigning a smile before looking over whatever new bandages were on Damian. "The technology?" Dick asked quietly before looking at Slade.

 

"I'm sorry... I just... I've never seen you with a broken heart, I didn't know what I should expect." He was trying to act like he was okay again, he didn't want Damian to worry and he wasn't going to take Slade's advice right now. 

 

"He's had two ... Episodes since I came back. Other than restraining him, I didn't touch him." Slade explained crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. 

 

Did Dick honestly think that he would have hurt Damian as a way to get back at him? Because he was upset? 

 

"Glad your opinion of me is so little." 

 

It slipped out in anger, but it felt true. Now that Slade wasn't dating Dick he had no reason to see any good part of Slade anymore, he was back to being Deathstroke. 

 

"Slade.... We'll talk about this later." Dick whispered, his attention falling back to Damian.

 

The hero stood, a hand brushing through Damian's hair before he sat beside him. "I'm sorry I was gone.. The High Court got me." He was having a hard time keeping his dull blue eyes open but he kept trying, "They just wanted to know how I got away from Slade... They got bored of me after a while." He chuckled, the wheezing more apparent. "I think... I'm gonna take a bath.. Maybe you can talk Slade into making you dinner."

 

"Why are you apologizing? You have no reason to be sorry." Damian asked Dick, taking his turn to fuss over his older brother who was obviously, in bad shape. "Do you blame me for being captured by Luthor? For my mother dying?" 

 

"No."

 

"You are alive, Grayson." Damian's hand squeezed Dick's before he shifted to stand up, grabbing the items Slade had set up on the sectional so Damian could rest. "You're clean enough, food and rest first, then you can bathe." 

 

The demon child set a couple pillows up on the corner and pushed Dick back to lay on them and worked on covering Dick up with his blankets. Finally, Damian pushed Dick's hair back out of his face and sat next to him. 

 

"Wilson!"

 

Slade was coming back from his work room with some medical supplies, organizing them on the counter. "Yes, Damian." He said almost exasperated, but didn't bother to look up toward him.

 

"Grayson needs tea: green with lemon, honey. What is for dinner?" Damian was talking to Slade like a butler rather than the man who  _ literally _ owned him.

 

"I have a feeling regardless of what I say you'll want something else."

 

"That's accurate." Damian didn't hesitate to say. "Grayson needs soup." 

 

"I'd rather have an herbal tea... Like... BlackBerry...." Dick grumbled, curling up in a tighter ball, "I'm not hungry... I just... I just want to go to sleep."

 

Slade just nodded, "Fine." He came over with the medical supplies and set them on the coffee table, taking a knee next to Dick. "You need more fluids and medications, let me see your arm."

 

Dick slowly gave Slade's arm, though rather than keeping it still he brushed his fingers against Slade's beard. Slade shouldn't have allowed the familiar touch, not after what happened but ... It was Dick.

 

"I'm sorry for what I said.... I know you wouldn't have hurt Damian. You care too much to have done that...... But I also know, no offense Damian, that Damian is a loose cannon and I- ack-" 

 

Fucking coughs. Dick shuddered as he swallowed another mouthful of mucus, ".... I wouldn't have put it passed him to attack you." The hero tried to offer a soft smile but it hardly showed through his soft pants.

 

"I knew what you meant. We're all on edge." Slade stated.

 

 "Do you have a heating pad?" Nightwing was burning up but he felt cold and his body hurt so bad. He felt like he was strung up and dropped onto the floor.. Oh wait, he was.

 

Slade took Dick's wrist gently, bringing Dick's fingers up just a bit as if to kiss them. "There's-" 

 

A sharp toe jam into his shoulder followed by green eyes glaring, interrupted the older male. "Focus Wilson." Damian said with a mood cutting tone.

 

Slade shot him a look but didn't say anything back. He refocused, getting Dick's arm prepped and inserting an IV. He stayed with a saline solution but passed antibiotics, a few vitamin solutions, and lastly codeine to help with the cough, but more so the pain.

 

 "Once you're more comfortable I have a bronchodilator I want you to try but it requires deep breaths. I don't think you are capable of that right now." He put Dick's arm back under the blankets and tucked it in. "Sorry kid, no heated blankets right now. I need to monitor your fever until we have it under control with medications." 

 

Slade was truly sorry, Dick looked miserable. The hero whined softly and let his head conk to the side as his eyes fell closed.

 

Deathstroke stood and headed toward the kitchen, preparing tea and getting dinner started. He returned with the cup once it was an appropriate temperature. It was herbal, smelling sweetly of fruits and fresh lemon with honey. Damian, of course stuck his nose up at it immediately as Slade helped Dick get a hold of it before returning to the kitchen. The older male was pulling together a vegetarian dinner for Damian and something soothing for Dick. He used the same base of rice and soup vegetables for both, Dick's was a chicken and rice soup, Damian's was a spicier tomato based soup.

  
  


"I did attack him when he came home without you. I thought he killed you." Damian admitted after a moment, leaning his shoulder onto Dick's, then letting his head rest on that same shoulder after a moment of hesitation. 

 

"He said you broke up. Wouldn't tell me why, I asked  _ many _ times." Damian let out a sigh. "I ... know you're probably sad, but this is for the best. You two don't belong together ... He's not good enough for you."

 

A lump formed in Dicks throat as he stared into his tea with a furrowed brow, the other too swollen to move. Dick shook his head at Damian’s response, his breathing shaky. 

 

"We didn't work out because of  _ me _ , Damian.... It had nothing to do with Slade.... He was perfect. Everything I  _ needed _ and I threw it away because I couldn't keep it in my pants." 

 

That's right... He couldn't take it back. Slade made it clear he didn't want to fight for them and yet Dick couldn't shake the memory of laying with Slade in Adam's bed. The words they shared.... Meaningless... It was all nothing. 

 

Dick was on the verge of tears and set the tea on the table in front of him. He turned his body so he could rest his head on Damian's, holding his breath as he tried steadying himself. He felt like he didn't have the right to hurt this way. 

 

"I cheated on him..." He whispered, feeling a couple tears trickle.

 

"Cheated? Is that why you ran away from him?" Damian asked, keeping his voice low so the conversation was between them still. "Was it Gordon? Please tell me it was Gordon." 

 

Damian started until he heard a sniffle and turned to see Dick crying. "I ... Shouldn't have joked." 

 

Though it really wasn't a joke, Damian truly did hope it was Babs. Bruce and Damian had agreed together that was the best fit for Dick. 

 

Damian grabbed the tissues  from the table and brought them up on his lap, using them to wipe Dick's face and eyes. "Maybe ... If you wanted to have sex with someone else you didn't love him like you thought you did. He's far from perfect. You're both a mess, him particularly anyway."

 

 The boy shrugged, "I don't want him living with us after all this anyway." Yes, Damian was assuming that Dick and himself would be living together. Bruce? Eh, who cared. He just wanted to be with Dick. 

Dick shook his head before taking one of the tissues to cough into it and spit some of the mucus out before speaking. "I didn't want to have sex with someone else..." 

 

His voice was a whisper before he rounded the conversation back to Damian’s first comment, "It was with my first love... Adam Foster.... He's... Awful. Honestly I've never made a mistake bigger than falling in love with him... Aside from hurting Slade... I just wanted to talk to him and then he kissed me and I... I couldn't find myself able to stop it even though it made me feel sick...."

 

 Dick paused and picked at the tissues, "No one has made me happy in the ways Slade has... He's not a bad person, Damian... He’s actually really great."

  
  


Slade came out with two bowls balanced on one arm, a plate with bread on it, and two water bottles under his arms. He set everything down without spilling somehow, waters and bread on the coffee table, soup handed to Damian who then got off the couch and sat down on the floor to eat at the coffee table. Damian had a hard time dealing with his family's want to eat like heathens everywhere but a table. He liked to eat at the dining room table, Alfred and himself shared nearly every meal with each other at Wayne manor. 

 

Slade picked out a thermometer from the medical supplies on the coffee table and handed it to Dick. "Here, then you need to try and eat. After that we'll do a breathing treatment and, if your fever is down, the heated blanket is yours."

 

"I'm not hungry." He repeated his earlier sentiment. 

 

Whether his appetite loss was from being sick or from depression was unclear, he just knew that the Court had to force a tube down his throat to get him to eat. Dick put the device in his mouth and gave it a minute to measure his temperature. With a beep the numbers popped onto the screen and Dick passed it up to Slade without even looking at it. 105 flashed on the screen as Dick reached and grabbed the mug of tea, curling around it before somehow sipping it from his lying position. 

 

"What's the news, doc?" Dick asked, his tone far from playful. He didn't have the energy for it and it showed.

 

"Not good." Slade muttered out, tapping the thermometer on his palm, looking down at it as he pieced together exactly what they needed to do. "It's high, too high. I'm going to call a doctor." 

 

"Who the hell makes house visits out here?" Damian asked with a perplexed look. 

 

"If you pay the right price? Just about anyone." Slade put the thermometer down and knelt on the ground next to Dick, looking at his features and letting out a small sigh. "Kid, you aren't going to like this but I need to get you in cooled off. Your body is overheating." 

 

He began to peel off the blankets, knowing immediately that it wasn't going to be enough. "We need to get you in the shower. Your brain is going to fry otherwise." 

 

Dick knew exactly what Slade was suggesting.. He was suggesting a cold shower. The hero whined softly, it wasn't that he disliked cold showers. Typically he took warm nearly scolding ones however, after a long exhausting mission where he was thrown around a bunch he would take ice baths..... Then he'd go to bed and have a hot bath the next day. That wasn't the point. Right now, Dick felt cold. He didn't want to take a cold shower... Or stand..

 

"I'll take him into the shower." Damian offered boldly, Slade gave him a cross look. 

 

"Like hell you are. Sit here and eat your dinner. You're enough trouble as it is. You handling Dick right now is just asking for trouble." 

 

"You hurt him. I don't want you alone with him." Damian shot back with pure venom in his voice, Slade looked a little shocked at first, but it quickly faded away to something unreadable. 

 

He turned his attention back to Dick and slowly took the tea from him, placing it on the table behind them. "You trust me ... Right?"

 

“That's the second time you asked that.... Slade, I was the one who messed up. My trust in you hasn't shifted." 

 

With that Dick sat up and slowly rose to his feet. He wasn't coughing as badly and seemed to finally be able to stand thanks to the IV that Dick promptly began removing before he limped his way to the bathroom. Slade didn't say anything in response. What could he say? 

 

"Keep your hands to yourself Wilson." Damian warned, gaining the mercenary's attention. 

 

"Do you think he can even get into a tub by himself right now?" Slade shot back. 

 

Damian gave Slade a nasty glare before letting his eyes wander to the bathroom behind Slade that could be seen through the entrance to the master bedroom. 

 

"You're a pervert old man, Wilson y.. You..." Damian trailed off as his eyes locked on Dick. 

 

Dick had removed his shirt revealing all the hidden marks that seemed to only make his condition that much worse. His hip was bandaged from where they drilled into him (Like his bleeding thigh), dark bruises ran up his waist where Slade gripped him earlier. His left side swollen from the broken ribs. His right shoulder blade showed the High Court insignia burned into it, showing skyscrapers half broken with a single bird flying from the center of destruction. A symbol of destruction and rebirth. Around the skyscrapers looked like ash... At least it would if it were ink and not burned flesh. 

 

In the center of his back were signs of being strung up by sharp hooks... God... Dick wished he could hide it all but it was too late. With a sigh he unwrapped the bandages and got to work moving the one off of his thigh before he almost fell. With a sigh Dick sat on the toilet seat, head in hands as he tried to get his vision back, the bandage on his thigh half undone.

 

Slade could see the fear and sadness in Damian’s eyes immediately. He turned to face the source, and probably made a similar facial expression, but substituting fear with anger. The High Court had hurt Dick. Badly. He wanted every last one of them dead. 

 

In no time the merc crossed the space and stepped into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Damian didn't need to watch this. Yes, the kid was exposed to horrors that outweighed this in gore and violence. However, this was his brother, his father figure. What Damian had seen was sure to shake him, but more exposure wasn't going to help that. These were situations that adults should handle.

 

Slade knelt down in front of him. "Kid ..." He reached to rest a hand on Dick's arm, the other running through the hair on the side of his scalp until he could cup his head. "Look at me." 

 

Slade helped the movement with his hand on the side of the hero's head. "I don't care what's going on between us right now. I don't care what we are but you're going to let me take care of you. I'm not leaving you to go through this alone. I  _ can't _ ." 

 

Dick was in no condition to handle anything but existing right now and Slade knew that despite everything that had happened ... If the tables were turned he'd want nothing more than to be resting in Dick's arms and care.

 

The hero was silent for a while before he lifted a hand to grab Slade's, pulling it off his cheek. He shook his head and his eyes filled with hurt. "It's not your job to take care of me, Slade…" With that he let Slade's hand go and got to work unwrapping his leg.

 

"What do you mean it's not my job? … It's not a job, Dick, a chore, nor an obligation that I'm responsible for. It never was. I'm helping you because I  _ want _ to. Because I care about you." Slade grabbed Dick's hand that was working on taking off his bandages.

 

“ I deserved it. I'm responsible for cleaning myself up.." 

 

"Dick..." Slade paused squeezing the hand in his. "Why would you say you deserve this? You didn't do anything to deserve-"

 

Dick instantly cut Slade off by putting a hand firmly over the others mouth, a thumb curled under Slade's jaw to keep his mouth shut. He looked somewhere between hurt and angry. Slade didn't fight the hand on his mouth.

 

"Stop." He ordered firmly, his grip subconsciously tightening on the other. 

 

He didn't move the hand resting in Slade's but it was shaking. 

 

"You don't get it, Slade… I didn't  _ just _ hurt you… I didn't  _ just _ cheat. I destroyed something good. Something that was going to last, all because I'm a whore and I need to absorb every ounce of attention I can get. I need these scars to remind me of what I've lost because…”

 

 “I don't want to try again. I don't want to fall in love with someone else. No one is… No one can amount to you and I can't keep playing with people's feelings trying to settle for less… So  _ don't _ you, of all people, tell me I  _ didn't _ do anything to deserve it…. I  _ lost you _ , Slade…. That's what I did…" 

 

Dick let Slade go and sunk back, "You know…. I get it now…. I've always been scared to end up alone because somehow.. Somehow I knew that's what was meant to be. I'm supposed to be alone…. When I'm not people get hurt.  _ I _ hurt people or I fall for people who have no consideration for others.."

 

Slade stayed silent a moment longer. It was truly heartbreaking that the hero thought he deserved such cruel punishment for such a small act, at the same time with how dramatic Dick was he couldn’t say he was fully surprised… The kid was depressed, his mind didn’t know how to process this sort of thing. 

 

"Dick, kissing someone doesn't mean you deserve to go through ... This." Slade motioned to his figure. "I can think of very few people who deserve this." He broke Dick's gaze and sighed. 

 

He didn't want to talk about this right now, it didn't seem like the time, but ... Apparently Dick had been thinking about it the whole time. Though ... So had Slade. 

 

"I ... Overreacted that night." Slade started. "I'm not saying I shouldn't have been angry, but I shouldn't have just walked out, shouldn't have left you like that. I just needed space." 

 

"When ... I called Adam when you didn't show up at the tree house. He told me why you were out there talking to him in the first place, that it was about me. About the fact I was forcing you to do something against your morals." It was Slade's turn to look guilty. "You needed someone to talk to and ... It was unfair of me to ask you to do that."

 

"Slade..." Dick started, a hand moving to rest on the others shoulder. "I don't... I don't blame you for leaving me. That night you had gotten really vulnerable with me and... I know you've had doubts about being together." 

 

With that Dicks hand dropped from the others shoulder, "I can't say I would've reacted any differently if I was you.. What happened wasn't your fault. I told you when we got together that when it comes to our morals we're going to fight... Not just each other but for each other... I'm just as guilty as you are in asking me to set my morals behind me.” 

 

“I told you I wouldn't force you to stop killing. I even told you I wouldn't stop you from killing in my presence but.... I can't  _ not _ get upset about it.. And it's just as unfair of you to ask me not to as it is for me to ask you not to kill..." Dick leaned back letting his head rest against the nearby counter before closing his eyes. 

 

"If we want this to work then we need to understand that about each other... We need to be okay with the fact that there's going to be issues. That we're going to have to compromise sometimes..... That night when we were outside and you said things weren't going to work if I didn't support you.. It wasn't fair, but I need you to remember Slade…. I chose  _ you _ over my morals." Dicks eyes opened. How did the conversation even get here.

 

"I shouldn't have ever made you choose." Slade replied in honesty. "I was ... Am worried about my daughter. I think about her constantly, if she's okay, what they might be doing to her." He started to take off the bandages as he spoke. 

 

"You understand what it's like to be in their custody." Slade stopped to examine the wounds on Dick's thigh, poor thing was drilled into. "I was hurt when you wouldn't go with me to get Rose. I just kept thinking I needed you there and how selfish you were being but ... You weren't. I know that now." Slade stood up to turn on the bath. Not warm, not cold, tepid perhaps. 

 

"You want to save Rose too, you want her alive. So, you were willing to stay back so I could do whatever I needed to save her." Deathstroke stopped in front of Dick again to pull off his own shirt. "It was the rational thing to do, but I wasn't being rational." 

 

Slade then started with his pants. "Because I'm horrible at thinking straight when I'm worrying about the people I love." He said it and then stopped. 

 

That was much more vulnerable than he wanted to be but it was important because Slade ... Well Slade still loved Dick. Kissing, fighting, breaking up it didn't seem to matter because he  _ still  _ loved him. 

 

"Come on," Slade went to pick Dick up and carry him to the large tub, but hesitated to see if Dick would stop him. "If we are going to continue talking you'll need to get in the bath or your brain is going to fry."

 

Once they lowered into the cool waters Dick briefly tensed and pressed his body further into Slade's, "I'm pretty sure my brains already fried." He grumbled. 

 

His head turned to rest against Slade's chest while his fingers interlocked with the others and pulled Slade's arms around him. From here it was easier to hear Dick’s rasping with each breath. His body was hot to the touch though, the water started cooling it off. 

 

"You know I love you, right?" He asked, eyes closed as he relaxed into the other more. Dick didn't have the  energy to keep holding himself up. "I did the same thing to you..." Shit that was vague but Dick sounded like he was lulling to sleep, "At the gala... With Damian ... You wanted to save him. To kill people.. I said no.... Even when I said maybe we both knew I would've fought you....." 

 

Dick bit his lip, "The thing is... We're at war. I'm..... I'm going to have to let go of my no killing thing because... If I don't then more people I care about will die.. "

 

Slade adjusted his hold on Dick. He'd convinced himself that getting into the tub with Dick was necessary to keep him from drowning (which was probably one hundred percent true). Yet, he couldn't be wholly dishonest either; he'd gotten in the tub with Dick because it gave him an excuse to hold him. Slade had missed Dick too and even if he was angry, bordering on heart ache, them being together like this just felt natural. 

 

"No one is trying to convince you that killing is okay, at least no one inside this tub." Slade gave a little joke to keep Dick lulled, if he fell asleep so what? Slade was there. "You need to stop thinking about it like an obligation and start thinking about it like a choice. Be proud of your choice too. Don't feel like you're wrong." 

 

He began slowing cupping water against Dick's back and pushing it up the back of his neck and letting it flow back down. "The thing is ... You have to stop taking responsibility for  _ other _ people's choices. You cannot control other people, you can't make them see things your way all the time. That's okay."

 

 Slade sighed. "Bruce has ingrained into you that killing is deplorable, a line you should never cross. That's okay to believe, however, it is unrealistic and frankly psychotic to think that in your line of work, in the general world, that you'll be able to save everyone and frankly? Maybe it's not your place to do.” 

 

“It's not your job to police Jason, Kate, me or anyone else. That doesn't mean you don't care, or that you are saying it's okay, you're just accepting that the choice isn't yours and you aren't responsible for it. Does that make sense?" Slade felt like he had rambled a little, but the point was still in there. "What I'm saying is that you can only make the choice to hold life precious for yourself, not anyone else." 

 

“I don’t…. Disagree with you Slade but… There’s a fine line between turning a blind eye and standing around doing  _ nothing. _ I can’t… I can’t just watch someone get murdered. Letting you run off to do a hit job is one thing but.. Watching makes me just as guilty.”

 

 "Does ... this have anything to do with Blockbuster?" Slade asked something stupid, so incredibly stupid.

 

Dick instantly tensed, his whole body reacting. He couldn't help it. Maybe it was the feeling of the cold bath or the faint smell of gunpowder Slade always seemed to have on him but that night flashed through Dick’s eyes in a nano second though it felt like he was reliving it. 

 

Standing in the stairwell, Blockbuster in his hand and Catalina in front of him. 'All you have to do is get out of my way.' S

 

he was telling him the only way to stop innocent people from dying by his hand was to kill him. Dick remembered the ache in his chest, the doubt in his beliefs. He heard the sound of the gun and his body flinched before he suddenly sat up in the tub making Slade flinch slightly.The sound of rain, the cold water filling his senses. The heat of  _ her hands _ on his body when she... Dick was shaking, hands gripping the side of the tub tightly as his ears rang. His teeth were clenched tightly and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Why did he react so viscerally over the mention of a name? That didn't usually happen.

 

Dick blinked and shook his head as he pulled himself out of it, "That was my fault." He said in barely a whisper.

 

"Kid, that's what I'm trying to tell you. It  _ isn't _ your fault." Slade sat up and smoothed his hands over Dick’s sides to help him calm down.

 

Dick’s body slowly eased into the soft touches before Slade gently kissed the burn mark on the hero’s shoulder. He then grabbed the thermometer he'd set on the bath's ledge and turned it on.

 

 "Open up." Slade instructed and stuck it under Dick's tongue. He watched the numbers over the top of Dick's head. 

 

"I wasn't there, so I can't say how much of a part you played or didn't. However, you didn't pull the trigger and you didn't want it to happen." Slade sighed. "I understand your guilt. When Grant died I felt responsible, I trained him, brought him into my line of work. I thought the only way I would have been more guilty was if I'd taken the gun from Midnighter and shot him myself. But ... I didn't. I didn't kill my son, and I didn't want his death.”

 

 “I wanted for him to live and if I could have? I would have done anything in my power to change it ... I have to imagine that's how you feel about ... Well, everyone." He shifted to lay back once more so Dick could rest on him. "I'm not telling you to stop saving people, or telling you to abandon what you believe is right. Stick with that. However, what I am saying, is don't be so damn hard on yourself. You don't have to carry the world on your shoulders."

 

"You don't understand.." He said finally through a heavy sigh as he laid back, he didn't have the energy for this. "With Blockbuster I  _ had  _ a choice…. Let him die or stop Tarantula from shooting him…. I had him in my hand.. I let go and stepped back. I  _ let  _ her do it… If I stood by and watched someone getting raped without stopping it… I am no better than the men performing those actions…" Dick paused and chewed on his lip.

 

Dick lowered his hands and moved to hold Slade's, "You're unwilling to respect my boundaries by not killing in my presence, which is fine. Slade… Those are your boundaries to put up but I love you too much to lose you because of it… And the only choices are us fighting it out in those situations, which you made clear you don't want to do, or me giving up my morals… You've made your stand, Slade. You've given me two choices… Lose you or give up my beliefs. It's not fair but it's what I signed up for when I fell for you.. So  _ I'm _ going to do it and you need to stop making it sound like me doing nothing makes me innocent…. I'll sit back and watch but I  _ won't _ suppress myself, Slade.. You need to give me something… Something that tells me I didn't  _ completely _ lose my humanity because I… Can't feel that way again." He said softly rubbing his wrist. "I don't want to talk about this anymore.."

 

"I'm just... Hoping that when all of this is over you won't need that kind of support... That things will go back to how they were and we can reevaluate our agreements. You wouldn't need me as Deathstroke.... I'm sorry for snapping. I know you need me because Rose is there and you know yourself well enough to know what you'll do if she's hurt... It's why I'm willing to support you in this." Dick grumbled covering his face.

 

Slade could tell the conversation was upsetting Dick more than just a normal debate of morals between them usually did. That wasn't what he needed right now, and really they were on the same point. They wanted to respect each other, but they didn't want to have to change themselves either. It was a challenge, but fair. 

 

"I won't. I don't." Slade replied, as he continued running water over Dick's back, and then higher in his hair. 

 

He might as well bathe him too. Not like the kid could manage it on his own right now anyway. "I think there has been a misunderstanding, or rather, maybe I'm not conveying what I want to." 

 

Slade spoke in a much more relaxed tone, encouraging Dick to de-escalate himself in Slade's arms and just let the anxiety and fear he was feeling melt away with the sound of his deep baritone voice guiding him. 

 

"Do you know what drew me to you? Brought me to the realization that you were more than just a flirty passing relationship?" 

 

Slade combed his hand back through Dick's hair but also used the same movement to drag Dick's gaze up to his.

 

"You're humanity, Dick." He paused and let out a small chuckle. "I thought for so long that you and Bruce were naive moralists. If you had virtue, then you could, in turn, always be on the  _ right _ side of things. The 'good' side. I never thought the stance was genuine." 

 

Slade moved his hand down  to the base of Dick's neck again. "Then, I saw it for the first time in your eyes when Damian was hurt by Luthor. I saw so much fear and anger, rage, I thought, 'This is it, he's going to break'. Then you didn't, not because you didn't want to, but because you couldn't. I could see the conflict in your body, your head waring with your heart. Yet, killing him wasn't an option your soul could bare." 

 

"I never want you to lose your humanity, Dick. I'm drawn to you  _ because  _ the value you see in individuals, even  _ me _ ." Slade squeezed the back of his neck ever so slightly. "The sacredness you place on life isn't naive nor unreasonable. I not only admire it, I need you to know that I never want to take it from you. I will never do what Catalina did, I will never make you choose.."

 

“What I’ve been trying to say is that… If Jason, Kate, or even I go and kill that the blood is not on your hands even if we are in your presence. I hear now that there’s a difference between that and what happened with Blockbuster… With Blockbuster you had  _ some _ control but sometimes you beat yourself up over things that you  _ didn’t  _ have control over merely because you were there. It’s not fair to you.”

 

Dick never heard anything so sweet, he couldn’t help but to delicately kiss him, hand tight on Slade's cheek before he pulled away. When Dick kissed him, Slade felt a warm ease run through him that he'd been missing. Dick was a sick, hacking, mucous mess. The kiss wasn't sexy, it wasn't even sensual really. It was ... The kind of kiss a married couple shared when they went to bed, left for work, as an apology, a thank you-- it was comfortable. It caught Slade off guard afterward because it was something he had (somehow) completely forgot about being with a trusted, long term partner. That broad sense of connected belonging that had him pulling Dick a bit closer.

 

"I... Appreciate all of that, Slade..." Dick’s voice shook, he was crying again. "Especially coming from you.... Sometimes I can't help but wonder what you think about me not killing and... The whole Luthor thing didn't help. I didn't think you cared about my morals so much... That you loved them and saw them as me." 

 

He wiped his face and let his cheek rest against Slade's pec, "I love you so much... I trust you... I know now you won't ever make me make choose between you and my humanity... And.." He paused letting out a shaky breath.

 

Dick moved to sit up but didn't have the energy, though he didn't get a chance to speak before he had another coughing fit. Got it hurt every inch of his abdomen.

 

 "Get it out..." Slade softly encouraged with a few therapeutic pats on Dick's upper back. 

 

For a moment Dick sounded like he was choking but once he got the mucus from his throat he grabbed a tissue and spit into it before slumping down.

 

The hero’s tone was much more tired. "This war we're in is... It's going to challenge us a lot... We're going to do and ask each other to do near impossible things.... We're going to have more fights... Just... Please don't give up on me." He forced his arm under Slade and hugged him weakly despite putting all his muscle into it. 

 

Slade remembered in a small flash, Dick had kissed Adam, Slade had already given up on this. He told himself a million reasons why Dick and him would never work and they had been damn good reasons, valid reasons. Here with Dick in his arms, beaten, bruised, needing Slade he couldn't remember a damn one of them. He was absolutely helpless against this man.

 

"I told you that you have my heart, Dick ... I love you too, pretty bird." Slade kissed Dick's forehead. 

 

"Can... We go to a bed? I'm cold.."

 

"Come on, let's get you washed up first."

 

Slade cleaned Dick's body with careful hands that avoided cuts and put no pressure on bruises. Washing his hair ended with Slade massaging conditioner into Dick's scalp until it had sat enough to make it rinse out baby soft. In that, Slade was teaching Dick his secret to his own impossibly soft hair though he doubt Dick would remember. He kept lulling off into a light sleep.

  
  


Out of the bath Slade dried Dick and dressed him in only boxers and bandages, brushing his hair before bringing him into the bed. Slade had him lay back on a mound of pillows that would keep Dick propped up to help him breathe easier with a comfortable, fluffy duvet over his bottom half. 

 

After administering the breathing treatment to Dick, Slade finally sat down on the bed next to him, a lotion smelling lightly of fresh mint being rubbed between his hands that he began slowly applying to Dick's chest and shoulders.

 

 "Damian was sleeping on the floor in the living room by the bedroom door." Slade told Dick as he massaged along the muscles of Dick's neck earning a groan. "He's been sleeping in the living room ... Said someone needed to wait up for you to come home. He's a brat but ... He cares. You two are more similar than a lot of people probably realize." He teased.

 

"Would... You mind if he slept in here with us? I mean... He'll be pissed but.. I can protect you."

 

"Kid, you couldn't protect yourself from a fly right now if you wanted to. Damian isn't exactly in fighting shape either but I guarantee he could take you." Slade explained, sounding against the idea of having Damian in his bed. "You both need to get some rest. Fighting over bed space and Damian plotting my death doesn't sound like a productive night's rest." 

 

He rubbed down Dick’s shoulders and arms before pulling them away altogether. "I'll get the brat up for bed." Slade said before getting up himself and heading to the living room.

 

There was some chatting, hushed whispers before Damian came into the room padding in bare feet with a blanket wrapped around his entire body and hooded over his head. He crawled into bed next to Dick and didn't hesitate to get under the covers and snuggle up to his side. 

 

"Are you alright, Grayson?" Damian asked softly, eyes shifting over to Slade as he approached the other side of the bed where Dick was. 

 

Dick didn't hesitate to turn and hold Damian, coiling around him before nuzzling into his head. "I'm okay... Just a little sick." He grumbled, relaxing more and more. 

 

"Get some sleep. I'll be back in a few hours for another breathing treatment and pain medicine." 

 

Slade kissed the top of Dick's temple, hand resting on Dick's neck as he did so, Damian making a sound of disgust.

 

 "Call me if you need me."

 

"Thank you... So much.." And within seconds Dick had fallen asleep.

  
  
  
  
  


Damian loved the cuddling however, he began growing overheated. First, he removed a blanket, second he tried shifting away from Grayson. That was until the soft wheezing beside him stopped. The boy sat up quickly and paused before looking at Dick. He listened and when he heard nothing he pushed the older male onto his back giving a firm push to Dick’s chest. Dick’s body felt like it was on fire. 

 

"Grays-" Damian barely got out before Dick inhaled a sharp wet gasp soon starting to hack and cough. 

 

His coughing was hard and violent, a gurgling sound accompanying it. Damian rolled Dick onto his side and Dick spit up a mix of yellow and bloody phlegm.

 

"Wilson!" Damian’s voice was sharp and cruel. 

 

He quickly grabbed a cup of water and dumped it over Dick to cool him off shortly before Dick gagged and dry heaved. He seemed so miserable. Dick was barely functioning, he felt like he was drowning.

 

Damian's voice cut over the sound of the TV and pulled Slade out of the information he was reading on his tablet. Slade meant to sleep. He'd gone out to the living room to clean up the rest of Damian's mess on the couch before bed and then just ... Never went to bed. See, the thing was Slade had always been an insomniac, however, at times like these, sleep became impossible. Sickness wasn't something unfamiliar to him. He'd watched his Grandfather slowly die, wiped snotty noses and held all three of his kids through their childhood illnesses. For everyone of them, he stayed awake and vigilant like he was now.

 

Slade was up and taking long strides into the bedroom. He saw the blood, the water wet Dick, heard the sound of his breathing and knew things had gotten worse. So much worse. Slade put his hand on Dick's body and could tell he was on fire. His doctor couldn't make it here until tomorrow ... Slade feared Dick didn't have that much time. 

 

"Dick, no matter what I need you to stay awake alright?" He told him, looking to Damian. "I need you to go get every ice pack I have in the freezer and start cooling him down." 

 

Damian, who usually would have had some kind of remark to offer to Slade, said nothing and just curtly nodded, moving from the bed quickly to do as he was told. 

 

Dick had grumbled something between the two, it was far from coherent not that anyone had time to stop and talk to the hero.

 

Slade hesitated before moving away from Dick too,  "I'll be right back, Kid." He said leaving the room to go back to his office. 

 

When he came back Damian was working on covering Dick with ice packs, focusing on the naturally hot parts of the body. Neck, underarms, stomach, between his legs. Slade could see that Damian had followed his instructions literally using a dozen or so ice packs to do the job, a couple bags of frozen vegetables as well. 

 

Slade brought in an oxygen concentrator and CPAP machine under one arm, tubing flung over his shoulder. The other arm had everything he needed to set up another bag of IV fluids. The CPAP was first to set up, then, he connected the O2 concentrator to the CPAP mask and adjusted the settings to a higher pressure. 

 

"Dick, this is going to help you breathe, it's going to force your lungs open-"

 

"He knows what a damn CPAP is, Wilson!"

 

Slade ignored Damian. "-It’s going to hurt at first, I need you to bare through it." He warned before slipping the mask over Dick's head and positioning it on his face. 

 

Once the machine was turned on air could be heard forcefully circulating through the tubing. Slade had to hope this would work. 

 

 Pain was an understatement, Dick felt like his lungs were on fire and his eyes fluttered closed again. 

 

Without being asked, Damian was hooking up the saline drip to Dick's IV line and hanging the bag from the top of Slade's headboard on a very intentional hook. Slade was a mercenary- healing factor or not this wasn't the first time he'd needed to give IV medications or fluids in his bedroom. Slade trusted Damian to administer the medications and just handed them over to the boy who looked a little surprised but pushed them through anyway. 

 

"Usually Pennyworth would insist on giving the medicine himself." Damian said quietly watching to see if Dick was going to be okay.

 

Dick turned partly onto his back, extending a hand to weakly hold Slade's as he began breathing through his mouth. His lungs hadn't burned like this since the time he drowned and he couldn't stop the few tears that streamed down his cheeks. Now, Dick has always had a high pain tolerance, he'd walked around on broken bones countless times. Forced himself to pull through when every muscle burned and screamed for him not to. But this? He didn't have the energy or the strength to resist the pain which made it feel like it hit him full force. 

 

He mumbled something again, incoherent, as his head lulled to the side. He was trying to stay awake but it was so hard. The only things able to be made out from whatever he was saying was, "...Hurt....... Sleep..... Up.." And he began coughing again.

 

"What are you saying, Grayson?" Damian asked as he slowly pushed through the pain medication. He couldn't risk Dick bottoming out on them because of his worsening condition. 

 

"He shouldn't be talking, just focus on breathing." Slade said, squeezing Dick's hand in response. "You're doing good kid. You're doing good." He pushed his hand through Dick's hair gently and tried to soothe him, eye scanning Dick's figure. 

 

A loud sigh escaped Damian. "Just get in the bed." Damian muttered, flushing the port with saline before clamping things off and putting Dick's arm back down. 

 

"I'm fine here." Slade said pulling in a little bit closer, as if his body was betraying his words. 

 

"Stop being difficult. You think I want you anywhere near him?" Damian said seriously, but irritated with himself. "He wants you so ... Just do it, old man."

 

Slade nodded and helped to sit Dick up and pulled away some of the pillows. He placed himself behind Dick, resting the hero on his chest between his legs. Slade timed his own breathing to oppose the rhythm of the CPAP machine. When Slade breathed in, his chest expanded into Dick's back, then when he exhaled it allowed more room. His hands settled on either side of Dick's lower ribs around his diaphragm applying pressure to help Dick exhale when appropriate. Slade was doing everything he could to ease Dick's breathing. By physically helping Dick's tired thoracic muscles and offering more firm support than bed pillows. He hoped it would be enough.  _ Prayed  _ it would be enough. 

 

How long had it been since he prayed?

 

"Do you know any of his Romani prayers?" Slade asked, which made Damian quirk a brow. "... It will make  _ him _ feel better." Slade pushed.

 

After a small pause Damian took up Dick's hand and massaged the bones across the top of it. Damian began in Romani, letting it roll of his tongue as if he heard it a million times. He closed his eyes and spoke a little louder so it was clearly audible over the CPAP machine.

 

Dick’s grip tightened on Slade's leg and he let himself completely relax against him, his breathing growing more and more clear despite it still being wet. 

Slade fell asleep, he hadn't meant to, but after Damian had fallen asleep all cuddled up next to them and all that was left was the sound of  the CPAP ... It might as well have been a lullaby. 

  
  


After what must've been hours Dick slowly woke up seeming to have come back from the brink of death. Breathing still hurt but the machine was helping him. Dick looked down to find Damian asleep and curled up against Slade's leg, his hands still firmly gripping Dick’s. Dick softly rubbed the top of Damian’s hand before leaning back into Slade again, weakly moving a hand up along Slade's neck. He needed this. The love and support. The reminder that he wasn't alone and had something to fight for.  

 

If he was still with the Court he would've died last night. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a word out he heard the doorbell. It must've been the doctor. Dick moved to get up but his body betrayed him and he only wound up sinking into Slade further. 

 

"Babe.." He said in barely a whisper.

 

"Alright, I'm up." Slade said in a groggy voice, slowly lifting Dick up and rearranging his pillows before laying him back down. 

 

Damian, who looked at Slade through narrow slits, made a 'tsk' sound, rolling closer to Dick, hugging around his waist and closing his eyes again as Slade left to answer the door. 

 

His hair was a near mess, shirt wrinkled and slightly damp from Dick's hot back being pressed against him all night, he adjusted his cotton bottoms up and retied them as he approached the door. When he opened it, he wasn't expecting to see Benjamin of all people, the surprise was clear on his face. 

 

"You know you don't have to ring the doorbell." Slade said, not able to help the small smile that graced his features at the sight of a familiar and friendly face. "I gave you a key ages ago." Slade stood to the side.

 

Benjamin chuckled softly, "I contemplated it but.. You sounded upset the last time we talked, didn't want you putting a bullet in my brain." 

 

The tiger glanced Slade over, he wasn't completely surprised he had woken the other but Slade did, without a doubt, look like a wreck. 

 

"I was  _ going _ to say I wouldn't shoot at you but ... I have done that before." Slade shook his head. 

 

He remembered Ben sneaking a very drunk Grant into his house late one night. It hadn't been long after an attack on his family a month earlier. Slade had fired two shots into the front door on either side of Benji's head before Grant started yelling 'Dad its us!'. Adeline made all three of them replace the door the very next day at the break of dawn. 

 

"I come bearing gifts." Tiggs said holding up a bottle of whiskey before inviting himself in, heading to the kitchen area to set the bottle down. 

 

"You look like shit." How could he hesitate in pointing that one out? Slade was always like Benji's brother. Finally he turned to face the other, crossing his arms and leaning back against the counter. "How are you holding up?"

 

"I want to say it's too early to drink but ... " Slade shrugged and grabbed two coffee cups and poured some whiskey in his own and turned on the coffee pot. "Pick your poison." 

 

Slade combed a hand through his hair to somewhat manage it as he headed to the fridge. Might as well make breakfast. Tiggs couldn't help but smile, he had so much to discuss with Slade but his friend came first. Always. He copied Slade in pouring some whiskey into the bottom of his coffee cup, he may have learned that one from Slade but he wasn't going to give him the credit for it off the bat.

Almost like old times, Benjamin fell into helping Slade prepare breakfast. He used to do this when Slade would cook for his family in the morning. Drop by unannounced and get to work on the veggies and sides for the morning. Usually fruits they were going to force into the kids somehow.

 

"He's back ... Got a call yesterday from the High Court to come pick him up." Slade looked to the bedroom door to make sure he had, in fact, shut it on his way out. "They experimented on him again, he's covered in marks. Could barely stand when I got there." 

 

The merc looked at the discarded medicinal packaging on the counter from last night. "He's got pneumonia too, or something. High fever, coughing up blood and phlegm ... Last night was touch and go."

 

"Damn... The Court is ruthless." Tiggs acknowledged. 

 

He's a bounty hunter. He's brought people to the Court and witnessed first hand some of the torture and pain they've put people through. He's watched people get beaten, strung up, shit he's even watched the High Court take jars of insects to peoples stomachs heating them so the bugs burrow into people. 

 

"So let me guess, you've had taking care of him fall onto you." Ben kept his tone low after seeing Slade glance towards the door. 

 

He was trying to stay neutral here. He knew that Slade was in love with Dick. He knew that Slade got hurt and said they broke up. He didn't know if Slade resented the other but seeing the exhaustion on Slade's face? That told him Slade didn't take to hating or pushing Dick away. 

 

Tiggs approached Slade and put a hand on his shoulder, "He's lucky... Anyone else would've been screwed by this point.... I don't know where you stand with him.. I don't agree with the choices he made that broke you two up but I hold no disrespect for either of you.. I do know you love him. I haven't seen you care about someone this much  since Addie and I'm here if you need to sort things out."

 

"...You've always had a way of just cutting down the bullshit and getting to the point." Slade replied, he was making up potato pancakes in a skillet. Good for the new vegetarian in the house. 

 

"They offered to keep him for me, treat him. I let the care fall on myself ... I guess." Slade sighed, smacking his spatula a little harder on the side of his skillet than he probably needed to before falling into silence. 

 

"When I talked to you the other night I was one hundred percent sure it was over ... Even if he is still in love with his ex we don't work. Hero type, Batman's kid, and he's Rose's age." Deathstroke sighed.

 

 "When we got home he just broke down, he needed me and I fell into everything all over again. It was like nothing happened, like we are together again." Slade finally looked over to Benjamin. "I'm not sure it's what I want. Or if this is the best for either of us in the long run ... God, but every time he looks at me I just lose all goddamn sense. I don't know if I've ever felt that way. I love Addie, I always will, but ... This is different."

 

Benjamin kept quiet and just listened, he's felt what Slade was describing only once in his life and he lost it. He felt for Slade, truly, he couldn't imagine feeling so in love and yet feeling a wall between one and their lover.

 

 "Sounds like you've got it pretty bad." He chuckled and leaned against the kitchen island before sighing. "Relationships don't just 'work' or 'not work'... It's about communication, agreements, compromise... You two will  _ never  _ work if neither of you are willing to do something about your differences. You can't be good for him if you're worried about stepping on his hero toes and he can't be good for you if he's going to judge every villainous thing you do." Benji paused for a moment and breathed out.

 

"I can't make the choice for you but... Let me ask you this...... Think about everything you feel for and from him... Think about the things you get out of the relationship. The benefits..." He paused again to let Slade reflect. 

 

"Do you get more, or equivalent, to what you put into the relationship? Is the work and effort worth the outcome? Do you find yourself drained or replenished? These are the things that determine whether or not it 'works' or whether or not it’s 'worth it.' These are the things that don't put the blame on who you two are as a human being but who you two are as  _ partners _ . Is it a workable system or does everything fall apart?"

 

"You know I was married for twenty years right?" Slade said more as a joke than anything else, though it seemed rather defensive. It wasn't against Benjamin. Slade was just unsure, which put him on edge. 

 

When he thought about Dick and himself in the context Benjamin asked him, Slade thought about things differently. Slade had been there for Dick, certainly, in a lot of ways. However, Dick had just as much for Slade even if he, or no one else, could see that. 

 

"I took him to my family farm." 

 

 Benjamin would know how huge that was. No one but family went there, Ben had been only because Slade considered him family. 

 

"He helped me set up a memorial space for Joey, stayed with me and just-" Slade shut off the stove and finished his whiskey. "He just does things like that. He knows how to look inside me and it made me feel uncomfortable at first but ...  It feels good to be seen again. As Slade, not Deathstroke." 

 

"It's not perfect, but I feel ... Better, sane, wanted ... I'm helpless Ben." Slade laughed humorlessly.

 

Benjamin couldn't help but to chuckle, "I can hear that." 

 

"It sounds to me like you're happy, Slade." He pointed out, a soft smile on his face. "Something you haven't had in a  _ long _ time... You should enjoy it while you can. You're just in a rough patch right now, but as Addie showed you.. Before she shot you in the face... It'll be worth it. Dick is...." 

 

Ben sighed, "If you stay with him, do it because you know you two can make it work… And if you leave him? Do it with confidence... With integrity... Don't do it because you're giving up. Do it because you know what’s best for  _ you _ ."

 

Finally the tiger decided to give Slade some of his own personal opinion, "I think he's good for you, Slade... He validates you and... I think he can save you from yourself in your darkest moments... I don’t know if he’ll mess up again, if he does I  _ know _ he’ll regret it.” That was clearly a threat, “.... I just...... I see how happy you are, Slade.. You haven't been this way in a while.."

 

Happy was a fine way of describing it. He hadn't thought of it that way, but it was accurate. Slade nodded, "You're right. I think maybe I've been feeling guilty for being happy because of ... How horribly things ended the last time I was happy." He looked back to the front door, hearing footsteps coming up the wooden stairs. "This time can't end like last time did though."

 

Benji finished wrapping breakfast up before the doctor knocked on the door.

 

Slade walked away from the kitchen and answered it. "Dr. Klein." 

 

Slade had greeted the black haired woman who was more than ready to see the sickly patient. He lead her back with a plate of food for Damian and put Dick's in the microwave for safe keeping. Damian, as predicted, did not plan on leaving the room. 

 

"I will stay and monitor the doctor." Damian said sternly.

 

"You'll stay out of my way if you know what's good for you." The doctor spoke in a thick jamaican accent and leveled Damian with a sharp look. "Kid can stay, isn't the first time I've had to handle a brat on the job." 

 

Slade chuckled a little and leaned down next to Dick. "Dick, this is Doctor Klein. She's going to help you ... How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

 

Hesitantly Dick rolled into his back, hand searching for Slade, "Dying." Was all he was able to say, eyes briefly opening. "There's two angels in my bed... Guess I'm going to heaven." 

 

Was he joking now of all times? Yes.

 

 "I think you have one gremlin and a cyclops in your bed, love." 

 

It was shortly lived before he began coughing violently once again. He had to remove his mask and turn onto his side to get all the junk out of his face. 

 

"Flattering." Benjamin said as he entered and worked on opening some windows to let the cool breeze in. 

 

"Tony..... Tiger..."

 

"No cereal until you're better." Benjamin responded. How many times did he used to say that to Jericho?

 

Slade laughed a little at the two and removed Dick's mask entirely. The doctor would need to hear his breathing anyway. "You can't tell him that, trust me, I've tried." 

 

He continued the harassment of Dick, grabbing a wash cloth off the side of the basin he'd set up on the nightstand the  evening before. Slade used it to wipe down Richard's forehead, face, and neck, wringing it out with fresh water, and then doing his chest and shoulders. 

 

Dr. Klein was setting up some equipment on the bed, shooing Damian over to the armchair in the corner. Some were more traditional looking instruments, other more ... Strange. 

 

"Did you hire some voodoo doctor to treat Grayson?" Damian said in disbelief. 

 

"Don't be disrespectful in my house, Damian." Slade warned seriously, making Damian cock a brow. "I won't tolerate it." 

 

"Voodoo? Coming from the kid whose Grandfather uses green water to pull a Benjamin Button every twenty years." Dr. Klein said, seeming perfectly capable of defending herself. "I use the bodies energies to help heal individuals ... I'm a meta it isn't just some 'voodoo' magic you mouthy child." 

 

Damian sat back and crossed his arms with a pout. 

 

"Now, I need some space to work with the patient. The child can stay, but you two bigger brutes need to move out of my way."

 

"We had a doctor in the circus who believed that health was more than physical ailments. It needed to be treated emotionally and spiritually to help the body heal itself. She used to use all kinds of oils and incense.. Best doctor ever." Dick grumbled before he began coughing again. 

 

He sounded so pathetic. 

 

Benjamin watched the two for a moment before he took Slade's arm. "Come on... I need to talk to you anyways." He said before leading Slade out of the bedroom and outside onto the Tree house's deck. 

  
  


The Bronze Tiger found himself silent as he held the railing staring off at the forest. "Ra's said some very disturbing things to me a couple days ago... Things that enticed me to dig and keep my wits about.." He trailed off again, nearly breaking the railing. "He said-"

  
  
  
  
  


_ "Timothys going to kneel before me.... He's been resistant. Defiant. I won't tolerate it any longer." _

 

"You just punished him." Tiggs responded as Ra's turned, pushing off the railing that looked over his training assassins. "Yes, and I don't believe it's enough."

 

"What is it you have planned?" Tiggs asked as Ra's gaze shifted passed him.

 

 Connor entering the room. "He's going to use me... Tim will learn to obey."

 

Benjamin stood with shock clear on his face, the demon walking passed him and putting a hand on Kon's shoulder. "Amazing, isn't it? I used the same technology that Luthor used in my grandson only I had it modified. Connor thinks the way I want him to."

 

"And how do you plan on using him to punish Tim?" Tiggs asked, gripping his biceps hard.

 

"I'm going to use Connor to force the boy to submit. He turned 18 yesterday, I think it's time he learns how unkind adulthood is."

  
  
  
  


~24 hours earlier. 11:52 P.M. July 19th ~

  
  
  


The wind in Gotham was cold, per the usual. The air smelled like the sea, but mixed heavily with the industrial smog. Yet, Tim felt like he was at home, and in a way he was. The breeze swept through his hair and clothes. He wished secretly it was his uniform that hung tight along his body, cowl on his face, cape sweeping behind him. Tim could go out on patrol like always, listening to Bruce and Barbara in his ear as he swung amongst the rooftops. 

 

"Thought I might find you out here," Jason said from the open window. 

 

Tim was standing on the fire escape, ten stories up, looking out onto the city landscape around him, not bothering to acknowledge Jason behind him visually.

 

"Just feels more ... Comfortable. Normal." Tim repeated as Jason maneuvered his way next to the smaller bird.

 

 It was only then Tim realized that Jason had a cupcake on a plate with a single candle in it. He flicked out a zippo and lit the top. 

 

"What are you-" Tim paused and thought for a moment. What month were they in? May? No, it was too warm outside. July then ... July. "It's my birthday?"

 

"Wow, baby bird, I didn't think you were that out of it." Jason laughed a little and knocked his shoulder against Tim's. "Eighteen years old too, it's a big one. Do you want me to sing?"

 

"God, no." Tim said with a half smile before blowing out the candle, immediately taking it out and licking around the base. 

 

"Ouch. So cruel." Todd replied before reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out a tan bag that was folded over with a smiley face drawn on the front with balloons, a party hat, and a cake. It was decorated like a five year old's homemade birthday card. "Here, it's all I could do considering the circumstances." 

 

"Jason this packaging is ridiculous." Tim cracked a smile and laughed a little. Opening the bag and looking inside, he shot Jason a flat look. "Really?"

 

"What? You're eighteen now.  It's about damn time." He gave the teen a knowing look and a shrug. 

 

Tim finally pulled out two packages. One was a box of cigarettes, which Tim would never use, but saw the purpose in. The next was ... Condoms 'ribbed for her pleasure'. "Are you suggesting I've never smoked or that I've never had sex?"

 

"Oh baby bird, I know you've smoked." Jason answered, making Tim shove him. "What! You can't stay a virgin forever, Timbo."

 

"And who exactly do you think I'm going to use these with in the middle of the world ending, Jay?" 

 

"A reliable source told me that Superboy has been rooming with you in Nanda Parbat." Jason watched Tim flush red nearly immediately. "So-"

 

"Can we not talk about this?"

 

"I just want to make sure you know what you are doing. Roy and I can sit down and tell you how-"

 

"NO! ... God, no ... Jason, know how sex works." Tim felt as if he was going to die, covering his face with his hands to hide his embarrassment. 

 

The two of them sat in silence for a while after Jason's laughing ceased, both just enjoying the breeze and each other's presence.

 

"...Did anyone else remember?" Jason asked after a minute, looking at Tim out of the corner of his eye. 

 

"No. To be fair though, neither did I." Tim shrugged, outwardly looking unaffected by the lack of celebration. "There are more important things going on right now. Far more important."

 

"You always sound so grown up and objective, sure it made Bruce happy, but he's not around anymore." Jason didn't get a response, so he sighed and continued. "What I'm saying is that ... Eighteen or not you still have time to be young and be selfish. Even if the world is ending."

 

"Do you have a point in all this, Jason?" Tim asked, sounding suddenly cold as he gripped his forearms. 

 

"You've always been so damn perceptive too-"

 

"Jason."

 

"Fine, fine." Jason put up his hands in defense before turning around to lean his back on the fire escape railing and lit a cigarette. "I know that being with Ra's is important, that having someone that close to the maniac is good and all but ... Tim, I'm worried about you we all are-" 

 

Tim went to open his mouth and Jason stopped it with a hand over Tim's face for a second. "Let me finish talking before you interrupt. I know you think that you  _ have _ to stay with Ra's, but you don't. No one is making you do this, you can leave. You don't have to stay." Jason finished watching Tim's mind start rolling into action, contemplating what Jason was saying. 

 

"What ... What would I even do?" Tim asked, looking back to Jason. 

 

"What do you mean? You wouldn't go back, you'd stay here in Gotham, or fuck, I'll have you come hide with us in Belarus. Lian would be happy to have you." 

 

Jason suggested in earnest and Tim hadn't been expecting it. For some reason, he hadn't been expecting anyone to offer him an out, for someone to say to him enough was enough and try to pull him out like Bruce used to do. Yet, here was Jason, the brother who tried to kill him once, called him 'replacement' for the first year they knew each other, extending a hand to pull him out and ... God did he want to take it. It was different than Barbara and Dick because.. They didn’t give him the assurance he needed. A safe haven. 

 

"I can't leave Connor." Tim blurted out, making Jason quirk his brow. 

 

"Connor can come too. Bizarro would probably love to have another super around to play with." That made Tim snort in response. "Listen, I have some contacts in Nepal that would probably give you a way to get to Belarus. When you get back, grab your boyfriend, and get to the cave. We can handle everything else from there."

 

Tim thought and thought, trying to talk himself out of what he was about to say. "Okay ... I'll see you in a week."

  
  
  


The plane ride home with Benjamin was long, but perfectly so. Tim, thanks to Harper, had access to most of the High Court's informational systems at the tip of his fingers. The only complication he'd had before this was being tracked while accessing them, by flying through the air and constantly changing position and towers, there was no way in hell the Court would be able to track him down. 

 

Tim's first major discovery was about the make-up of the High Court itself. Their initial suspicion was wrong, as many had predicted, they weren't of this world or at least not from their planet Earth. While there was no actual information about where they came from or what it was like, there was mention of those who came 'before' and those who came 'after' the transition into the mountains of Asia. These 'natives' of the High Court were some of the most high ranking members and weren't born on this Earth and had migrated here ten years prior. 

 

The second group the High Court were referred to as 'non-natives'. This was Ra's and Luthor, or really, anyone who was a part of the High Court's inner workings but was Earth born. So, while they could hold positions of power, none of them even graced the top of the list, which was against everything they had been telling Luthor and Ra's about their positions within the group. Ra's and Luthor were looking more and more like pawns every second. 

 

The third group was 'specialized' individuals that the High Court modified to serve a specific purpose. This meant physical changes along with a strict, regimented upbringing that guaranteed that they would be the best in whatever skill they had been trained; soldier, scientist, etc. These were even broken down into further categories by generations, of which there were two, with a third becoming 'ready to launch'. 

 

Digging into specialized individuals Tim had to guess that the High Court has found a way to combine nano-technology with actual human biology and DNA to physically change people into metas, and whatever kind of metas they want.

 

It seems though that the process of selecting out what exact physical properties cause a meta mutation or powers is so widely different from meta to meta that it takes a lot of experimentation and processing to do so. It can take years for some of the more difficult abilities to be mapped out. Things like spontaneous energy production, telekinesis (like Connor's TK), and healing abilities are some of the most impossible ones. 

 

This is how Tim found out  _ why _ the High Court is so interested in Rose Wilson, because unlike her father who's genetic make up was changed by chemical means, was born with her abilities making them innate and giving them a more clear DNA sequence structure to look at. 

 

It would also appear Rose has one thing Slade doesn't have that the Court is interested in exploiting, her ability to make children. 

 

Through further research he found out about Rose being part of the Next Generation project that will usher in the 3rd Generation of specialized human beings that can be built with more accuracy and less waste (generation 1 had thousands of casualties for every one successful individual). 

 

Currently, the High Court has impregnated Rose with a child fathered by 'R-N7G-W25' who is given no other identifier other than a 'qualified, hand selected donor'. They modified her fertilized egg with DNA factors that would allow easy changes to be made in the genome of the fetus as it develops by nanotechnology or chemical addition. In Rose's first month of pregnancy they have already added a long list of abilities to the fetus. In which the notes state have had an 'expected, but unfortunate effect on the mother'. It states that Rose has been sickly from the treatment and there was a need to modify in order to help the fetus survive. So far, her healing abilities have staved off death, but they warned that further modification would have to be done 'with growing caution and observation' if they wanted her to survive to term.

 

At that point, Tim paused, looking up to the front of the plane and saying with a clear voice. "Ben ... I have bad news about Rose..." Tim went into the same detail with him, mapping out exactly what they were planning and when, sparing no details before ending with. "This time, Slade needs to know sooner rather than later ... I don't know how much time she might have left, but I assure you, it isn't much."

 

Benjamin held no argument with Tim, that was his damn niece. He was already getting to work on finding the time to fly out to Slade, this was a face to face conversation.

 

After a short break, Tim got back on for another half an hour before they landed, squeezing every last bit of information he could out of this trip. Interestingly enough, there have been sightings of Batwoman around New York city, the photos aren't that great, so Tim can't tell if it's actually Kate, but sends a message to Harper anyway and says it might be worth looking into.

 

By the time they land, Tim is exhausted again but feeling energized by the new information he had, things that could actually help defeat the High Court. If they could find out a way to stop this experimentation process, or how exactly they were using their nanotechnology, they might be able to fight back, they might have a chance in all this.

 

After forwarding every last bit of information he had to Harper Tim got off the plane and headed toward his private quarters without speaking a word to anyone. Connor wasn't there, which did make him frown a little, but he quickly remembered that they weren't allowed to be seen with each other and chalked it up to the Super being cautious yet again. Tim wanted to see him though, not just because he missed him (and he truly had) but because he needed to share the information he had gained and ... He needed to tell Connor it was time to leave Nanda Parbat, Ra's, and Luthor behind. It was time for Connor and Tim to gain back their freedom ... And Tim had never been so excited to give up in his entire life.

  
  


Benjamin had talked to Ra's after he and Tim landed, he left the meeting feeling absolutely pissed. He was just about to phone Slade and schedule a meeting but before he could dial the first number Slade called him. He and Dick had broke up. Shit... How was he supposed to top all that off with Rose? Still. He needed to tell the man. With a sigh Tiggs offered to swing by, offer support so Slade could talk to him, he wouldn't be able to leave until tomorrow and with a days trip could be there in a couple days. After hanging up the phone he got to work tracking Luthor. It looked like he was going to attend some bullshit event the Penguin was hosting. Ra's would be there too... He just had to find out if Rose was there.

  
  
  


Connor walked down to Tim's room, knocking on the door before pushing it open with his TK. Koda almost instantly growled at him but he used his powers to quietly silence her by causing tension around her throat. Behind his back he held a bouquet of flowers and float over to Tim, flipping upside down. 

 

Tim smiled lightly finding Koda’s behavior weird but brushing it off.

 

 "There you are. You've been gone forever." Kon made his way behind the other where he wrapped his arms around Tim's waist firmly, flowers still in hand as he hugged him and softly began swaying and rocking him.

 

"It was only a few days… I missed you too though ..."

 

Connor  kissed up Tim's neck. "I have good news. I talked Ra's into letting us have one last date. To celebrate your birthday. I know I'm a day late but.... I have plans to make it all worth your while."

 

 Tim placed a hand over Connor's arm and flushed a deep, stirring something in his stomach that only Connor seemed to bring up. 

 

"You talked to Ra's?" Tim asked, genuinely surprised. "Connor you could have gotten yourself in so much trouble. My birthday isn't-" 

 

He could hear Jason telling him he had the right to be selfish. Tim finished by letting out a sigh that ended with another smile, turning himself to the side a little so he could more easily see Connor. 

 

"You're too sweet."  Tim kissed his cheek, cupping the side of his face.  "I'm... Excited. You sure this is okay, Kon?"

 

Connor rolled his eyes slightly, "Ra's noticed that I was agitated when he was training me... I broke seven of his mannequin things and then I went off on him.... He shocked me but afterwards I explained to him that you were all I had. I told him I hated Luthor which... I probably shouldn't have done but..." 

 

He shook his head and sighed, "Anyways. Because I did that he made a deal with me... Said on special occasions I could have you if I abandoned Luthor... So... I agreed. Told him your birthday was coming up and he let me plan it out." Connor explained before smiling and moving in front of Tim. 

 

"So yes, all of this is okay." He practically beamed before taking Tim's hand softly. "Let’s go! Dinner should be done by now!... Or lunch... Whatever." The super chuckled.

 

Connor pulled Tim out of the room and through the halls of the temple, he was proud to have the freedom of holding Tim's hand despite the disapproving looks he received. Finally, they made it outside and Connor swept Tim off his feet and flew down the mountain. Tim was perfectly fine with being whisked away by Connor with no hesitation. They didn't go far, they just went to the base where there was an old abandoned temple that resembled Ra's greatly. Ra's had a Lazarus pit hidden far beneath said ruins but Kon wasn't interested in that. Instead, he pulled Tim into the ruins and through a small cavern. Inside were dozens of lanterns lit beside a small waterfall that spanned no more than 6 inches wide. A picnic blanket and food were in the center. 

 

"Surprise." Connor said with an awkward chuckle, "What do you think?"

 

Tim stepped into the space, a little anxious up to this point, but looked in awe at what Connor had set up ... For  _ him _ . "You did all this?" Tim asked scanning the interior with a growing smile on his face. 

 

"Connor ... I don't know what to say it's... Beautiful, unique it's... Perfect." Tim turned to face Connor again and grabbed the back of the super's neck to pull him down into a kiss.

 

 It was heavier than their little romantic kisses had been and it was more than Tim had been able to give with eyes watching them but ... Down here? He felt more comfortable. Kon kissed back with just as much love and lust, his hands finding their way to Tim's hips. The rational part of him wanted to pin Tim to the wall but he found himself unable to do so and instead the kiss got broken with Tim's compliment.

 

"You're amazing, Connor."

 

"I know." Kon teased before kissing Tim's head and taking a seat. "I went to that town we had our first date in and got some of the food you liked." Kon put some food on a fork and held it out for Tim to eat. 

 

Tim felt like he was about to swoon, Connor was just being so confident and forward. Kind of like how he fought out in the field or in training. It wasn't that Tim didn't find Connor's apprehension and general cluelessness to their relationship adorable (he was Tim's cute dopey super after all), just the air about him told Tim to relax, let his guard down and enjoy himself. 

 

Usually, Tim needed time for that, to let his walls fall out, the outer exterior to crack, to settle out any doubts. Yet, this was Connor, his best friend, partner on the field, and now his boyfriend. There wasn't any reason to hesitate ... Because he loves Connor as all of those things and more. 

 

"It smells amazing, Connor. I should have known you couldn't have cooked this." Tim teased as he took a bite of the food and gave that same aroused moan he did in the restaurant that night, tasting it with his eyes closed as if the flavor was all he ever wanted to experience. 

 

"I hope I'm doing everything okay. Shiva gave me some romance tip books in exchange for having every single room cleaned. I won't know if it was worth while until later." There was a hint of... Naughtiness to that however, it wasn't clear whether or not it was intentional.

 

Tim choked a little, coughing quickly before swallowing. Connor's comment took him completely by surprise and now he was flushed a deeper red then he knew he was capable of. Sleeping with Connor was something Tim had been wanting to do since he set eyes on him next to Dick in Titan tower for the first time. A mixture of his old insecurities, and age kept him from getting closer to Connor, from flirting with Connor or even thinking they'd ever get  _ here _ . It was all like some sort of dream. 

 

"Connor your- ... It will be worth it." Tim almost whispered not even able to look at Connor. 

 

Connor couldn't help but grin at Tim's adorable blush, god the kid was so hot with that red hue on his face. It made the super chuckle to think about, partly because otherwise he found Tim a-dork-able... Unless in uniform... Anyways. 

 

 "Do you have any good news about the meeting?"

 

The meeting though, he could talk about that and enjoy lunch without jumping on Connor right here and now. "Yes and no." Tim said taking a drink. "Good news: I found a way to hack into the High Court's computers. Harper actually did, but regardless we are in and I've begun translating their files.” 

 

“Bad news? Things aren't looking good ... We have a lot of things planned, people like you and I who are under the radar waiting on a big enough chance to act but ... Busting a large enough hole in their leadership and infrastructure to domino effect their down fall isn't happening any time soon. No one has a D-Day plan. And that's what we need." Tim looked at the waterfall, listening to it with ease. "So, maybe we'd be better off leaving. Ra's can't hold us here if we really want to go. You know?"

 

The clone took a bite of food while listening to Tim, if he were in his right mind he'd begin questioning how the hell Tim planned on leaving but instead he froze. A near blank stare filling his vision like a piece of machine that was waiting for orders. Finally he blinked and exhaled, leaning back.

 

 "Are... You sure, Tim?" He asked as though all of his confidence just left him. "I just... I'm not opposed to leaving, it would be good for us but... The High Court is brutal... I... I don't want them hurting you." 

 

Kon frowned and reached taking Tim's hand softly squeezing it. "So... Just so we're clear... If we try to run away and we get spotted... I'm going to use everything I've got to keep you safe." With that Kon lifted Tim's chin and pulled him into a soft and delicate kiss.

 

Tim was so lost in the sensation and kiss that he almost forgot what Connor had said before that. He put a hand on Connor's chest and regretfully pushed Connor back just enough to separate their lips.

 

 "Don't forget who you're talking to Superboy." Tim said, tapping his index finger against Connor's chest. "I'm not some helpless damsel in distress, I can take care of myself, and you as well if I need to." 

 

Tim assured him with a confident look. "I don't plan on either of us getting hurt, and where we are going ... No one is going to find us, Connor. We've both done enough, been put through enough. I need ... I need to be selfish, you too. Just this once."

 

Connor listened to Tim silently before softly smiling, leaning in to peck Tim's lips once again. "Okay... That’s fair. I'm tired of vegetarian meals anyways." He said with a chuckle before offering to feed Tim more food, taking bites of his own in between. 

 

"I'm excited to get to... Have a life with you. Even in hiding its... It's going to be worth it." Connor relaxed against the cave wall and got halfway through his meal before pausing. 

 

He then smirked and took some water flicking it at Tim. "So just as a heads up, I have something super special planned after this." The superboy smirked, tk running up Tim's legs and around his waist. "Since I couldn't find anything to buy you, ya know since you bought it all, I have to gift you with experience."

 

"Oh? You-" Tim nearly choked on his words as he felt the TK running over him, the sensation feeling like absolute fire. "-Connor." 

 

Tim breathed out and leaned forward to put his hand on Connor's thigh. "I um ... I don't know if I've told you this or not but I've never ... Done this kind of thing before. I just never had someone that I wanted to give myself to like that until now. I know that probably makes me sound old fashioned and prudish but ... I'm glad I saved it, for you, for someone I love so it'll mean something. " Tim squeezed Connor's leg a little. "I ... That is what you are talking about right??"

 

"I.. Honestly am not surprised, no offense." Connor said putting his hands up defensively. "And if it's any consolation.." He trailed off, face growing red, "I've never done it with another boy... So... We can explore it together." Connor offered a soft smile and wrapped his arms around Tim's waist holding him close. "But we're going to do it right... I want your first time to be perfect." He said with a smile before kissing Tim's cheek softly.

 

Tim flushed a complementary color to Connor and hit his arm when he said he wasn't surprised by Tim's virginity. So what if it was completely obvious? Maybe he didn't have any sex appeal, and he spent most of his time looking at a computer screen doing anything but what most teenage boys his age would be (not saying he never did). However, it landed him Connor so he must have done something right. 

 

"It's okay if it's not perfect though." Tim reassured Connor, feeling the lack of space between them. "Like you said ... We'll explore it together and, honestly? That's all I want."


	20. Freak on a Leash

Connor lead Tim out of the cave and carried him back to the mountain top where he blind folded the other.  Tim had been having the night of his life, everything was perfect in his mind. Connor was being flirtatious, they laughed and reminisced about things Tim hadn't thought about in a while. So, when it was time, Tim felt less nervous, less apprehensive than he had. This was Connor, he could trust Connor.

 

Soon, Connor opened a door and closed it behind him. From there the clone lead Tim to a bed and pushed him down. Right away it was clear it wasn't Tim's bed and within seconds Connor was near Tim's head, a knee on each side of it as Connor pulled Tim's upper half into his lap. The super then used his TK to not only lift Tim's shirt but to slowly pull his pants down leaving the other in his underwear, warm hands dragging along hot skin. 

 

Tim bit his bottom lip, anticipation building, his body tingling with excitement, reacting positively to the warm touch despite the curiosity of whose bed they were in.

 

"Such a piece of art." That was  _ not _ Connor’s voice.

 

That voice came from the bottom of the bed. "You’re composition isn't what it could be but considering your body type you're well built. Shame it won't be good enough."

 

A cold chill ran down Tim’s spine, every hair on his body standing straight up in warning. "Ra's..." Tim nearly growled out and tried to move to take off his blindfold.

 

 Connor and him needed to separate but, things just got worse. 

 

"Not as much of a shame as it is that he planned on betraying you. He wanted us to run away." Connor said looking up to the demon who let out a hum and placed a knee on the bed. 

 

"I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise the detective’s only successor turned out to be a failure."

 

Red Robin wanted to throw up but instead he moved with more intensity, not seeming to care a lick if he hurt Connor or not. "Stop talking like I'm not here!" Tim protested into the dark, wishing he could see their faces know what was going on. 

 

"C-Connor ... Why ... Let me go this isn't funny. Let. Go." 

 

Tim wasn't scared ... Yet. Angry, yes, but he'd been in tougher spots before ... But then again, when had he ever had a situation like this arise?

 

Connors grip around Tim's abdomen only tightened and even worse? His Tk got to work restricting the muscles in Tim's body. It wouldn't stop him from moving completely, the best description for the sensation one would feel, was as though their body were having an all over muscle cramp equivalent to a Charlie horse. The cramps had Tim wanting to do anything but move, yet he tried only to be met by the resistance of his own body. Physical pain he could deal with, but psychologically? What was happening right now was so much worse.

 

"It's no use... He's under my control now. I admit, I've been very ambivalent to the idea of using technology to gain power over someone however, I can fully admit that I know Connor would've  _ never _ fully submit to me.." 

 

Ra's paused, "You're the only one who can truly control him. After talking to Maxine-" a High Court scientist, "-about upgrading the tech, to program it to give me the power to reprogram someone's brain... I took Connor so I could teach you to submit." 

 

"Ra's, don't do this." Tim said, trying not to sound like he was pleading with him, even though the tone slipped through without his permission, then he began cracking altogether. "If this is about me, leave Connor out of this. Please, he doesn't deserve this Ra's. He was only doing what I told him..."

 

The Demon  ran a hand down Tim's thigh. "It didn't take much for me to learn that you are impervious to torture." Another hand began running down Tim's thigh, "So here's something new, Red Robin... I'll degrade you. Take everything you have. If you still don't comply? I'll send out a hunt for your family. I think I'll start with Slade Wilson." 

 

That's right, he figured this one out long ago. "And I'll have Connor kill him and your brothers... And it'll be your fault." His fingers slipped under the hem of Tims boxers pulling them off before he himself began shedding off his robe.

 

Tim’s body began to quiver. "Don't make him do this... Please. Ra's..." 

 

He wished he could see the Demon Head’s face, to see if anything he was saying was getting through to him. Tim felt the fear creeping through him in sickening tendrils as what was about to happen clicked into place. 

 

"Stop ... Stop ...Don't touch me ... Get off!" Tim let his fear boil over. 

 

He tried everything he had to move, his chest and hips shifting slightly, but the grip Connor's TK had on him wasn't letting up.

 

"God, can you stop your whining already." Connor said with a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes. 

 

"He's not so tough now... Not so willing to risk it all.... You'd rather die and live this, isn't that right, Timothy?" Ra's tone had grown completely sinister. "I  _ own _ you. I  _ control _ you. You can't die without my permission. Jason Todd has proven resurrection possible, don't think I won't try it with you. Don't think I won't do this-" He stopped, pushing Tim's legs apart as his body loomed over him. 

 

"Ra's please don't do this..." Tim tried begging one more time, but he knew there was no talking himself out of this. 

 

He wanted to die, Ra's was right. Tim would rather die than live through this. It was his worst nightmare coming to life.  His thighs quivered, the last bits of him trying to control his body and shut his legs again to no avail. 

 

"Stop ... S-sto-" Tim felt the push and a strangled cry left him.

 

"I... Have been too lenient." Ra’s gave a hard thrust. "It's time.. You see what mercilessness is." Another hard firm thrust. "What discipline is." Ra's kept going, each thrust only going harder and harder. 

 

Tim could feel the warmth of blood now acting as a lubricant. The worst part about this? Ra's didn't have a sexual interest in Tim. He wanted control and while he's contemplated using rape to break Tim down, Tim was always too young. Now he was an adult and Ra's had no reason to hold back... Anyone else he would've killed. Tim didn't deserve that mercy.

 

By the third thrust, he was crying, tears soaking the blindfold over his eyes, his body letting out small sounds of pain and defeat as Ra's used him.

 

Tim dreamed of his first time, on a soft mattress, Connor kissing him sweetly, being wrapped up in those warm arms as they spoke sweet words to each other in ecstasy. All he felt was pain, humiliation, betrayal, and worst of all? He felt defeat. Ra’s reached forward and grabbed Tim's hair firmly, shooting Connor a look before Connor reached and pulled Tim's blindfold off. 

 

"This is what happens when you're selfish, Tim... When you try and be a hero." Connor spoke, "When you try to be like Bruce... You always looked better with a collar."

 

Tim looked into Connor's eyes first, a hard choked sound leaving him. 

 

"Why?" He asked in a whisper. 

 

Tim knew this wasn't Connor's fault, he himself had read the High Court reports, yet here he was, watching the man he loved the most hold him down, degrade him while his captor and enemy raped him. Tim was crushed, wishing Connor was stronger than the technology in him, praying for a savior in his friend he knew wasn't coming. 

 

Finally, Tim gave up. His body relaxed, he stopped fighting entirely and became pliant under Ra's. Eyes stared somewhere else off to the side, they were blank, his face unreadable as tears continued to come, but the sobbing stopped. There wasn't going to be anymore fighting, struggling, resistance. Ra's was right, he owned him, he could control him and kill everyone Tim loved. If there was a breaking point, this was Tim's.

 

 "I'm sorry." He whispered, gripping Connor's arm as he said it. "I'm so sorry."

 

Ra's continued pummeling into Tim at a brutal pace nearly ripping him apart with each thrust. Connors Tk had faded but his grip was still hard enough on Tim's body to leave bruises. 

 

After what felt like hours to even the clone, Ra's finished degrading Tim even further by releasing his seed onto the others stomach. The demon then grabbed Tim's hair and pulled him up out of Connor grip, glaring into his eyes. 

 

"This is only the beginning. From here, every act of defiance will not only get you this... But get you someone else’s head. You killed Stephanie. Who else will die because of you?" With that, the demon literally threw Tim out of the bed before standing up. 

 

"Connor. Draw me a bath." He ordered, leaving the room all together.

 

Tim had begun pulling himself up from the ground and onto his hands and knees when Connor stepped over him and just... Left. Left Tim on the ground, covered in bruises and slick from his own blood with ... With Ra's release on him. Tim retched. 

 

Once he was alone, bat training seemed to kick in, Bruce's voice inside his head urging him along. ‘Tim,  you need to get out of here. Find some clothes.' 

 

The first article he spotted was one of Ra's inner robes. It wasn't ideal, but he threw it on anyway. 

 

'Good, is it safe to leave?' Tim nodded to himself. 'Then get out.'

 

Tim left everything in the room behind, his clothes, his innocence, his faith in humanity ... But one thing did stop him. A rose. It was from the bouquet Connor had given him, it had been his favorite. It was the deepest red, in perfect bloom, no imperfections to be seen. He had placed it inside the pocket of his shirt and there it was now. On the ground having been crushed under someone's foot like it meant nothing. Tim felt like that rose, absolutely worthless. 

 

The rose was the one thing he took from the room, he clutched the bruised petals in one hand as he silently shut the door behind him and started down the hall. Muscle memory could lead him to his room, he could do this. It wasn't that far. 

 

'Keep going Tim.'

 

Yet he couldn't. Two passageways later and Tim just collapsed, or tripped maybe, he couldn't remember. He just found himself on the ground again, knees scraped, hands balled into fists and shaking. 

 

'Get up, Tim.'

 

"I can't." He whispered to his own invisible Bruce. 

 

'Yes you can. You need to get up. You can do this.'

 

"I ... Can't." Tim repeated, leaning his back against the hard stone wall and curling in on himself as his body shook, tears starting up again. 

 

He wanted Bruce here or Dick, Alfred ... God, Tim wanted his  _ Mom _ . He hadn't thought about needing her so earnestly in years, but now? He wished she could hold him and make this go away. Tim hated himself for thinking this too, but he wished Connor was here to hold him. Even after everything that happened he ... Tim let out a wrenching sob, then another and collapsed into himself, curling more and more into his lap until he looked absolutely tiny against the wall, Ra's much too large robes swallowing him as blood soaked them beneath his bottom. 

 

If there was a hell, this was it, and Tim was living it.

 

A soft, "Hey." broke through the sound of Tim’s crying before someone crouched down to the boys level. 

 

A hand gently moved to touch Tim's shoulder and he looked up to find Tiggs sitting silently.

 

"Come on.." The older male slowly shifted to pick Tim up, explaining each action as it took place so Tim wouldn't be surprised or caught off by any of it. 

 

Tiggs silently carried Tim to his quarters and shut the door behind him. Tim didn't say anything, barely regarded that Benjamin was even there. The room was larger than Tim's and smelled of sandalwood. In the corner there was a small stick of incense lit and a rosary hanging above it. Benjamin set Tim down slowly on his soft bedding, the quilts upon it made of a heavy Ukrainian fabric. 

 

"Let’s get you cleaned up." The tiger's gruff voice was surprisingly soothing and soft. 

 

He moved over to his deskspace where that was a bowl of water, most assassins had them to wash their hands. Benji grabbed a wash rag and soaked it in the waters before returning to Tim, sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn't know if Tim would be comfortable with him washing the other off so, to start, Tiggs slowly began wiping Tim's neck and chest.

 

A hand reached up and grabbed Benjamin's wrist with surprising strength and a nearly bruising force once he reached Tim’s lower chest. He stayed like that for a while, eyes shut, knuckles white. 

 

"I want him off of me." Tim said in nearly a whisper, releasing his grip on Ben and gently taking the cloth from his hand despite his prior strength. "I'm sorry." 

 

He mumbled out, rubbing the other's wrist a little before letting him go entirely. Tim shakly opened the robe more, wiping off his stomach of Ra's release smeared with blood. He began to wretch again, seeing the blood, smelling it between his thighs like sweet copper. 

 

Tim's other hand finally opened, the rose inside of it all but crushed to nothing now as he let it drop onto the bed next to him in fluttering pieces. The space between him and the other male filled with a silent tension.

 

He looked down at Benjamin's feet, unsure what to do or say, but suddenly it began tumbling out of him like a huge, unstoppable wave. "I-It was my first time." He said with a sob, grabbing onto Ben's robes with the same intensity he had his wrist. "I didn't want this ... I ... Saved myself for nothing.  _ Nothing _ ." 

 

Tim cried, beginning to shake as Ben shifted onto the bed to hold him. "I ... I wanted ... I begged him to stop. Connor told me to stop whining..." Tim was barely making any sense but it was a perfect rendition of what condition his mind was in. 

 

"He's taken everything from me.  _ Everything _ ... How do I ... Even Connor ... My hero ... My-" Tim sobbed. "It was supposed to be with him! Because I love him! I love him! And he ... He held me down and let Ra's fuck me how could he? ... It wasn't his fault, I know that but ..." Tim let his head rest on Benjamin's stomach, shaking his head back and forth. "I can't do this. I can't ..."

 

'I'm going to use Connor to force the boy to submit. He turned 18 yesterday, I think it's time he learns how unkind adulthood is.'

 

It made Benjamin's stomach twist into knots... At this point he didn't care if Tim was supposed to be an 'enemy'. What the kid went through was far too much.

 

"You didn't wait for nothing..." Tiggs finally whispered, rubbing Tim’s back before he propped some pillows up and leaned back pulling Tim against his chest.

 

"He forced himself on you, Tim.. Don't let that ruin what you had. It doesn't count towards it." He had never experienced this kind of degrading personally but he was going to do everything he could to console Tim. 

 

"I'll get you out of this... I promise that I will  _ never _ let Ra's touch you again.. If he so much as suggests it he's going to have problems." He didn't mean to let his anger show but it did. "I just need you to keep your head down, okay?"

 

Tim fell into the comfort that Ben offered him, clung to it like a lifeline. This man he knew, at best, as an acquaintance, was now supporting him through the most traumatic experience of his young adult life. His heavy build was familiar to his family, the smell of his room calming, the hold surrounding him in symbolic protection. It made Tim just want to agree to everything Benjamin said.

 

"No one else is going to suffer because of my choices." Tim said with absolute finality. "I can't leave ... Not now. He promised to hurt my family and I believe him. He knows about Slade and Dick, has enough resources to find everyone else." His senses were coming back to him, but his mindset had shifted. 

 

"We're going to lose." Tim said after a moment, pulling back enough to look at Benjamin. "We can keep trying to fight them but it won't work. People will die and suffer because of it. The pain, the struggle is worth nothing. I can see that now. Or, I did, I just didn't want to accept it."

 

 Tim put his head back into Benjamin's chest. "I have to protect what I have left. I'll do what I need to ... Even if they end up hating me for it." 

 

He fell silent after that, the mixture of blood loss, pure exertion, and emotional trauma taking him over into unconsciousness as he slumped against Benjamin.

 

Benjamin, unfortunately, couldn't disagree with all that Tim said. Did he believe they would win this war? Not necessarily, but he was a fighter. He couldn't give up because he  _ needed _ to hold onto something positive so that he wouldn't become a monster. Even if it was unrealistic, he would hold onto the hope of winning like it was a religion. 

 

"Regardless.." Tiggs whispered... Even though Tim was asleep, "If Ra's touches you again... I'll  _ kill  _ him... I don't care what the consequences are. They won't affect you..." He soothed and just laid in silence. 

 

After a couple of hours Benjamin got up and finished cleaning Tim off before changing his clothing. He didn't leave, instead he laid down beside Tim and pulled him back into his arms like a father would their child. Tim had  _ nothing _ . He needed this.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Tigg's hands were tightly clenching the railing as he recounted what happened before turning to face Slade. _

 

 "Ra's punished him for his defiance... I believe Tim will submit now but... Slade, I can't sit back and let that happen again." This was a hard conversation in itself, Benjamin wasn't looking forward to bringing up Rose.

 

Slade was in utter disbelief at the absolutely cruelty Ra's had rained down on this kid. Tim may have been eighteen now, but in Slade's mind, he was very much still a child. Even if he wasn't, no one deserved what happened to him.  _ No one _ .

 

 "I don't blame you. I wouldn't be able to sit back and watch it either." Slade said a bit hollow as he looked forward into the tree line.

 

The sun was out now, shining down through the leaves, birds sang, the force of a warm breeze against the lake lapping small waves against the beach edge. Even though the world was crumbling around them, time went on. 

 

"I know it's more than I should ever ask of you, but… Keep the kid safe. He needs an ally, someone he can trust. I know you've already been there for him but keep being there for him. Until we can come up with a plan to get him out." Slade ran a hand through his hair. How was he supposed to tell Dick about this? Let him know that his baby brother had been raped and tortured by Ra's?

 

Benjamin breathed out a heavy sigh, "I don't intend on abandoning the kid... Ra's has taken everything from him... Everything.. And... He knows about you and Dick.. This is dangerous territory for everyone. We can't pull Tim out until Ra's is eliminated." And Tiggs had dibs on pulling the trigger. 

 

"My guess is, he wasn't bluffing about giving in. I got a communication from Arsenal a few days ago saying that all of Tim's lines had been cut, Bluebird confirmed the same. We chalked it up to Ra's finding his equipment ... But now I wonder if it was intentional." Slade shook his head. 

 

"I know it probably isn't my place to thank you for being there for Tim but ... Ben, you did the right thing. I know you did it because you have a good heart ... Even if you don't want to admit it." Slade said pressing his shoulder into Ben's. "I'm proud of who you've developed into, the man standing next to me is stronger than I ever was at your age. Addie would be proud of you too."

 

Tiggs let out a half hearted chuckle at Slade's little compliments before shaking his head, "It's a lot of pressure.. But... I keep thinking about Joey... About Rose.." Joseph's death crushed him. "These kids are gambling with not only their lives but with everything. They're facing trauma and torture not because someone asked them to but because it's who they are…” 

 

“Ra's snuffed that will out of Tim and I don't intend on leaving him in the dark.. I'm working on convincing the Court to take Ra's away from the temple for a while so that Tim can catch his breath..." Benjamin paused and turned to face Slade, putting a hand on his shoulder.

 

"There's something else... I need to talk to you about.." Why the fuck was he the one dragged in the middle of all this? "I have an update about Rose..... They've.. Impregnated her. She's about a month along now and they've been splicing the embryo's DNA... Mixing it with multiple meta human traits... They're trying to make themselves a perfect soldier..." 

 

Tigg's paused, his grip unknowingly tightening on Slade's shoulder, "The treatments have been making her sick... They're having to reduce them so they don't kill her..." Another pause. "Luthor's going to be attending Penguin's part next week and... You can't confront him." With that Benjamin pulled his hand away from Slade, "If Luthor thinks you care about Rose then... He'll hurt her to get to you. It's what Ra's wants.."

 

Slade wanted to rip out the railing and scream. It was only a few days ago he found out about Rose being experimented on in such a way, but now to hear that she was  _ actually  _ pregnant with some ...  _ Monster _ growing inside of her? God, he couldn't believe this was happening. 

 

"I do care about her." Slade snapped and then let out a sound of irritation. "Shit ... You know that. I know you do ... How am I supposed to  sit back and let this happen to her?" He shook his head. "Ben, I promised to protect her, I've said it a million times. I have to save her from this ... Soon. I don't want to make her wait more than she has to ... I know she's strong, she my daughter after all, but…. Tim was strong too." 

 

"I know. I know, Slade and I care about her too... I want nothing more than to tear these people apart.... We  _ will _ get Rose away from him, we just have to do it right. We have to do it in a way that Luthor can’t try and make a power grab with her....." He paused and sighed heavily knowing full well Slade wouldn't like  _ this _ part. "I can... Promise her safety but.. Only through Dr. Foster."

 

"I know he's your man's ex, I know you hate him. We all do. But he's a psychiatrist and he can pull some bullshit about Rose needing a break." Ben suggested knowing it was the best option. 

 

"If he's willing to help Rose then I don't care who he is. I'm not petty enough to risk my daughter's safety over some relationship. I care about Dick but she's my first priority. He knows that." Slade hadn't pulled any punches with that. 

 

He would expect Dick to hold his family over Slade because they simply had been there longer, needed Dick to be there for them. Slade had to put Rose first because she  _ was _ his family. The entirety of it. 

 

"If you see him, tell him I appreciate the help despite the other night ... We talked briefly but I wasn't in the mood to apologize at the time. Probably won't be for awhile." Frankly, Slade wanted to punch him in the face again, even if it was superfluous. 

 

Deathstroke pushed off the railing and turned himself toward his old friend. "This is a mess ... I need to find a way to tell Dick about Tim and Rose before the gala. Will you be there?"

 

"I'll be at the gala... And I'll be on this side of the globe for a couple days if you need me. I don't want to leave Tim hanging for too long... As for Dick? You should wait until he's better. We both know he'll want to jump into action the second you tell him and he's in no state for that... And... When he's better.. I'm here to support you in telling him."

 

"Let's plan on meeting before the gala to get a plan in place. I wish you could risk staying here ... It's been too long since you've crashed on my couch for a week." Slade teased and gave a small smile. "I'm guessing you have a place to stay? If not ... I've got a closet full of keys to safe houses you can use. Though, I'm sure you already have spares to most of them."

 

Benjamin nodded, "I'll be sure to chat with you before I go back to Nanda Parbat... As for the safe house?" He paused and pulled a key from his pocket. "I plan on staying at the New Hampshire hideout... You know, the one we used to go to after a long mission." 

 

He smirked before hearing his phone ding which instantly made that smile fade. He didn't have to look to know what it meant and so with a sigh he pulled Slade into a brotherly hug. "I gotta go. Take care of yourself. And.. Go take care of him. He needs you." With that Benjamin turned and pulled his phone out, answering it as he made his way out of the safe house.

 

It was hard for Slade to watch him walk away with how dangerous things had been lately. It was hard to know when might be the last time they saw each other.

 

But Ben was right, he needed to take care of Dick right now. So, he padded back into the house. Using the extra few minutes he had to quickly shower and change into clean work out clothes he had in the spare bedroom. 

  
  


Dick was in the room laying on his back, luckily the infection wasn't as severe as it could've been so rather than cutting Dick open and using tubes to suck the fluids out, the doctor ended up using a long tube that she inserted through Dick’s mouth. It was  _ very  _ uncomfortable and he squirmed more than she would've liked so, after pumping him full of more drugs she got to work finishing the draining process. In the corner she had set up a diffuser using essential oils and some sage to purify the air. Once Dicks lungs were clear enough she pulled the tubing out of his throat and replaced his oxygen mask. She then got to work rubbing some healing creams onto his chest, muttering soft wellness mantras. She used every aspect of healing from medical, to physical, to spiritual. 

 

After a few minutes she gave Dick another breathing treatment, replaced the mask and stepped out of the room to give Dick a chance to rest up.

 

Slade caught the doctor as she was leaving Dick's room. "How is he?"

 

"Good, for now. You'll need to keep a close eye on him and I'll be back tomorrow morning to check on him. I'll keep my phone on in case he spirals down again. I'll get here much quicker this time." She promised as Slade pulled out his phone and transferred her over a healthy sum of money for the visit. "I'm having some medications sent to the house. Pain management, antibiotics and some inhaled steroids. Otherwise, calm music, lots of fluids, and massage to keep him comfortable."

 

Slade nodded toward the doctor as she began packing her bag up and making phone calls to, presumably, order medications. Slade took it as permission to go check on Dick and went into the bedroom.

 

Damian was on the bed within comfortable reaching distance of Dick. He didn't even acknowledge Slade as he entered.

 

"Just oxygen? Good. You must be feeling better." Slade commented as he sat down on the side of the bed,  rubbing a hand softly on Dick's sternum. "Are you comfortable?"

 

Dick’s eyes fluttered open and a smile spread across his lips. "I missed you, daddy." Dicks speech was slightly slurred, really he was high out of his mind at the moment. "The bed is really soft." 

 

"Daddy?" Damian said with a certain curiously disturbed tone to his voice that had Slade wanting to throw himself out a window. 

 

"He's had a lot of drugs, don't think too much about it…. How is he looking?" 

 

"The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master. I. Am. Your. Father." Yes. Dick just loopily quoted Darth Vader. The quotes weren't corresponding but the hero got his point across either way. 

  
“I think that’s my line, Kid.” Slade chuckled, that accurately updated him on how Dick was doing.

 

The male then opened his eyes and squirmed to try sitting up a bit more, "Come to the dark side, Slade, it is your destiny."

 

Slade put his hands on Dick's shoulders and firmly held him down to the bed. "Dick, you can't get up like that, you need to go slow and let your body have time to adjust. Trust me young padawan."

 

Dick snort and rolled his eyes. "But I don’t wanna." He whined, "I've been laying here for hours..." 

 

“I know… You’re going to have to rest a little bit longer, do you want me to close the curtains?” 

 

"Oh, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING! The shadows betray you, because they belong to me!" Dick was going all out on the theatrics which lead to him coughing but it didn't sound nearly as wet. 

 

The mocking got Damian laughing, he was always up for a good harassing of their enemies. The funniest to Damian being the last part. 

 

"He's such a giant oaf, you couldn't hide him in the shadow of a freight ship." It wasn't that funny, but the kid was never really known for his grasp on comedy anyway. 

 

Slade was amused too, letting out small 'pffts' of laughs. 

 

"Easy there Bane or you're going to pop a vein." The older male commented. 

 

"Hmmm… When I'm better.... I wanna roll around with you."

 

Damian pulled back with a look of absolute horror on his face. Slade decided that it might be best to get the child back for being an absolute brat the other day. 

 

"You know ... Bane would be pretty jealous of me ... I've heard rumors he has a liking for you. You're the only Batman he ever gave his precious blessing to ..." Slade said, dropping his voice down a register. 

 

"Wonder what he would think about us? About me being able to touch you like this..." Slade started to move his hand down Dick's chest, lower and lower until Damian interrupted.

 

"Wilson, have you no shame? Stop molesting my brother in front of me!" Damian huffed, but got off the bed anyway. 

 

"Shame? I don't know what that is ... But if you plan on staying around to watch, be my guest." Slade shot back making Damian all but choke on an outgoing breath. 

 

"Grayson! Stop this!"

 

"I think Bane would be jealous." Dick spoke a moment too late, "Especially when it comes to wrapping my mouth around your co-"

 

"Grayson!" Damian shouted, covering his ears and curling into a ball. "Stop talking you heathen!" He growled.

 

Dick rolled his eyes and ran his fingers up and down Slade's arm. "You'll understand someday, Damian. Especially when you meet someone who bends you over and gets you to call them 'daddy.'" 

 

Dick was going to shoot himself when he's sober.

 

"Oh ... My ... You said it was the drugs." Damian was about to explode and Slade was grinning like a mad man. 

 

"I said he was saying it because of the drugs, not that it wasn't true." Slade clarified, which only made Damian grow a slight shade of pink. 

 

"You two are disgusting. I'm never having sexual relations ... Ever. Especially not now." Damian said with the kind of finality no kid his age should about such a life long decision. "Even if I did it wouldn't be-"

 

"Would you rather be the one being called Daddy?" Slade asked trying so hard not to laugh at the way Damian grew even redder and then left the room, in response Slade couldn't help but chuckle. "That wasn't very nice, Richard."

 

Dick weakly hit Slade, "I'll apologize to him with ice cream and a pony." He seemed to be dead serious. "I know where a stable is." 

 

The male then fell silent, eyes scanning over Slade as something seemed to shift. He started getting emotional and teary eyed out of  _ nowhere _ . "I.. Need you to know that I love you so much..." Tears began dripping down, "And I know you're old but... I want you to promise you'll try to outlive me... Please? I don't want you to die before me." 

 

Where the fuck was all of this coming from? The drugs were messing with Dick’s mind. He began softly sobbing, the playful atmosphere from literally seconds ago melting away. 

 

"You're so old."

 

Slade had been ready to switch gears and support Dick through his tears, thinking his proclamation of love was sweet. Though, that was really short lived. Soon enough Dick started babbling about Slade being old, correction,  _ so old _ and his eye narrowed a little as if he was going to get mad. 

 

Then a short chuckle left him, moving down to hug Dick. "You rude little shit." Slade laughed through it. "If you weren't genuinely upset ..." 

 

He let out another chuckle and cupped the back of Dick's head. "Sugar, I'm old but it's okay, my doctors have all said I will well outlive them. I'll probably still be this good looking when you have your 90th birthday."

 

"You promise?" He asked as his arm coiled around Slade's, cheek resting against his shoulder. "I just don't want you to go into cardiac arrest out of nowhere, you know? I wanna be with you as long as possible… My neighbor’s husband had a heart attack when they were having sex. He died in her… They were 80. You’re not so far behind."

 

_ Fucking Brat. _

 

"No, Dick, I'll be fine I promise." Slade placed him slowly back down on the mattress as he began to relax. However, instead of leaving him, Slade rolled over into the space next to Dick, letting his head rest on a pillow he had missed so much last night. 

 

"If you start getting  _ too _ old, I'll drag to Ra's pit and push you in..... As long as it doesn't  _ completely  _ reverse your age I'll be happy. I love you and Captain Fluff the way you are.”

 

"I'm not going into that pit. Even  _ if _ I start getting as ugly as Ra's." Slade said with humor before gently pulling Dick in closer to him. He minded his ribs, guided but didn't pull until Dick was being spooned by the larger man behind him. 

 

"Stay with me for a while ... I  could use a nap. This old man needs his rest." Slade spoke in that lower tone his voice naturally went to when he spoke in intimate proximity to Dick. "You're not the only one who sleeps better with the other next to him, darling."

 

Within a matter of seconds both men had fallen asleep. 

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


As the next week went by Dick recovered remarkably, his energy and appetite returning which only influenced him to do intensive workout and yoga sessions along with eating half the food Slade had in the house. He kept up with some breathing treatments and was prescribed a special tea and antibiotic he would be ingesting until two weeks from now.  A couple nights of adult activities were also included in Dick's activities much to Damian's dismay, why were both of his older brothers so damn loud? 

 

Before they all knew it, it was time for Penguin's party. Dick had spent most of the jet flight putting on makeup to make his face look bruised. The first one was a deep purple that followed his cheek bone while another was a deep red beside his eye. It looked like Slade beat the shit out of him quite frankly. He didn't need to mark up his neck or arms because his extracurricular activities with Slade covered those bases. Next the hero focused on getting dressed. He pulled on a clean white button up shirt and some pants. Nothing too fancy all while being decent.

 

Finally, they landed in Gotham and got a rental car that they drove to the docks. They could see the lights from the Iceberg Casino but were far enough to remain unseen as they snuck down to the sewage tunnels beneath the docking area. It was where Benjamin had called them to meet. The tiger was dressed in a nice expensive suit, a pin on the chest of the suit showing the High Court symbol. Dick couldn't help but to freeze and stare at it as the other stepped out into the moonlight. Dick had their mark branded into his shoulder... And Damian had the mark seared into his cheek. The hero couldn't help but to wonder how many more of his friends, or his family, that would be marked.

 

"I'm glad you could make it." Tiggs said, breaking the silence.

 

Slade put a hand on the small of Dick's back, not sure at first what was causing the deer in headlights reaction, but knowing he needed to be there for him regardless. 

 

"Likewise. Couldn't have been easy sneaking away from Ra's again." Slade commented and gave Benjamin a somewhat worried look. 

 

He didn't want Ben getting in trouble from all this, working with the High Court and the resistance was treacherous enough.

 

Slade motioned to down the tunnel. "Let's not stand in the sewage too long." 

 

A few more yards in was a door, well it didn't look like a door, but Slade clicked a single button and it opened for them, rats and bugs scattering away from the sudden sound it produced. The space wasn't anything special, just a bug out area that he kept and occasionally rented out to would be vigilantes and villains. Why? Because he could.

 

It hosted a murphy bed tucked against the wall, a couch against the opposite wall, and maintaining an entire ten foot space at the back of the room was various computer screens, a desk, and enough electronics to run the network of a small country. In front of that sat a comfortable chair with Deathstroke's symbol printed on the back. People had to remember who owned the space after all. 

 

Once they were inside Slade locked the door behind him, pressing his fingers on part of the wall next to the bed where it slid back to expose a very basic kitchen. Mini fridge under a bar, half sink, and burner, above was, of course, liquor and glasses. 

 

"Get comfortable, this conversation is going to go about as well as ...Well, as we could expect it to." Slade admitted. "Bourbon or scotch?" Slade asked Benjamin. 

 

Tiggs got to work unloading some gear and planting jammers around the room. It was secure as is but there wasn't a length he wouldn't go through to be sure. 

 

"Scotch sounds good." He responded as he placed the last jammer.

 

Slade poured the scotch into a glass and then one for himself over large ice cubes he selected from the fridge. Dick didn't get purely the hard stuff, Slade made a quick mix of rum and ginger ale that was an easy pleaser. Slade handed Dick his drink and then motioned his head to the couch, Benjamin could have the chair. 

 

"Come on, handsome,  let's go have a seat."

 

Dick moved to sit down staring at the drink in his hands. He wasn't a big drinker so he appreciated that the other not only made it more enjoyable to the tongue but that the ginger ale reduced the amount of alcohol in the cup. 

 

Benjamin sat down in the nearby chair letting out a heavy sigh. "Are all the bats good with a makeup brush?" He started knowing full well Slade didn't bruise Dick’s face like that.

 

"It’s the first thing a Robin learns next to rotating tires." Dick joked back before sipping his drink. 

 

Tiggs let out a small chuckle before glancing to Slade, he wasn't sure how he wanted the other to tell him. Slade wasn't exactly sure how he wanted to tell Dick either. It's not the kind of topic that came easy, nor would it improve how tonight went, but, Dick wouldn't forgive Slade if he kept it quiet. Dick might be angry that he kept it a secret this long. 

 

Slade sat down next to Dick, giving him enough space so that he wasn't crowding him, but letting their thighs touch as a grounding point. 

 

"Look, we better get to why we are meeting together." Slade bit the bullet and pushed forward. "Benjamin came over a few days ago. You were pretty out of it so you might not remember. He told me a few updates from Nanda Parbat, particularly from and about Tim." What part did he even bring up first?

 

"We know more about Rose's condition ... She is pregnant currently with whatever experiment they are doing. Apparently it's been very hard on her, life threatening even. On paper they mentioned slowing down the testing but things are touch and go." 

 

Slade thought talking about the part that was hardest for him first might help Dick process what happened to Tim easier.

 

 "I can't bargain for her tonight at the gala like I told you I would. If I let him know I want her safe, that I care, he'll hurt her more." That might break Dick's heart a little, so he needed to reassure him. "We will come up with a new plan together. Maybe scope out what we can tonight to aid us." 

 

Dick reached out and held Slade's hand comfortingly, he could only imagine what all of this felt like for the other. "I'm.. So sorry… Slade, I’m here to help you through this, you don’t have to worry about her alone or work on saving her by yourself." His eyes were full of nothing but compassion. 

 

A compassion that didn't solely come from Dick consoling with Slade but from him being worried too. He loved Rose as a friend and this was very hard for him. 

 

Slade's eyes then slipped over to Benjamin before a heavy sigh left him. "And ... Dick I need you to breathe before we say the next part.  Alright?" Slade asked and waited. "Something has happened to Tim."

 

"Is he okay?" Was the first thing out of the hero's mouth before Benjamin took the burden on himself.

 

 "Ra's.... Took advantage of him." He didn’t look up from his glass until he heard the air fill Dick’s lungs in a gasp. The hero covering his mouth as pain filled his expression.. Then anger.

 

"He what!?" He growled, "Oh my god... Tim can't stay there. We have to pull him out." Standing, Dick set his glass down. "Is Ra's gonna be there? He's going to pay for this."

 

"Easy, kid." Tiggs said as he stood.

 

"Don't 'easy' me! My brother got raped!"

 

"And if you go barking at Ra's he might kill you, sell you out, or he'll hurt Tim more. I know he's not my kin, but I promise you... Staying out of this is how we keep him safe... I won't let Ra's touch him."

 

".. What do you mean sell us out?"

 

"Ra's knows." Benji sighed. "He’s using it as leverage."

 

Dick shook his head and sat down feeling lightheaded. He grabbed his glass and downed it before sitting forward with an elbow on his knee, covering his mouth and shaking his head.

 

 "This whole thing is so fucked up... He's.. He’s just a kid.... I know what that's like...I..." Dick felt tears prickling in his eyes. "And Rose... What do we do?"

 

Slade slid forward and then put a hand on Dick's back, massaging between his shoulder blades. "We know. Benjamin has promised to look after him the best he can while he's there though ... Dick, he's cut off communication with the resistance and the batcave. We don't know what kind of mindset he's in, but things are fragile. We have to be careful and ... Trust this is all going to work out."

 

Dick couldn't help but shake his head as he listened to Slade. "I need to be there for him, Slade. No offense, but Benjamin doesn't have any idea what it's like to go through what Tim has... I should've taken him at the meeting." 

 

Benjamin sighed heavily, "Don't blame yourself for this... None of us saw it coming..." He then reached and put a hand on Dicks arm. "I swear I'll kill him if he touches Tim again."

 

Dick shook his head as his eyes fluttered. There were two things wrong with that, the first one being obvious. "If you did that then the court would kill you.."

 

"Then they kill me."

 

Dick shook his head and pulled his arm away before gripping his head with both hands. "Just... Stop.. I get you're trying to help but.... Nothing you say will fix this." It was clear Dick was angry, his knuckles were white as he gripped his hair.

 

"Ben." Slade said partially as a warning to the man, but it held no teeth, more or less because Slade didn't need them. Benjamin respected him enough not to push back on this. 

 

Slade moved off the couch and knelt in front of Dick instead, he placed a single hand on the hero's hand woven into his hair. The light touch attempting to urge Dick to loosen his death grip on his poor hair. 

 

"What Ben is trying to convey is what we feel, anger. You're right, none of this will change what happened, it won't make it better. You know that." The last sentence was just soft enough for Dick to hear, it was wholly empathetic and not meant to trigger him. 

 

"We don't. We don't understand like you do and I'm sorry you have to." Slade ran a hand down Dick's arm. "Tim does need you and he will need you in the future. I can't imagine how hard this must be, Dick ... But you know we don't have much choice… Just like I don’t have much choice about Rose."

 

Dick slowly looked up at Slade, his eyes softening before he let out a heavy sigh and looked down. "I know... I know and I.. I hate it. We shouldn't have to worry this much about our family. We shouldn't be this helpless." The hero practically winced. He felt absolutely lost and defeated.

 

Benjamin sighed softly, "I know it's not much but I'll look after Tim like he's my own... Until you can be with him and offer the moral support he needs."

 

Dick looked at the other and slowly nodded before exhaling, "Okay... I appreciate that.... What about Rose?"

 

"We won't know until we get an update from Dr. Foster. He was supposed to work on getting her a break two days ago." 

 

Dick chuckled and looked down at his and Slade's hands, "Great... We should get going. Maybe we'll get something positive from tonight." His stomach hurt, this was all too much to think about right now. 

 

Not to mention how long he was kept in the dark about it... A week? Two? It fueled his anger but he knew he couldn't afford to lash out right now. He sighed and took Slade's drink, downing that too before standing up. Slade felt a tinge of worry hit his stomach. The last time Dick was emotionally compromised at one of these gala events things went horribly wrong. They couldn't afford a mistake like that again. That was the beginning of Dick's captivity with Slade, they were expecting rowdy behavior and disobedience. This time around they would expect Slade to have a much tighter leash on his pet. 

 

"Let's get going then. First though," Slade stopped and looked at Ben claspeding him on the shoulder again. "You should get heading out before us. I don't want to risk us being seen together before the gala. Friends or not, it'll look suspicious."

 

"I agree." Benjamin nodded, taking another look at Dick before his eyes fell back on Slade again. "I'll see you both inside."

 

Slade waited for the door to close again to turn his attention to Dick. "We need to talk." Slade said directly, but not harshly. 

 

Despite the tone being soft Dick couldn't help but to feel a pit in his stomach, nothing good ever came after a 'we need to talk'. 

 

"Look, kid. There is a lot at stake here and I don't have to tell you that. What happened last time though? That cannot happen this time, there can be absolutely no slip ups." Slade used his hand to cup Dick's chin to focus his gaze unbreakably on Slade's.

 

 "You need to tell me if you can't do this. You're emotional and don't try and tell me you aren't. I'm trusting you to tell me if it's too much, but, you have to tell me, darling, or I can't help you."

 

"Slade.." He said softly, face tinting at the nicknames. Dick broke eye contact briefly before looking back up at Slade, brows furrowed. "I'm not bailing on this... I'm... Upset.. Angry.. But I can manage it." 

 

Dick let his fingers trace along the fake bruises on his own face, "I'm going to be submissive.. Maybe pouty... Quiet. If anyone asks? I picked a fight with you. I got hurt then Damian got punished... I decided it wasn't worth it anymore because you almost killed him." Dick lowered his hand. "You broke me." 

 

When Dick said Slade broke him, even if it was for show, he felt it in his heart. None of this had been easy for Dick and having to find out about Tim like he had while not being able to do a thing about it ... Well, Slade had to imagine he felt a lot like he did now about Rose. Angry, but powerless to do what needed to be done. 

 

Slade knew it was more than that though. Dick knew what Tim went through physically. Emotionally? It was hard to say what any single individual might feel, but Dick had to at least have an idea what Tim's state of mind was like. Slade wished he could offer more support, know what to say, but ... Dick had said it best: nothing was going to fix this situation. So, when Dick said he'd pretend to be broken, Slade wondered if it would truly be an act at all. 

 

"I can play along with that." Slade answered simply.

 

The hero moved forward and placed his hands on Slade's waist, "If I start getting overwhelmed, babe, I'll tell you... I promise."

 

Slade moved his hand down from Dick's chin and pulled him into a hug, a real one. 

Not some light holding, but bent over a little, wrapping his arms around Dick to press him close into his chest. 

 

"Keep that promise. You don't have to pretend to be stronger than you are."

 

 It wasn't an insult to Dick's mental strength, which was frankly impressive, but it was a reminder that Slade wouldn't hold him to an impossible standard and it was okay to crumble if he needed to. 

 

Dick inhaled deeply just taking in his smell. Mentally his brain associated Slade's scent with safety, home... It helped ground the hero even in this moment when his anxiety wasn't as high as it could've been.

 

Slade pressed a kiss into the top of Dick's head and rested there. "I want to tell you one more time before we go in there that I love you." Slade was going to have to be an ass, so a reminder was warranted. "Things will get better, Dick."

 

Dick felt as though his entire body became light. His face took on a red hue, his lips curved into a smile and his heart raced at a million miles a second. Dick's grip on the other tightened as a lightheadedness came over him and he breathed out a breathless sigh. 

 

"I love you too." God he would  _ never _ get tired of hearing Slade say that. 

  
  


Before long the hero walked out of the safe house with Slade heading to the casino. Guests already had arrived and there was a light chatter in the room. There were a lot more pets at this event than the last one and every last bit of them looked miserable. It broke Dick’s heart. 

 

His expression shifted to one of defeat, a hint of anger behind his eyes but otherwise? He looked like a beat dog that had nothing left to lose. Across the way he could see Oswald talking to Adam and decided to approach, the two were near a bar after all so it wouldn't be seen as suspicious especially since the hero didn't even look up at the two.

 

Slade had followed Dick with ease. More booze? Absolutely. Slade wished he could get drunk, let this night slip past him and maybe end it with a good romp around in the sheets.  _ That _ sounded ideal. 

 

Less than ideal? Seeing Cobblepot yakking away at the bar next to Adam. Neither of them were people he wanted to see, let alone converse with. If Oswald didn't pay out so well for jobs Slade wouldn't even bother being in the same room as him. The man had always been another type of vile. 

 

"I'm just saying it seems petty."

 

"Petty?" Oswald asked, "I'm proving a point! That pets are objects. Worthless."

 

"I think the only point you'll be proving is that your incapable of earning your pets obedience and respect... But you know, I don't own anyone so what would I know." Adam replied with a shrug.

 

Oswald thought the words over and growled, "I hate it when you're right.." He huffed, his attention turning to Dick and Slade. "But then again... It doesn't look like you've won your pets obedience."

 

Slade had ordered another scotch that was handed to him as Oswald addressed him. Dick quietly sipping a vodka cranberry beside him. 

 

"You think he's bruised because he misbehaved?" Slade said, tone changed, more Deathstroke even though he was out of costume. "I have a heavy hand ... But I personally think Nightwing looks best in black and blue." 

 

Deathstroke commented, smirking a little and grasping Dick's chin in his thumb and index finger so he could get a good look at him. "Are you looking for a demonstration? You always do waste your time on theatrics, but I have no problem getting my pet to heel."

 

"A demonstration?" Oswald asked with a smirk. "I'd love to see what you have in mind, Wilson."

 

"Lets measure cocks while we're at it." Adam said with an eye roll, shooting Oswald a glare.

 

Slade genuinely chuckled. Honestly. At least having someone else around who understood the insanity of all this was nice, even if that person was Adam. 

 

 "I think you're just jealous you haven't found a way to keep your pets from disobeying. I mean, not without killing them."

 

Cobblepot shot Adam a glare before his attention shifted to Slade, "He's quiet enough for that to be proof I suppose but do tell how you muzzled the most stubborn batbrat I've met."

 

Slade let his thumb circle the rim of his glass as he dropped his hold on Dick's chin, letting his eyes shift back over to Oswald. 

 

"If a dog doesn't take its master seriously, they will never listen. You can beat them, starve them, put them on a leash ... But dogs,and humans, know a master when they see one." Slade smirked. "You don't exactly inspire natural leadership." 

 

It was definitely a dig at Oswald, but what fun was conversation without a little harassment? 

 

Oswald scoffed, eyes setting in a glare as he lit up a cigarette. 

 

Slade wanted to make a demonstration with Dick, last time had gone so poorly that making up for it would be important. When he looked down, he saw his own untied shoe and decided it was the perfect opportunity.

 

 "Richard." Slade said in a deeper, authoritarian tone, snapping his fingers and pointing down at his foot. He didn't give instructions, but he didn't think he had to. Dick should know what to do.

 

The hero met the mercenary’s gaze before an audible huff escaped him but snapped his mouth shu. This felt authentically stupid. Dick knelt down and got to work tying Slade's shoe, no sass, no backhanded comments, just  _ obedience _ . 

 

Needless to say, Oswald's jaw had dropped. "Well I'll be damned." He spoke in disbelief before laughing, "I guess you've got yourself a  _ very _ good dog." 

 

Dick shot a glare at the other before he stood, he literally had to bite his tongue so he wouldn't snap back. Slade motioned for Dick to sit at the bar stool, next to Adam but closest to Slade as a  _ beautiful _ woman approached. Her skin was tan,  black hair put up in a fancy bun, piercing hazel eyes and a long red dress that dipped in the front exposing her chest and... A necklace baring the High Court symbol. Slade had seen her before, remembering their exact interactions was fuzzy. That could be purposeful, the High Court had a way of messing with the mind. 

 

"Mr. Wilson, I've heard so much about you."

 

"Alea, so good-" Oswald started. 

 

"You can leave... I need to speak with Deathstroke."

 

Oswald didn't argue, he gave a small pout and turned to walk away. Adam downed his drink and went to do the same however, she held a hand out stopping him. 

 

"You stay... If either of them prove disloyal I trust you to tell me."

 

"Oh goodie, I get to play snitch."

 

"Your humor isn't charming."

 

"I don't swing that way so it's fine by me."

 

Dick shot Adam a look that read shut up before Alea turned her attention to Slade. "I've been reading your file.. And your pets.. You have shown great progress in handling him. The Court is pleased." 

 

She was clearly one of the original Court members, it made Dick feel uncomfortable and yet he couldn't peel his eyes off of her. It almost made him feel guilty. 

 

"He has gone from mouthy and rebellious to... Compliant. Silent... We want you to do this to other pets who are struggling with their transition of power."

 

"If you're asking for me to gain true submission from a pet it would take much longer than a few sessions with a firm tone and a paddle." 

 

Slade was half humorous, but also speaking from experience. Not with Dick of course. The entire problem with this interaction was deciding how honest to be, how much information to give or what to commit to without giving too much. Though, he saw an opportunity he couldn't pass up on. 

 

"You have to know what they are like, their fears and weaknesses. For example, Damian Wayne would be an impossible handful on his own, but having Richard around, calm and obedient, has shown him submission just by watching his older brother fall in line." 

 

Slade hadn't actually done this, but if he had to? It's exactly how he would have. Damian would be much easier to control through Dick than without ... Damian wouldn't listen to anyone he didn't want to, the boy would rather die. As was evident by his condition when he was handed over to them. However, he respected and loved his brother ... A clear pathway to exploit. 

 

"What I'm saying is that the process wouldn't be impossible, but it  _ would _ take time. Time I haven't promised to the Court and quite frankly my bank account isn't in need of funds." 

 

Slade shifted to put his now empty glass on the counter behind him before leaning his larger body against it. "I do have other options." Slade suggested next. "I had a previous agreement with the Court to receive my kin as payment for services. The agreement wasn't honored, or rather, you believed I was oblivious enough not to notice you had my son killed and imprisoned my daughter." 

 

Slade wouldn't reveal his sources, he never did. "If you want my assistance, you'll find a way to grant me proper payment."

 

Alea's expression stayed straight as though there was no emotion behind it. Honestly? She was absolutely fascinated by Slade's counter offer, of course she had planned on paying Slade greatly for his services but that wasn’t what he wanted. Even more intriguing? He knew about Joseph. Knew he was  _ murdered _ . Her attention then turned to Adam.

 

"Tell me what he's feeling." 

 

Adam glanced over to Slade, the man had a good poker face but close analysis showed anger, pain, disdain and pure contempt. Slade was grieving the loss of his son and was exhaustingly worried about his daughter, there wasn’t a feature on the male’s face that said otherwise.

 

"He's bored." Adam said with a shrug, "As much as he likes control he's not interested in helping others contain their pets, it shows in his stance. When you first made the implication he about snickered at the idea. As for his children? I'd say Ra's cares about his kin more than Wilson does.. Not a lick of remorse. But, as their father, he feels he has rights to them."

 

Alea seemed satisfied with the Brit's response and looked to Slade. "Very well... I'll arrange a meeting for you and your daughter. In return you'll take in Constantine. He will be in your captivity for three weeks. If we see progress? We'll hand your daughter over."

 

 Alea then reached in her purse and passed Slade a check written for a million dollars. Her eyes then shifted to Dick as she grabbed his chin lifting his face. 

 

"You did really well.... I hope you can be more involved, I can see a promotion for you in your near future." With that she turned and walked away, Dick shuttering at the touch and downing his drink. 

 

"Pleasure doing business with you." Slade responded, more than pleased when she took her hands off of Dick. Damn he needed to work on his possessive behaviors.

  
  


Adam saved Slade's ass and he was realizing it was becoming more and more difficult to hate the guy. The doctor could have laid him out, told Alea he was desperate to gain his daughter back and wholly disgusted by the idea of handling someone else's pet. Yet, he'd not only lied to the High Court for him, he'd played along to ensure his daughter's return to him. Slade owed the man a drink. 

 

Adam was silent a moment before exhaling, "What’s bothering you?"

 

"Nothing." Dick growled back, "We need to talk."

 

"Right then, meet me outside in fifteen." The brit said before walking out. 

 

Slade turned to order another drink, for Dick too. "One more thing," Slade said to the bartender to turn his attention back to him. "I'll pick up the blonde brit’s tab as well."

 

"Absolutely sir." The woman spoke, pouring his drink before disappearing to manage another couple at the end of the bar. Slade and Dick were alone again.

 

"Sorry." He muttered with his lips around his glass, standing close enough to Dick that his side was pressed to Dick's arm. "You're doing good Kid." Slade finished, looking around at the crowd. 

 

There were a few more ninjas pretending to be guests walking around, Ra's must have arrived or would be soon. "Get what information you can about Constantine from Adam. Stay with him and don't stray. I don't trust him fully, yet, but you being alone here is worse than his company.”   
  
“I have to go gauge some old acquaintances' loyalties to the Court ... See if we have any more allies in the room."  Slade pushed himself off the counter top, turning to Dick and tucking some hair behind his ear. "Be safe." 

 

He walked off himself, but not too far. He'd keep a close eye on Dick until he passed the doors to meet Adam outside. 

  
  
  
  


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The hero humored the other by passing him a penny, "I want to know how Rose is doing?"

 

"Typically that's not how this works." Adam responded, rolling the penny between his fingers. With a sigh the Brit clenched the copper object and leaned against the railing. "She's really ill.. 

Barely conscious. They're having to feed her through a tube..... She's also hurt.”

 

 “She bit a dense guard and he took it upon himself to beat her. The baby’s fine from what they can tell..... I've convinced them that between her mental trauma and the experiments that its wearing down on her health and exposing the fetus to chemical conditions that could result in deformities... They're willing to give her a month to heal and rest but they plan on carrying on the experiments."

 

Dick frowned and shook his head before crossing his arms and placing them against the railing as he looked out towards the city. ".... How long do you think before they hand her over?"

 

"..... She lied, Dick... She has no intention of handing Rose over... They want that baby."

 

"Then when they let him see her we'll have to rescue her then..."

 

"Dick.."

 

"No, Adam... She's suffered enough." Dick snapped, great.. Now he was losing it. He looked at the other with a clenched jaw, "Everyone has.... After we pull Rose out, we're getting Tim. No matter the costs."

 

".... What happened, love?"

 

"...... Ra's... He...." Dick felt tears starting to prickle in his eyes, "He took advantage of Tim..."

 

Adam fell silent and sighed before putting a hand on Dick's shoulder, "I'm... Sorry..."

 

Dick just shook his head and closed his eyes tightly, "I want to hurt him... And here we are and I can’t do a single damn thing about it."

 

Adam squeezed Dicks shoulder and stood silently for a moment. It certainly explained why the kid already drunk himself to the point of having a buzz. 

 

The hero didn't dwell long before looking at Adam. "I need to know what the Court wants with Constantine." He said wiping his tears.

 

"Dick, you don't have to do this.." 

 

"Adam... If I'm too busy crying over my failures, then I'm doing  _ nothing _ to save the people I'm failing.... Now..  _ Constantine _ "

 

Adam sighed and pulled away, "They're wanting to tap into magic... They killed Zatanna to prove a point to him. Told him that if he didn't show them how to use his magic they'd kill more of his friend."

 

"John doesn't have friends."

 

"Exactly... The prick managed to escape for a while but they found him drunk, passed out in a fountain...."

 

"And who owns him?" Dick asked.

 

".... Alea.." Adam responded flatly, "She's intrigued by his selfishness."

 

The hero frowned and nodded, "Great.. Well... I guess we'll be seeing more of her then.... I should get back inside but... Just out of curiosity... Why'd you help Slade?"

 

"Do you want the selfish reason or the nice reason?"

 

"How about the truth?" Dick proposed.

 

"Hm... He's good for you... He makes you happy. Supports you the way you need it. I may not be willing to provide it, but I think you deserve someone who makes you happy."

 

"... And here I thought you didn't have a heart." Dick chuckled halfheartedly before hugging the other. "Thank you..." 

  
  
  
  


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Upon entering, he looked serious, almost hollow, a light bruise still visible on his face but that wasn't the most striking part. Tim's hair was ... Well basically gone. The beautiful shining black, shoulder-length locks were cut back severely, even shorter than it had been when he was a young Robin. Just long enough to be managed with jell but short enough fingers would slip through without finding purchase, to Tim, that had been the whole point. His hair would no longer be used as a handle to force him into submission. As much as he loved it, cared for it, the time he spent growing it out and finding his own unique style it ... Didn't matter. Not anymore. 

 

Tim wore Ra's colors and assigned robes, holding a small notebook in his hands that he was writing inside as he walked. "Make sure the guard holds their positions for when Ra's arrives. I also want zero alcohol consumption by any of them, tell them I'll be personally handing out any punishments for disobedience tonight." Tim informed Ben before shutting his notebook. 

 

"I, of course, don't intend to keep you on watch all night. Help with Ra's entrance and then I can take care of the rest ... Do we know if Luthor is coming?" Tim asked finally looking up at the other.

 

"I don't have much better to do." Tigg’s said in honesty to Tim before catching Slade's gaze. 

 

He had to try not to engage with him too much. His brown eyes then returned to Tim. "Luthor should be here within the next fifteen minutes. Do you plan to meet with him?"

 

"Off the books? Yes." Tim said flatly. "On the books, I will be having a short conversation with Luthor. Reminding him of the pre-planned meeting with Ra's and the Constable." 

 

He didn't tell Benjamin what he and Luthor would be talking about and if pressed he wasn't going to say anyway. As if on cue, Luthor arrived at the gala. Mercy seemed to have taken the night off from her usual secretarial duties wearing a gorgeous, flowing pavonated blue dress that reached the floor, the top featuring crossing straps that focused up to her neck in a beautifully bizarre fashion. Her hair was in loose, smooth blonde curls down her back, and glasses missing entirely. 

 

So, she had pushed for Luthor to take her out as an actual romantic partner rather than his secretary. Tim almost laughed to himself, last time he saw her at the previous gala he'd made a comment about it being wrong for Luthor to continue to hide their relationship. He hated the guy, but watching the two of them was more painful than he could handle. Besides, a happy Luthor could be to Tim's advantage ... Luckily things went well when they should have gone the opposite.

 

"I'm seeing an opportunity I can't afford to miss." Tim said cryptically before moving off to intercept Luthor without another word to Benjamin. 

 

This needed to be just Tim and Luthor having this conversation. Mercy as well maybe. 

 

"Luthor-"

 

"Timmy ... Just who I was looking to talk to." Luthor said with a devilish smile. 

 

Tim, unexpectedly returned one. "I'll follow your lead then."

 

A few moments later and Tim was behind solid metal doors in the Iceberg Lounge, it was meant for beating the shit out of anyone Penguin wanted answers or money from. Tim had been in here before...

 

Luthor sat across from him with a drink in his hand and a smile that had quickly fallen into a seriously pissed look. Tim hadn't minced his words or gone for formalities, he was on a tight schedule.

 

"There is no way the High Court would have allowed Ra's to do this without my permission. Connor is my son ... Pet ... They should have consulted me first." Luthor said as if trying to disprove Tim's words. 

 

"They didn't. They let Ra's put tech inside of Connor so that he wouldn't have a choice but to be entirely under Ra's control ... Without even informing you.  Despicable." Mercy chimed in, Tim liked her more with her hair down. 

 

"You wanted him there, I could tell you did. I sent him there because I wanted him to help you take down Ra's. That was your plan wasn't it?" Luthor asked with feigning trust. 

 

"It is my plan ... At least now it is." Tim replied flatly. 

 

"Don't like Ra's touching your Superboy?" Luthor asked with a smirk as he quickly recovered from his rage.

 

He saw something in Tim he had before. He saw the same thing in Connor ... Anyone with half a brain could tell the two boys loved each other. Frankly? Luthor thought it would be cute if Tim wasn't Batman's boy. He was a progressive man and Connor needed to move away from his previous preferences in partners. Didn't mean he couldn't harass Tim with that information. He saw Tim grip his arms.

 

"Does it matter?" Tim asked Luthor honestly, the man simply didn't respond. "Do what you want with that information. I'd recommend taking Connor back with you to avoid further incidents." 

 

With that, Tim left. He hurried to the front of the gala so he could stand at the door like he had been waiting there for Ra's the entire time, reappearing next to Benjamin. "If he asks, we were with each other the entire time. I'll cover your meeting with Slade for you." 

 

Tim knew about that too, he needed to know about everything if he wanted this to work.

 

“I’m on your side, you don’t have to blackmail me.”

 

Their conversation came to a still as Ra's entered with Connor following obediently beside him. The male stopped and glanced around with nothing short of disinterest in his gaze. 

 

"Hm." Was all he said, he was surprised Oswald managed to get so many officials here. "Anyone worth while here?" He asked, glancing to Tim.

 

Tim took a few steps forward to join Ra's side. "Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have wasted your time in making you come here. Penguin isn't company either one of us would keep for pleasure." Tim said tapping his fingers against the front of his leather bound book. 

 

"High Court members include Alea, Vanin, and various staff. The Constable will arrive toward the end for your meeting with Luthor, who arrived shortly before yourself with Mercy. Others include Deadshot, Killer Frost, Deathstroke, and Cheetah." Tim kept his focus forward so he didn't have to look at Ra's or Connor directly. 

 

Ra's it was about pure hatred ... Connor? It was a nauseating mix of fear, love, and guilt that washed over Tim at the sight of his once boyfriend. 

 

"Ra's!" A voice boomed from the other end of the room. 

 

Dick and Adam had just reentered the building, his heart shattered seeing the bruising and short hair on Tim, it took literally everything he had in him not to go to Tim. Instead he lowered his head and moved to find a space beside Slade.. 

 

Eyes followed attentively from all over as Luthor cut a widening path toward the Demon's Head in the lounge. Even Slade stopped his conversation with Deadshot about his own little girl. 

 

Luthor approached Ra's, fury  burning in his eyes. "You're absolutely vile, untrustworthy. How dare you even think you had the authority to put experimental tech into my pet." Luthor ground out, looking to Connor and then back to Ra's. "Deactivate it  _ now _ ."

 

Ra's looked up at Luthor, barely quirking a brow in amusement before speaking in a cool tone, "I was under the impression I held  _ all  _ rights to the clone." He countered, "I had an opportunity to advance the Courts unnecessary pet experimentation... But that isn't a conversation for the public..." 

 

His green eyes shifted off of the other. "Alea, Vanin... I encourage you to meet us in the meeting room." With that, the demon walked right passed Luthor. Connor following close behind.

 

Benjamin and Tim slipped in with them, standing like shadows to the side of them. 

 

"The science wing I look after has made marvelous improvements since I've installed a couple High Court researchers. Together they created a device." Ra's promptly pulled out a beetle shaped robot the size of a quarter from his sleeve. 

 

"This latches onto the brain stem of the pet. The owner has a smaller model installed into his brain allowing him to give orders to his pet. My team is working on upgrading it to transfer thought however, for now it has a base code of command unless spoken upon. For instance Connor has been programmed not to speak unless spoken to.  I've tested the device and it has proven that Connor, no longer acts on his own free will."

 

"Intriguing." Alea stated as she walked around Connor, "However, it takes away from the personal survival skills that are typically ingrained in soldiers." She stated before turning back to Ra's.

 

"I'm not making soldiers. I'm talking about ending disobedience... The Court will have no one to oppose it with this technology."

 

"You'll have mindless zombies. This isn't about defiance, this is absolute blatant mind control. It does nothing but add a bandaid to the problem. People will obey, until there is inevitably a problem." Luthor explained as he pulled out his own tablet. 

 

"I disagree, the technology is hardwired and promising. Sure it could have an issue, but what would the likelihood be of that?" Vanin asked with genuine curiosity. 

 

"Very."

 

 Luthor flicked his ring against the screen and as soon as the light in the middle glowed red, Connor's collar did the same. A small electric pulse was sent through it and into the beetle, temporarily disarming the device.

 

 "It's that easy really." 

 

The second the shock went through Connors implant, his eyes went wide. His body began shaking and he let out a sharp gasp before dropping to his knees briefly. He stared down at his hands before growling and within  a second pushed Ra's hard enough to send him into the wall. The assassin grunted before Connor hovered in the air.

 

 "I'm going to kill you!" He snarled with glowing red eyes. 

 

Alea touched her watch overriding Connors tech sending volts of electricity through him but it didn't stop him. He let out a loud scream before the electric bolts seemed to cluster together in his hand, his TK running on overdrive as he threw the electricity at the Demon. Of course the shocks didn't work, kryptonite was the only thing that could really take down a super, not that the High Court needed to know that, or have access to it inside of Connor's collar. Luthor had planned this as a fail safe for himself. 

 

Ra's quickly dodged the hit, power flickering before shutting off in the casino, the only lights on were from the dim red emergency lights. Kon hit the ground and sent another strong blast through the floor causing the ground to split from under Ra's. Both Tim and Luthor were absolutely stunned by Connor's outburst. Tim, stayed wide eyes and frozen, however, began to smirk.

 

"Kent."

 

 Tiger growled before stepping closer, he hardly took two steps before Connor flew forward abruptly, his movements too fast for the Demon Head to keep up with as the clone pummeled into him soon forcing him down to the ground. Benjamin grabbed Connor and worked to pull him off of Ra's but was thrown back. Tim finally snapped out of his stupor. 

 

"Connor!" He tried to say, but it wasn't as loud as what he wanted it to be, it felt like his throat was closing. 

 

He rushed over to Benjamin's side on the ground, checking the man over for any injuries. He seemed okay, at least outwardly, and that was going to have to be enough for now. Tim knew that he could probably stop Connor, telling him to stop, try and pull him off of Ra's, but he didn't want to. Every bone in his body was screaming for Connor to hit him harder, to  _ kill  _ Ra's. 

 

That was when Alea decided enough was enough. She approached Connor as he wrapped his hands around Ra's throat and grabbed the teen by the shoulder. His muscles tensed and he moved to throw her off of him but she tightened her grip, pulled him back and punched him hard enough to send him to the ground. She stepped on his chest and hit something in her watch drugging him enough to kill an elephant. Connors eyes began to flicker and he began losing consciousness. 

 

"It would appear both technologies have faults. It's why I'm studying magic." She stated as she stepped off of Kon and looked towards Ra's.

 

Tim approached Connor. Luthor's hand tried to stop him but Tim threw it off of his shoulder in a second. Falling to his knees next to Connor's head, brushing back Connor's short bangs with his hand, which he now realized was slightly shaking. 

 

"Connor ... Can you hear me?" He said softly, placing a hand on his chest.

 

Vanin examined Ra's with Alea, shaking his head, calling over his assistant. "Call a medical team, the man is barely breathing." Vanin seemed uninterested almost, reaching down to test Ra's pulse. "Quickly, it would be a shame to have this man die on the floor."

 

"Would it?" Alea questioned in response to Vanin, her fingers interlocked over her own stomach before Penguin rushed in. 

 

"What is going on!?" He asked through the dark before looking over all of the damages. Several more accompanied him including but not limited to Dick, Adam, Helena, and Two Face.

 

"My casino!? What did you-" He was cut off by some medics that rushed by, Alea turning her attention to Oswald. 

 

"We didn't do anything. Al’ Ghul lost control of a pet is all." Her cold eyes then shifted to Luthor. "I fear that Connor will need to be rehabilitated and retrained to be a decent pet. He nearly killed someone in high standing and the Court can't turn a blind eye to such behavior."

 

Adam took initiative and entered the room, looks like he was saving more than just Slade. Fuck he needed another drink. "Excuse me, ma'am, may I have a word with you?" He asked before adjusting some of the off center photos on the walls.

 

"Go ahead, Doctor, I'm curious as to what your analysis is."

 

"Right, I mean in privacy... For the sake of who's involved." 

 

All Alea had to do was glance to the door before people started leaving, Dick gritting his teeth before hesitantly doing so. "Ra's is going to be pissed." He whispered to Slade, he had a feeling the demon would try and kill poor Connor... Or worse. Tim...

 

Once the room was mostly cleared, save for the original occupants, Alea turned to Adam who cleared his throat. 

 

 "Based off the show in the main room, it has come to my attention that Ra's has completely undermined Luthor. It is clear to me that Luthor permitted Al’ Ghul to hold onto his pet, likely as an exchange or as a way to reign Timothy in. Regardless. Between Luthor's anger and whispers from the ninja's, Ra's took it upon himself to gain control over the clone. Control he wasn't permitted to have."

 

"As I am already aware... Is it  in your credence that Ra's should be punished?" Alea questioned.

 

"Yes." The shrink responded bluntly before adjusting another piece of furniture, "Because he also used Connor to pin Tim down so he could take advantage of him."

 

"That violates nothing, Doctor Foster. Owners are allowed to do with their pets as they please."

 

"Yes, and this is what resulted in Connor’s outburst... A person's mental state is fragile, like glass... For someone to be trapped in their own body while hurting a friend in such a way is traumatizing. I believe that if you punish the clone for his actions you'll end up with a bigger threat on your hands…. And.. His actions show that he’s trying to oppose Luthor, who is, in high standing with the Court, therefore an act of treachery against the Court."

 

Alea fell silent a moment, "I see.... Well... You're the expert then... We give the clone a break." She then looked to Luthor, "A week off of slave duties before he's reprocessed... As for Ra's? His actions were against the Court. He shall be punished, we'll decide how later... Now I have a pet to train." She said before walking out. 

 

With both Vanin and Alea gone, leaving Adam, Benji and the two boys Luthor let his guard down a little, just enough. 

 

Adam exhaled through his nose before looking to Luthor, "You happen to have a #1 dad mug? Cuz if you do, you should smash it."

 

"I could have put Connor down, I chose not to." Luthor explained adjusting his ring. "The High Court is unaware of kryptonians major weakness. I've kept it that way for a reason. Besides, Ra's was a casualty of his own making." 

 

He nearly sneared. "I didn't know about the rape-" Tim flinched. "-before now, but if I had? I would have let Connor kill him. The man deserved every hit." 

 

"If he killed Ra's he wouldn't forgive himself." Tim said seriously, looking toward Luthor and Adam. "He already will struggle with losing control like he did. He won't forgive himself and now you've done this." Tim nearly growled out. 

 

"Watch your tone, pet." Luthor tried to shoot back, Tim laughed. 

 

"There isn't anyone in this room I have to play pretend for anymore, Lex, least of all you."

 

 It was dangerous to be so forthright so close to the High Court, but obviously, Tim was slipping from reality straight into carelessness. His hands shook more, his eyes falling to Connor's face. 

 

"You did this to him, you  _ let _ Ra's do this to him." 

 

"Which is why I'm taking him back." Luthor said flatly, watching the display. "Dr. Foster has laid the groundwork for it. Connor will do better in my care." 

 

Tim shook his head, he knew that was the right thing to do. He basically told Luthor to do just that moments ago, yet now the prospect of being alone again hit him like a brick. Connor gone, out of reach, the only thing that gave him hope anymore. The shaking increased, his breathing became shallow and he began to feel light headed. He'd been starving off a panic attack for days, now it was taking him over like a title wave. Dick used to help him through these, Connor too. Tears slipped from his eyes. 

 

"I'll take him-"

 

"No!" Tim yelled and held Connor closer with shaking hands. "No! No one touches him!"

 

Both Benjamin and Adam saw the panic attack coming on for very different reasons. Benjamin was a soldier and saw these symptoms in comrades. Adam was a soldier and shrink, it spoke for itself. Benjamin jumped back into uncle mode and moved to sit beside Tim, a hand cautiously finding its way to Tim's back. 

 

"Deep breaths." He whispered as his hand moved to his shoulder to softly squeeze and rub it. "I have an idea that I believe everyone can agree to.... Ra's will be out of commission for a while. That means someone else will need to be in charge and as his second that will fall to me..." 

 

Benjamin looked up at Luthor releasing a sigh, "You and I both know these boys are good for each other. If we let them stay together it'll increase their-"

 

"Oh just shut up already." Adam groaned and rubbed his temples, "Connor, whether either of you like it or not, is  _ Court  _ property. Both of you should know that when a pet falls out of line, protocol states they are to be reconditioned and auctioned  off which means no one has rights to him..."

 

Benjamin was silent, an arm still around Tim as he breathed out. 

 

“Don't be a prick to him." Tim meant it as a warning, but it came out much more shaky than he wanted it to. Even in complete panic Tim wanted to stick up for those he cared about, Benjamin included. 

 

"So then.. I request you let Connor stay with us until he's processed."

 

"Connor cannot go up for auction." Tim almost bit back his next comment, but let it slip. "I know the Head of the Court, he'll want Connor. Lex has been the only thing protecting him until now." 

 

Luthor scoffed. "If they wanted him, they could have had him a million times. My say would have had little pull with the Head of the Court." 

 

"They need you, your resources. They were waiting for a moment like this ... You remember dinner?" Tim said looking to Ben. "They'll tear him apart to get every bit of meta out of him. There won't be anything left." 

 

Benjamin looned at Tim and nodded, fuck... All of this was falling into place. Connor was just another one of their weapons and Ra's practically handed him over on a silver platter. The other tightened his hold on Tim to help him stabilize the other.

 

"Convince them to let me stay with him. That I can keep him under control and condition him too ... Anything. He'll listen to me." Tim shook his head and looked at Adam. 

 

"You know that's treason, right?" He didn't trust Luthor but still... He couldn't let the Court get Connor. "They're not interested in him... They want his powers for their own.." 

 

Adam paused and fell into thought, his usual fidgety, ocd movements seeming to come to a halt as he closed his eyes and bounced on his heels before he snapped, "I've got it.... His behavior can be excused if his actions were the result of a malfunction. If we can find a way to prove that the tech inside of Connors brain activated his ‘fight’ response then we can get him cleared of being processed." 

 

His green eyes then shifted to Luthor, "That is if you give a damn about what happens to your kid." Guess it was time he tried talking Luthor into joining them. "Do you want his powers to go towards the people that are going to reshape society to bow before a dictator?"

 

“You’re asking me if my loyalties still lie with the High Court.” Luthor stated it rather than asked, knowing perfectly well what was going on here. “If I’m to be perfectly honest? They don’t.” 

 

Luthor looked down to Connor. “They somehow have manipulated me into believing their vision up until a few weeks ago. I saw them slaughter an entire elementary school of children for no other reason than ‘population control’. It was absolutely sickening.” 

 

He hadn’t actually seen the killing but he had examined the aftermath once his men came back to him and shared the gruesome details of what had happened. 

 

“However, I’m not stupid enough to believe that you, or anyone else for that matter, has the resources to stop them. Even if they did, that kind of worldwide coordination is nothing we Earthlings have ever been capable of. You cannot beat the High Court at their own game. I realized that the moment I met them.” 

 

Luthor took a step forward toward Adam and tapped a couple items on the tablet the man always carried with him. “I have a vitals monitor on Connor at all times, I always have.” That was new information to Tim.

 

 “I can send you his bodies biological reaction and composition during the time of his meltdown. Certainly, you can use that to back up whatever you need to say to keep their hands off of him."

 

Everything Luthor had to offer about Connors vitals would be helpful but that wasn't all he needed. "I'll need the implant in his brain as well." 

 

He'd have to find some way to prove that the device directly correlated with Connor's reaction and he only had a week to do so... Fantastic.

 

"I will have to decline the offer to keep Connor with you until things are processed, he’ll be coming home with me. It’s the best place for him and I can keep him much more safe than anything you’ll be able to provide in Nanda Parbat at the current moment.” Luthor paused. 

 

“I’d keep a close eye on who is coming and going there … Now would be the perfect time for the High Court to take advantage of the shift in power. If you don’t rule with an iron fist, they’ll come and take it right out from underneath you.” 

 

Tim’s eyes didn’t leave Luthor as he spoke. He knew that Connor would be safe with Luthor. It didn’t have anything to do with concrete evidence, or assurance in Luthor’s word but there was just something about the way he said it … He sounded like Bruce making a plan to protect one of them. So, he had to trust it. 

 

“If they hurt him, if  _ you  _ hurt him-”

 

 Luthor looked like he was going to interrupt, but Tim’s voice was serious, not in the kind of ‘vigilante posturing way’, no this sounded personal. It was deep, nearly dark. 

 

“I’ll make sure you suffer and die with the rest of them.” That was a promise. 

 

Luthor raised an eyebrow and gave a single nod of his head in response. “The boys can have some time alone to process. Dr. Foster, I believe you and I have some business matters to discuss.” 

 

Code for, let me see how I can help you fix this mess I’ve created. He gestured for Adam to follow him out the same large doors they came in. 

  
  
  
  
  


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~Ten minutes earlier, outside the meeting room~

  
  


Slade had grabbed onto Dick's arm and held him back near where they were kicked out. "Stay here. Things aren't over yet." 

 

He warned, rubbing the place on his bicep his fingers had dug into only moments earlier. "Party is probably over, but my guess is Adam will have more on his plate than he can handle." 

 

Slade hadn't gone in, but by the whispers of those leaving, plus seeing Ra's bloodied body, he could guess what happened.

 

Dick frowned and shook his head before sighing, "He's good at handling things bigger than himself. I'm more concerned with him saying something that'll piss someone off..." Still Adam was juggling a lot at the moment. "We should find somewhere we can grab him... Ask him questions... I also want to talk to Tim... I need to."

 

"I'll see what I can do. I can't make any promises though." Slade told Dick as he stared at the large doors. "If Ra's is out of commission, I'm not sure what they'll do with Tim now." That probably wouldn't help Dick's mindset. "Regardless, if we wait here, we should at least be able to see him before they have a chance to leave."

 

"If they auction him I want you to buy him... We can make up some power play bullshit later... I can't let him get bought by someone else or be in the Court’s care, Slade... It's awful... The things they do to people."

 

The mercenary didn’t get the opportunity to respond before he caught sight of Alea approaching them, dragging a heavily restrained Constantine. 

 

"Oh goodie, more people to play bondage with." John nagged.

 

"Shut up."

 

"Where's the fun in that?" Constantine asked before Alea tased him in the neck and threw him to Slade's feet. "I'll check back with you in a week... Seeing that this event has been... Derailed I'm going to attend more important matters.."

 

“I’ll … Do what I can.” Slade promised honestly, looking down at Constantine who was in much more rope than Slade thought was strictly necessary. 

 

Then again, this man was a lot more dangerous than he looked. The woman didn’t stick around long, in fact, she was gone by the time Slade peeled his eyes off of the magician. 

 

“You okay?" Dick asked the blonde, crouching beside him. 

 

"Just fuckin’ peachy. I  _ love  _ getting tased, it's up there next to being stabbed and shot..."

 

`How about being killed?`

 

"Shut it, Chaz!"

 

Slade raised an eyebrow, “… Who is Chaz?” Looking to Dick for answers because he, personally, was completely lost. 

 

"I don't-" Dick started to answer before Luthor stepped out of the room. 

 

He stayed on the ground making it seem as though he was in the midst of following an order and turned his attention to checking John for wounds before sitting him up.

 

"Adam!" Constantine smirked, "Shit, I thought I arranged for that demon to drag you to hell and eat your soul. Sigh, shame no one keeps their word."

 

"Still a mess, I see.. I have more important matters to attend to than wasting my breath speaking to you."

 

"I think you waste your breath  _ anytime  _ you talk, darling." John smirked.

 

Slade laughed for the second time that day at Constantine's comment, though more robustly than he had to Adam's. The guy did try to fuck his boyfriend, so even if he was nicer than originally thought, he was still an asshole. So, that meant the moment Constantine showed, and then hilariously demonstrated, that he didn't like Adam either, Slade decided he was to be trusted. Even if Constantine was on the crazy side, anyone who saw through Adam’s BS was saner than Dick Grayson and that ... Well, Slade wasn't sure how he felt about that once the thought rolled over in his mind. Other than the kid seriously needed some therapy to sort out his issues with a therapist that wasn't  _ also  _ his boyfriend and fucking him. Was he talking about himself or Adam? Wow, he couldn't go down that rabbit hole right now. 

 

“I see Alea has dropped her little project off to you for training. When I suggested your expertise I didn’t think she’d actually take me seriously.” Lex looked amused by this, apparently it didn’t take much to turn his mood around. “My aren’t you up for a challenge?”

 

“Choose your words carefully, Luthor.” Slade warned cryptically. 

 

He may not be able to act on his aggressions at the moment, but it would only extend Luthor’s suffering in the end. 

 

“I’ll try.” Luthor responded before his attention turned to Dick.  “Ra’s is out of commission, and while speaking with Tim’s  _ new _ handler, he said it would be appropriate for you to meet with the boy. That is, of course, if it is okay with your own handler?” Luthor asked, turning to look at Slade. 

 

For all Luthor knew, Slade was with the High Court, he had no reason to believe otherwise. Slade picked up on this and tried to stay in character despite the strange circumstances. 

 

“…Fine. Make it quick though, you leave me with this fool any longer than necessary I might kill him.” Slade said to Dick before nodding toward the door. “Get going.”

 

"Thank you, Master."

 

"Anyone got a light?" Constantine asked from the ground not bothering with getting up. 

 

As Luthor and Adam walked away, and Dick left for the other room, Slade crouched down to Constantine's level and slid the pack of cigarettes out of the man's pocket. Putting one in Constantine's mouth and the other hanging from his own lips, he pulled out an old fashion wood match from his coat pocket, lighting it with his nail and burning the end of both cigarettes. 

 

"You and I need to talk about how this little master and pet relationship between the two of us is going to work."

 

Constantine was grateful for the cigarette needless to say. Alea wasn't a fan of their smell and just about banned him from using them. After letting out a purr the blonde blew some smoke out and looked up towards Slade.

 

"I'll tell you  _ exactly  _ how it’s going to go. You're going to ask me to listen and I'm going to tell you to suck my cock."

 

`Oh this'll be good. Maybe he'll kill you, he is Deathstroke after all.`

 

John rolled his eyes and muttered some incantation causing the rope binding to burn away before he stood and dusted his messy jacket off. Pulling the cigarette from his lips as he then blew the smoke in Slade's face.

 

 "You don't like it then you can join the others." He said gesturing at seemingly nothing.

 

Slade shook his head. "I think you misunderstood." He started, grabbing the cigarette out of John's mouth. " _ And _ you hit the limit of my warm welcome in a record time. I'm guessing you naturally have that effect on people."

 

 Slade threw the bud to the floor and ground it out with his shoe, taking a drag of his before doing the same. "How about this.. We will pause negotiations until my better half arrives. You can ... Entertain yourself with whatever personal ... Private company you have." 

 

"Just don't run off too far, this thing does work." Slade motioned to the ring on his finger and found a spot against the wall. 

 

`ooo I say run for it! See how far you get before he shocks your brains out.`

 

"Charmer isn't my nickname for a reason." He stated to Slade, ignoring his ghost before huffing "If you need me I'll be getting piss drunk over by the bar."

 

`Of course you are. You've done nothing since this High Court business. Lazy ass.`

 

"I'm not a superhero, Chas. It isn't my responsibility." Constantine had starting walking away.

 

`So that's it then? I died so someone else could take over the world? Zatanna died for nothing?`

 

John paused a moment gritting his teeth before going to the bar, popping a bottle open and taking a large swig. 

 

"Burn in hell."

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


Tim had laid Conner more comfortably on the floor, having put his head on the rolled up outer layer of his robes. Tim was over on a computer by some surveillance equipment just over to the side of where Benjamin and Connor where. It had high-speed internet, which was more technology than he'd had access to in  _ months _ . He was already hacking back into the High Court's system through the hole Harper had found in their tech. Tim needed to remember to kiss her when he saw her next. Tim was looking through the notes of the doctor/scientist that put the implant in Connor. They needed information if they were going to remove this thing successfully without killing Connor. Surgery on a Super was unheard of, it was never truly necessary. In fact, Tim questioned how they even got the tech in the super. 

 

When he saw Dick though, heard his voice call out his name, Tim turned toward him with his full attention. How could it have  _ possibly _ slipped his mind that Dick would be here? His brother ... He'd been so out of it that he forgot that Dick might be here with Slade. 

 

Dick crashed into him and Tim was still frozen, arms at his sides, almost tense like he was afraid Dick was going to hurt him for a brief second. Then he heard Dick's voice, felt that familiar hold and his body relaxed for the first time in weeks.

 

“I am so, so, so sorry about what happened... You can talk to me about it if you need to. I'm here for you. I'm right here."

 

Tim reached around the bottom of Dick's arms to hook onto the top of his shoulders. He held onto Dick has his own shoulders started to shake, tears in his eyes instantly…. Tim broke in his brother's arms. He let the hurt, the violation, the pain and suffering, all bottled up go. He cried, soft sobs leaving him as he pressed his face into Dick's chest. 

 

"Dick..." Tim barely squeezed out, sounding relieved to see him through his emotions, like all he needed was that familiarity, that true trust to break down on. 

 

Dick was there in the past telling Tim how important it was to talk to people about what was going on inside his head, not letting him crawl back into himself even when he really wanted to. Dick meant it, he was here for him and Tim had to let go.

 

Dick's grip only tightened, a soft shush escaping the hero as he softly ran fingers through Tim's short hair. He missed the long locks but couldn't blame the teen for cutting them off. How many times did Roman and the Joker touch his own hair? 

 

"I'm right here... It’s okay." Dick whispered again, rubbing Tim's back softly, "I know what this is like for you.... It's happened to me Tim and... God I am  _ so _ sorry you had to experience it. I swear I will never let anything happen to you. I swear to god.." The hero felt tears in his own eyes as he started to softly rock the other. His poor baby.

 

"Did they hold you down?" Tim asked incoherently. "R-Ra's wasn't even ... He made ... Connor do it. He held me down, h-hurt every inch of me. I screamed, begged ... I kept begging."

 

Benjamin had left by this point, joining Slade outside while Dick felt some tears stream down his face.

 

"They tied me up.. Held me down..." Dick whispered, "And it happened so many times....”

 

 Tim sobbed. "C-Connor told me to stop whining." Tim grabbed Dick harder. "I ... H.. Hate him. I want to kill him ... I ..." He felt like he couldn't breathe, but held himself steady on Dick. "Ra's ... He ruined us. How could he? ... I ... I love Connor, Dick, and I'm... I'm so scared."

 

"Everything you're feeling is normal, Tim... The pain. The hate... The humiliation... And I know it's going to be hard for you to be with Connor because of this." Dick’s hands tightened around Tim's head and body, "I know he loves you.  I know Connor’s going to hate himself for hurting you... God Tim... If I could trade places with you, I would."

 

"It's not fair ... He doesn't deserve this." Tim said tucking his head closer to Dick's chest. "No one deserves this."

  
  


It took a while but Tim eventually calmed down, all but sleeping in Dick's arms by the time everything was said and done. He told Dick about everything, or mostly everything. He talked about wanting to run away to Belarus with Connor to hide out with Jason. The beautiful second date that had turned out to be a ploy, and even ended with telling Dick about the first time he and Connor kissed. How magical it had felt and that he wanted his first time to be the same. All things that broke the hero’s heart as he held Tim, softly rocking him and singing in Romani. 

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Outside, Slade had watched Constantine drink himself stupid at the bar as the few workers left cleaning up stared. Eventually, Ben and himself joined John ... Whether he was aware of their presence or not was yet to be known. After his eighth glass of scotch, Slade stood up from the bar, barely buzzed and went to check on Dick and the kiddos. 

 

When he opened the door the scene around them was broken to say the least. Connor must have been resting comfortably nearby Tim and Dick. The younger boy was half in Dick's lap, a hand reached out to touch his fingers on the back of Connor's wrist. Slade approached the scene slowly, letting Dick fully know he was there before speaking. 

 

"I'd ask how things are going but ... That seems ... Obvious." He pointed out, watching Tim shift when he heard his voice, grasping onto Dick's shirt tighter. "We can't stay here much longer...Tell me what you want to do for tonight kid. I'll make it happen."

 

"What I want is to take him home with us.... To keep him safe and as far away from Nanda Parbet as possible." 

 

But they couldn’t do that. It just about made Dick sink. He shook his head and looked up at his lover, pain evident in his face. 

 

"I know we can't take him... Can we... At least get a hotel? Spend the night with him... I don’t want him going back to the mountains alone."

 

"Benjamin, from what it sounds like, has been assigned as his temporary handler while Ra's is out of commission. I can't see any reason why the two of us, being friends and all, couldn't stay at the same hotel where you may or may not have access to Tim." Slade offered the excuse as he drew it up. "I'll find a nice booking for us..." 

 

He looked over at Connor with a questioning look. "What about the Super?"

 

"...Luthor was supposed to take him, or come back to take him." Tim mumbled, waking up enough to at least partially be involved in the conversation. "I don't know when he's coming back."

 

Slade let out another long-suffering sigh, clicking through a couple of things on his phone. "Definitely a suite then..."

 

"I don't want to just leave him here." Tim pointed out, sitting up a bit, but keeping a hand on Dick's thigh. 

 

"Who said anything about leaving him here? Luthor can come to pick him up from the hotel. I won't hear the end of it if I leave him here. Am I right?" Slade said, looking at Dick now, but his features had a certain lightness to them that seemed to just be accepting of his boyfriend's needs. 

 

Which in this case, probably involved making sure everyone had somewhere safe to go to after this. "I've got a two double queen connecting rooms and on-suite with a King. Should be enough for everyone." 

 

"That sounds perfect, babe." Dick said before offering a small smile. 

 

He kissed Tim's forehead and moved to pick him up so they could get going. He assumed Slade would carry Connor.

 

Slade went back over to the door, propping it open so he could yell at Benjamin and Constantine at the bar. "Last call, you've got five minutes. Drink it or find a way to bring it with you."

 

Constantine had taken to talking to Benjamin about the poor souls that died because of him. By the time everyone was ready to leave Benji took Constantine’s arm around his shoulder and helped him stumble out of the building. He was able to drive separately meeting everyone at the hotel. 

 

Slade did, in fact, carry Connor and boy was the super heavy. Slade thought 'Man of Steel' was just an expression, but now he was seriously beginning to wonder if there was some truth behind it. You could use this kid to oar down a passenger cruise liner. However, Slade persisted in bringing him to the car, up to the elevators, and all the way inside the suite to the couch inside the doors. Other than being entirely knocked out from tranquilizers, the kid seemed okay. Vitals were in the right place for now, and there was no sign of him waking up, at least for the time being. Though, Slade knew how it went with a faster than usual metabolism, drugs just weren't the same for them. Still, this was some kind of High Court drug that more than likely was built to combat those even eith healing factors… Slade wondered how many they had tested it on before coming up with a non lethal formula...

  
  
  
  
  



	21. The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

By the time they got inside of the hotel, John could barely walk and wound up sinking to the floor just outside of the bedroom door. It was honestly a miracle that Benjamin managed to get him up the hotel stairs and down the hall with how out of commission the blonde was.  

 

"Come on." Benjamin grumbled trying to pull the other to his feet but to no avail. "I'm not dragging you."

 

John only responded with something completely inaudible while Slade shot Ben a look of absolute sympathy. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to be able to pay off the debt he was slowly building up to Ben ... Though it was about damn time the man paid him back for eating him out of his home when he was younger.. 

 

With Dick leaving a now settled Tim to help Benji, Slade was able to put his focus on the teen. He had gone a little fatherly by taking off Connor's shoes, setting him up with a couple pillows, and covering him in a thin blanket from the foot of the bed in the master suite. Slade deemed it safe to leave Connor by himself on the couch for the night and headed into the bedroom to get himself settled. 

  
  


Over with Ben and John, Dick had turned his focus to getting Constantine settled in bed.  

 

"Take off your shirt." He ordered as he pulled Constantine’s shoes off. 

 

The Brit tugged at the bottom of his shirt as he mumbled something, clearly too out of it to undo the buttons before his head lulled to the side. Great, he was falling asleep. With a sigh Dick took to helping him remove his pants, which Dick was beyond grateful John was wearing underwear,  and shirt. 

 

"Do you need anything?" Dick asked looking at Tiggs after he tucked John in.

 

Benjamin was seated on the other bed, shirt gone, tie tossed to the side and shoes off. He actually laughed at Dick’s little inquiry, what were they his kids?

 

 "I can handle myself." 

  
  


By the time Dick was back from dealing with their now resident drunk, Slade had stripped out of the first few layers of his suit, leaving him standing in his white collared shirt, unbuttoned, tie undone still looped around his neck and sleeves pushed up. The hero stopped by Slade and wrapped his arms around him leaning in silent a moment.

 

"Did you smoke?”

 

One of the downsides to having facial hair. "A little. If you are worried, I assure you it didn't do any damage to my lungs. I don't think it can." Slade wasn't an avid smoker, so he wouldn't know, but it was reasonable to assume. 

 

"I was bonding with our newly assigned trainwreck in the other room, usually I'm up for a good fight, love, but I don't know if I have it in me tonight. Besides ... Not exactly the polite thing to do with company around." Now he was just flat out flirting. 

 

Dick chuckled and planted a soft kiss to Slade's bare chest, "Damn, I was really hoping to tear into you." 

 

He let his eyes close as he felt his mental exhaustion taking place, his forehead against Slade's chest as he softly swayed. "I'm not mad... It just smells weird on you... Though, I'd rather it didn't become a habit... But once in a while isn't a big deal." 

 

"We... Should go shower and go to bed... I understand if you need to stay up late for Connor but... I need to be with Tim.. And if you can join us that'd be  _ great _ ." 

 

Dick smiled as his fingers ran up the others body. He took hold of both sides of the loose tie and pulled on it so that he could pull Slade in for a kiss. Damn, if he wasn’t so tired, Slade would’ve pinned Dick to the wall and got the night _really_ started.

 

"You don't have to convince me of anything ... If your family needs you I don't expect you to ask me first. Just do what you need to." Slade said simply, walking to the shower with Dick. "Though, if Tim bites like Damian does  _ you _ are sleeping firmly between us to block incoming attacks." 

 

Five times, that's how many times Damian bit him last time he crawled into bed with Slade and Dick. Every time Slade so much as tried to put an arm over Dick, the demon brat chomped on him. He didn't expect that Tim would do the same but ... God you never knew. 

 

The shower went on uneventfully. Slade checked on Connor one more time before shutting off the lights as an official 'everyone go to bed', even though no one looked like they wanted to stay up and party past curfew. The only one who protested, if only slightly, was Tim when the TV was shut off in the bedroom. Slade said something about Tim not being able to sleep properly with all that noise going on in the background, Tim mumbled back that he didn't need to be told what to do by someone who could be his Grandpa. 

 

A few smart remarks later and Dick's insistence, all three of them ended up in bed together an hour or so later. It started with Dick, of course, bear hugging Tim in his sleep, but as Tim continued to toss and turn, Dick's unconscious body went to his more reliable and unmoving heat source, Slade, who just put his arm around Dick half asleep and kissed him on the forehead unconsciously. 

 

Tim thought it was adorable, he even snapped a couple photos with Slade's phone for good measure before getting out of the bed altogether. He wasn't going to sleep, he needed to check on Connor. Tim shut the doors to the master bedroom behind him as he silently padded into the living room and flipped on the TV, putting it at a low noise level as to not wake anyone up, the dim light helped him see Connor a little bit. First, he checked his vitals again, tested his muscle groups for mobility, and then ... He paced. 

 

His mind was still racing from earlier. So much had happened, Ra's was knocking on death’s door, Connor had broken out of whatever technological bind he was in, and even more alarming still ... Tim was finally starting to process what happened to him in a real way. He wasn't sure how long he had paced for when he heard a shift in the other room. Probably Constantine, still drunk, but it gave him enough pause to go into the kitchen and get himself a glass of water. Water he just stared at on the counter rather than drank. Why couldn't he get his head on straight? He was Tim Drake for fuck sake, his mind was his greatest weapon and right now it was ... Useless.

 

"Hey.." 

 

A soft and low voice brought Tim from his mind prison. His blue gaze shifted up just as Benjamin moved to the kitchen and stood beside him with his back against the countertop.

 

"Can't sleep?"

 

"No, too much going on up here." Tim said tapping his temple. 

 

He turned around, joining Ben against the counter, bracing his hands along the surface behind him. 

 

"After everything that's happened in the last couple weeks, my brain is finally catching up and it's a lot to process. Then add tonight onto it and ..." Tim shook his head. "It's a mess, Benji." 

 

Tim found it easy to talk to the man. Since arriving at Nanda Parbat Ben had transformed into something of a guardian to him, someone who he could trust and confide in. Then after what Ra's had done ... Ben was the only one there for him, checked on him, even let Tim sleep in his room when the nights became too much to handle on his own. 

 

"Things are only going to get harder from here. Especially with Ra's ..." Tim paused to scrub a hand over his face. "Are things going to be okay?"

 

Benjamin closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "For now... We don't have to worry about Ra's... And there's not much  _ you _ have to stress about over the next few days." He said before pausing, "If I can show the Court I'm a better ruler than Ra's then we can turn this all around. Change things from the inside.”

 

 “Shiva can help me get the ninjas to respect me... The only thing is we'll have to put on a show for the Court... With how much you've been behaving though I don't think we'll have to go as far as your brother." He explained before opening his eyes and looking at the other, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder. "As for Connor.... I'm sure everyone will figure it out, there’s a lot of smart people working on keeping him safe."

 

"...I want to help you." Tim said, looking over at the hand on his shoulder taking it as permission to lean in and touch his arm to Benjamin's before his head rested near the man's shoulder. Being short sucked sometimes.

 

 "I know I'm a mess right now, but let's be honest, you need some brains on your team. I'm the best you've got." Tim said, closing his eyes and getting almost comfortable just standing there in Ben's company. "If we can pull this off, it could change the course of everything. People can go back to the ... Way things were." 

 

He stumbled over the last few words. For him? He could never go back to the way things were. Things would never be the same again. Looking over at the couch, seeing Connor's sleeping form, watching his chest rise ... Tim had to wonder if the one good thing that came out of all this would even survive through it. 

 

Benjamin chuckled, "I was hoping you'd offer. I've always been more of a brute than a genius.”

 

“Hey, Ben ... I'm about as bad with emotions and stuff as Batman was but ... Um. Since he died I've been feeling really lost and like I don't have stable ground under my feet." Tim sighed and pressed closer. "What I'm trying to say is thank you. You aren't him, but ..." 

 

He turned and hugged Ben from the side as a way to finish his sentence making the Tiger smile as he looped an arm around the other. When the fuck did he adopt the kid? He honestly didn’t even remember  _ wanting _ kids but now? He wouldn’t trade Tim for the world.

 

"Honestly? There’s something that's been peaceful about... Having you around... Guess it reminds me of when I'd help Slade with Rose and Joey.... Anyways. I'm here for you, Tim. Always. Even when this is over."

 

 The tiger pushed his fingers through Tims hair before nudging him. "Come on." 

 

He lead Tim to the livingroom where he dropped the other off by the couch and went off to grab some pillows and blankets from his bed before returning. He propped the pillows up against the back of the couch before taking a seat patting the spot beside him.

 

"I figured you'd wanna be near him.."

 

Before he knew it, they had found some deep sea documentary on Animal Planet.  Tim guessed the animals appearing on screen before David Attenborough could name them, then told Ben about how at one point he wanted to be a marine biologist when he was six ... Which was one of a dozen different career options he had considered before becoming Robin. It was easy and relaxed, completely separated from everything else that was going on. Just before the credits rolled, Tim had finally fallen asleep. His head was lulled onto Benji's shoulder with soft snores that were barely audible over the sound of the TV. For Tim, it was the best sleep he'd gotten in months. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It was early morning when Slade finally woke up, the sun was filtering through the closed curtains in a perfect, one-inch slit that was, of course, hitting him right in the good eye. Yet, he couldn't be angry, turning his head he saw Dick next to him, cuddled up to his side and arms hugging Tim’s pillow. He didn't even remember the kid getting out of bed, looks like Dick hadn't noticed yet either. 

 

Slade turned over onto his side so he could press his chest up against Dick's back. A calloused hand brushed down Dick's shoulder and then under the blanket as he continued down his abdomen. Following his hand, Slade's lips found Dick's shoulder, slowly marking a trail up to his neck and behind his ear, focusing on the sensitive areas there before biting on the lobe.

 

Dick smiled and let out a soft chuckle before rolling half way onto his back to get a better look at the other. "Morning, Handsome." 

 

"Morning." Slade responded pulling Dick closer to him, only to feel him trying to sit up.

 

"Where's Tim?"

 

 Slade looked out through the frosted french doors and saw Tim leaning up against ... Ben? What?

 

"He's out with Connor, everything is fine." The merc hushed in his ear trying to get Dick to relax a little. He was on the go for days, months, Slade just liked to spoil him. 

 

So, Slade pulled Dick over and kissed him. "Everyone else is still asleep ... I woke up with a craving to see that face you make when you let me touch you."

 

Dick’s face lit up with color before he bit his lip and pushed his fingers along Slade's cheek and through his hair.

 

"Mmm but I thought I was 'oh so loud'."

 

 Still, he couldn't deny the excitement he felt at the idea of sleeping with Slade with people so close by. It felt as exciting as public sex. 

 

Dick rolled more fully onto his back and pulled Slade's upper half over his own, the older man placing one hand on the bed by Dick’s waist while he leaned on his right forearm by Dick’s head. 

 

"If you want to see the face I make then... Touch me." Dick smirked, giving Slade’s hair a soft tug.

 

"You don't have to tell me twice." 

 

They weren't fully naked yet, but Slade had a suspicion that soon they would be. He leaned down and kissed Dick again, it was still soft, slow, but now he pressed a little deeper, moving his lips against the other's with practiced ease. A knee pressed between Dick's thighs, rubbing up into the other's clothed member under the sheets. Hands moved, one playing with Dick's chest while the other slipped through Dick's hair, pulling it ever so slightly, but just enough to tip his head back. 

 

The young hero let out a quiet and satisfied groan as Slade's hand trailed down his chest, slipping down into Dick's boxers to palm his member. Lips broke apart so Slade could go back to kissing Dick's neck. 

 

"You look good in red, sugar."

 

 A shaky breath escaped Dick followed by several soft pants, it was the only way he was going to stop himself from actually moaning out. "You're the only..." Another heavy pant escaped him as his body shivered, "One who's made me so gnn.. Red.." 

 

His head was already spinning.

 

One hand gripped the pillow beneath his head while the other moved from Slade's hair to run down his back. He leaned up to softly bite Slade's lip before pulling back though he wasn't away long before pulling Slade into another kiss, this time his tongue finding its way into the others mouth. His hand finally moved from the pillow and ran along Slade's arm feeling the perfectly sculpted muscle before he moved it to the others chest, then abs where he moaned at the sensation of Slade's build. The merc could feel a remaining tingling sensation along his body from Dick's hands. As far as Slade was concerned, Dick could touch all he wanted, and keeping is shape was worth every bit of it when Dick moaned just at the feel of him. 

 

 Dick’s hand then slipped further, trailing along Slades boxers teasingly before he licked Slade's lips and smirked. "Maybe.. I should make  _ you _ beg."

 

"Baby, you can barely talk, let alone make me beg ... Why don't you just focus on enjoying yourself?" 

 

"Cuz I'm stubborn." Dick responded with a smirk.

 

"You know, there is one thing I haven't done yet ..." 

 

Slade had spoken in a low tone, moving down to kiss Dick's chest and nearly regretting the way Dick's hand slipped away from his boxers at the movement. 'Soon' he told himself almost as a promise. Self denial was worth every bit of making Dick sing. 

 

"I can't say I have much experience, however, as you know, I'm a quick study." Deathstroke moved lower kissing along Dick's abdominal muscles making the hero shiver, his hand pulling down Dick's boxers in the process. "What do you say? Can I taste you?"

 

The suggestion made Dick’s body get hot and it wasn't unnoticeable. Truly every inch of his skin grew warmer, the red shade in his face darkened and his member twitched. Dick’s eyes fluttered closed as he fantasized before biting his own lip.

 

 "If I'm being honest? I would  _ love _ to have your mouth on me...." 

 

The hero propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at Slade feeling an all new hunger for him when he saw him down there. God he was beautiful, sexy,  _ tantalizing _ . Dick pushed his fingers through Slade's hair, lust and admiration in his sparkling blue eyes.

 

 "You haven't disappointed me yet, sweet pea."

 

Slade hadn't done this in a long time, a  _ really _ long time. Like, in high school long. Granted, Slade only had three semi-long term male partners, meaning longer than one night, one of those being Dick. William and he were very ... Down to business, in and out kind of thing. So, if he was honest? Slade was a little nervous about his ability to perform, but, he was comfortable enough with Dick to know that even if it wasn't good, Dick would either tell him or ... Whatever. This was a blow job, not rocket science. Yet, looking up at Dick, he remembered what it was like when  _ he _ was down here doing the same thing and remembered exactly what he was up against. The way he looked, the sounds he made, the feeling of that sweet tongue moving around him, the firm, tight feeling of Dick's throat around the head of his cock. No ... He needed to remember this wasn't a competition, this was about making his partner feel good, about getting that blush to spread down Dick's chest, making him sing loud enough to wake up the whole hotel. 

 

Dick could read the faint traces of worry between the lines of lust and love, hell even his comment about not having much experience showed the signs. So in response Dick softly massaged Slade's scalp, teeth set on his own smiling lips. 

 

"I can't wait to see you ...From here." 

 

Slade moved the last few paces down to Dick's member, stroking it with his hand as he got into position. He placed his hand at the base of his cock, kissing the tip of it, letting his lips slide over the top of it, pulling back up to brush his lips sideways down the underside. He licked his tongue between his own fingers, then back up again, tongue flat and firm against it until he was at the tip again, swirling around before taking a breath. Fuck, he was already seeing the reason others did this. It was obviously so different from pleasuring a woman, but the mental stimulus was similar. The idea of  _ purely _ satisfying your partner, hinging on their reactions that only aroused him more. And God was Dick giving him some reactions. Soft moans and pants, a firmer grip on his hair, the slight twitching of skin. Slade only wanted these reactions to grow in intensity.

 

He finally took Dick into his mouth, pressing past the head and down as far as he could manage without setting off his gag reflex, which was, pathetically shallow, but he was going to make the best of it. His mouth and hand met in the middle of Dick's cock, pulling up and stroking down, he started slow just like the rest of the morning had been thus far.

 

A louder moan escaped Dick though he was quick to cover his mouth. His member was already leaking precum. It wasn't as mindblowing as Barbara or Helena but after  _ two years  _ of not being sucked off? Dick didn't care. This was  _ Slade _ , his tantalizing and addictive boyfriend. Every touch was  _ explosive _ . 

 

"Fuck." He whispered behind his hand letting out another quiet noise. 

 

Dick was never as loud when it came to blowjobs as he was with... Well... Most of everything else. His eyes slowly opened and he looked down at Slade, opening his mouth to speak before he heard what sounded like a gag. He paused for a moment, holding his breath in case it was Slade.

Nope. With a cough and another sharp gag he pinpointed the sound from another room. Fucking cock block. Slade pulled off of Dick, looking up at him. Who the  _ fuck _ was interrupting them this early in the morning? Even worse ... Was Dick getting up?

 

"Babe-" 

 

"Where are you going?" Slade asked seriously, sitting up himself with a questioning look. 

 

"Constantine-" Was all Dick could respond before he was out of bed, fixing his boxers and rushing to the other room. As he ran through the bathroom that connected the rooms he grabbed a trash can. His mommy senses tingling.

 

"He's a grown adult, Dick, he can handle being hung over on his own!" God damn it, why did he have to be in love with a hero type?

 

Dick burst through the door, somersaulted over Ben's bed and landed on the floor in front of Constantine holding the trash can up under his mouth. Simultaneously, John threw up, luckily all of it going into the trash can. 

 

Dick turned away and waited before grumbled, "Couldn't have chosen a worse time."

 

With several coughs Constantine rolled onto his back groaning. "What? You gettin' laid or something?"

 

"Not anymore." Dick somewhat snapped back before sighing heavily,  "I'll be back."

 

Dick, while liking things to stay private, didn’t mind talking about sex. While he shared more than he would’ve liked, he was tired and grumpy and figured John wouldn’t take the remark seriously. Dick is known for his humor after all. He got up and dumped the trash into the toilet before rinsing it in the tub, speaking to Slade, who had pulled on his own pants and even a shirt. He needed a little more than just boxers to cover up his flagging erection.

 

"He threw up.... Can you imagine how Roy and Jason feels? This happens all the time to them." 

 

Slade stood in the door of the bathroom, watching Dick with his nose wrinkled up from the smell of alcoholic bile. "Jason and Roy are interrupted by Lian,  _ a child _ . John is an adult and hung over because he drank too much ... Like I said, Dick, he can take care of himself." 

 

Dick opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed some ibuprofen and a toothbrush. Bruce made sure all hotels in this area had them. 

 

"Babe, he's a mess…. I'm going to brush his teeth. Would you mind making breakfast?'

 

Dick moved passed Slade, who wasn't petty enough to block the way, as the other followed him into the room.

 

 "Brush his teeth? You aren't seriously going to do that for him are you?" Slade asked in complete disbelief. 

 

"I'm not making breakfast because  _ we _ have business to finish up after ... This." 

 

Slade glared down at John with contempt that a man only earned by interrupting the sexual activities of another.

 

"Since when... Were you two a thing?"

 

"Since a month and a half ago." Dick said climbing onto the bed, pulling John's head into his lap. "Open up."

 

"You sure your boy toy won't kill me?"

 

"Boy toy? Been a while since I've heard that one." Slade wasn't exactly a boy anymore, but he heard plenty of that when he and Adaline first got together. 

 

He  _ was _ the younger of the two of them, and many of the other officers of Addie's rank had questioned her motives with him and vise versa. 

 

The magician opened his mouth and Dick got to work brushing his teeth.

 

 "I'm sorry babe, I can't just leave him like this." Dick didn't know why he cared so much... Maybe it was because of all the suffering going around, Dick just wanted John to be cozy. 

 

Silence fell over them as he began brushing John's teeth more vigorously before Constantine gagged. Dick quickly pulled the toothbrush away as John sat up.

 

"Jesus! It's a toothbrush, not a cock!"

 

Dick couldn't stop himself from laughing and covering his mouth, "I'm sorry! I'm just trying to clean you up."

 

John rolled his eyes before laying down, "I get you may not have a gag reflex but the rest of us do." 

 

"Forgive me, I'm trying to make sure your mouth doesn't smell like sewage."

 

"Why? You plan on sharing your boyfriend?" John asked earning a soft slap, "Ugh... And I'm the ass."

 

"Why are you helping him again?" Slade questioned, his arms crossed and brows furrowed. 

 

It all clear that he wasn't pleased, but the difference was Slade watching them. Usually, Slade tended to ignore what made him angry.

 

 "If he has enough energy to talk so much then he can take care of himself."

 

Dick was quite honestly shocked at Slade's behavior and he expressed it fully, he had pulled the toothbrush from John's mouth and leaned back with his own mouth agape. He knew he cheat on Slade and burned that trust but..... Oh... Then it clicked.

 

 "You're jealous." A chuckle escaped the hero as he shook his head and scooted out from under Constantine. 

 

"I'm not jealous..." Slade tried to insist.

 

Dick approached the older male and ran his hands up his chest.

 

"This isn't just about being interrupted.." He paused giving John enough time to squeak out.

 

"You guys can finish up in here, I don't mind."

 

Dick shot him a glare and turned back to Slade. "Babe... Sweetheart.... Honey Bunches of Oats.." His hands moved down to hold Slade's waist, pulling their abdomen's together. "You are the only one I want... And I  _ promise _ when I get John settled we can finish what we started." 

 

Slade had a slight flush come onto his face, looking away from Dick. "I told you I'm not jealous, Dick." He tried to repeat, not even believing himself at this point. 

 

All Dick could do was raise a single brow at him giving him a 'really?' look. There was no way for Slade to get around this. He pulled Dick down and kissed him. It was deep and heavy, but short lived. 

 

"Go take care of that idiot so I don't have to listen to him anymore." Slade muttered, moving a hand to give Dick's ass a playful squeeze. "Otherwise, I'm going to strangle him."

 

"Mmm why... Don't you save the strangling for me?" Dick replied in a low voice hoping Constantine wouldn't hear. 

 

The hero then pecked Slade's lips and reached around to give his ass a soft pinch in revenge before smirking, "Why don't you go wait in the bedroom. I'm gonna get John some water and tuck him in."

 

"Five minutes. Or I'm going to come in here and start playing nurse … Trust me, I'm not nearly as sweet as you are, love." Slade promised, pointing at Constantine. 

 

"Also, I was going to give you one free pass. You've already used it." Slade looked back to Dick. "See you in a minute." With that Slade left the room.

 

 When he stepped out he finally looked at living room through the French doors. 

 

There was Benjamin, dead asleep with Tim laying back on the couch, but completely cuddled up to Benji's side and shoulder. Slade grabbed his phone off the nightstand and took a picture with a small smile on his face. The scene was familiar. How many times had he woken up in the morning to find his kids laying all over Uncle Benji while a kids vhs tape played over and over again on the TV? Tim might not know it, but Slade would bet Benjamin was enjoying Tim's company as much as Tim was. 

 

Slade leaned his head into John's room. "Take a look in the living room on the way out." Slade suggested before leaving, truly, for the bed.

 

Dick was just tucking John in when Slade had poked his head in. Curiosity filling the hero and he headed out into the living room. Constantine seemed to have drifted back into sleep so Dick wasn't going to worry about him.

 

Once he got to the living room, his heart warmed seeing the sight. Connor was still out cold and Tim was cuddling Benjamin in a way that Dick had never seen the teen cuddle. 

 

An audible "Aww" left the  hero who put a hand over his own heart and watched silently for a moment. Benjamin had a small smile on his lips and Tim looked at peace.

 

Dick then moved forward to kiss Tim's forehead before he walked out and back into the bedroom.

 

 "They're so freaking cute, my god." He chuckled, "We should get a picture of it." He said as he crawled onto Slade's lap straddling him.

 

"I know right?" Slade responded, reaching to grab his phone.

 

 His gaze trailed back over to Dick's with the help of his partners fingers on his chin.  pulling him into a soft kiss. 

 

"Mmmm." He hummed afterwards, a bliss washing over his features

 

 The kiss was perfect and Slade felt his own chest flutter in a way he couldn't remember feeling since he was young. He dropped his phone off on the side of the bed, deciding sharing the photo wasn't as important as this moment was. 

 

"I'm sure you've heard this before," Slade started, brushing a hand up Dick's chest and then resting it on the side of his neck, thumb brushing along his jaw.

 

 "But you are absolutely breathtaking, Dick. Whenever we are in a room together ... I can't take my eyes off of you." 

  
  


He grasped Dick's hand on his chin and kissed the back of it, then trailed to under his wrist. Dick's face had flushed, his entire body tingling as a large smile spread over his lips. 

 

"Tell me what you want." Slade breathed across the sensitive skin under Dick's arm. "I'll give it to you."

 

 Dick softly bit his own lip, a soft breath escaping him as he thought for a moment. Instinctively he wanted to offer to please Slade but he remembered that he promised to let the other spoil him and judging by how the morning started? Slade wanted to show Dick how much he loved him. 

 

"I.... I want to feel your mouth on me again." 

 

His blush darkened the second the words came out of his mouth. He's never told a partner what he wanted them to do... Even when he told Slade to spank him and pull his hair. That was all new... A new way of expressing his lust.

 

 "And..." He breathed in, hands running along Slade's toned chest appreciatively, "I want to ride you."

 

"Sounds good." 

 

Slade responded honestly, moving his hand up on Dick's arm until he had the perfect grip to flip them, pulling Dick underneath him. He leaned over to the night stand, flipping the drawer open and grabbed lube from inside. When you pay this much for a room, you could tell them to make sure there was lube in every drawer. With Dick ... It really did have to be  _ every _ drawer. 

 

While Slade got the lube, Dick removed his boxers. Slade came back with lips on Dick's neck, this time it was a little more hungry. His teeth bit into Dick's pulse then down his chest earning a moan from the hero. 

 

Hands gripped into shaped hips, thumbs pushing to hold them down into the bed until finally Slade was back where he started, hand around Dick's cock looking up at him. He had Dick's leg over his arm while his hand rested against the hero's waist. Now, Slade's fingers were absolutely slick with lube. He didn't hesitate to slide two of them inside Dick, moaning around the other's cock currently entering past his lips. Dick was still tight against his fingers, Slade slowly curled them along his inner walls to encourage them to loosen up. 

 

A shaky moan escaped Dick before he arched his back and sunk into the bed. As Slade sucked him he closed his eyes, his entrance slowly easing up around Slade's fingers. 

 

"Fuck." He whispered before covering his mouth and gripping Slade's hair. 

 

How the fuck didn't Slade pound into his throat when roles were reversed?

 

Slade began curling and thrusting his fingers with more vigor inside Dick, while he did his best to keep up pace with his mouth. He was taking Dick a little deeper now, his mind numbing a bit to the unusual intrusion as it gladly watched Dick barely contain himself. Maybe it was the villain in him that enjoyed watching Dick unravel, but he also knew it was because when Dick got to that point, he could  _ truly _ let go and enjoy his own ecstasy. That was a more noble intention. 

 

Before Slade knew it, Dick was a mess. Soft moans escaping him as he desperately clawed at the pillow beneath his head. Each thrust of Slade's fingers had Dick's body shivering, each lick and movement of Slade's mouth made Dick's voice hitch. He finally let go of the others hair to cover his mouth, letting out a loud moan into his hand.

 

Slade pulled off Dick's member, exhaling a bit heavy because of his improper breathing.

 

 "I'll make you cum like this..."

 

Slade punctuated the statement with a firm thrust of his fingers up toward Dick's prostate which Dick could only whine in response.

 

"And I can, if you want ... Otherwise, you have to tell me when your ready for my cock." Slade smirked. "It's ready when you are." 

 

With that Slade slipped his mouth back over him, tightening his lips and pressing his tongue along the underside as his head moved a little more slowly to incorporate the new additions.

 

A more feral part of Dick wanted Slade to get him off like this but Dick? He wanted to hear Slade moan... Wanted to feel the other. 

 

Biting his lip hard, Dick reached down and gripped Slade's hair giving a couple soft non intrusive thrusts into his mouth. Dick barely choked out a moan as his eyes fluttered closed and his leg quivered around Slade's shoulder.

 

"Get.... Inside me..." He said through his teeth tugging up on Slade's hair. 

 

Once Dick got Slade off his cock he shoved him onto his back. In one swift move he straddled the older's lap where he began kissing him while putting two hands on the others chest, gripping his pecks. Dick held them there a moment before reaching back to rub and stroke Slade's member through his boxers. Finally, Dick  _ growled _ against Slade's lips.

 

"Get these off." 

 

Slade smiled at Dick's insistence, that little growl was a major turn on. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, Slade threw it off to the side of the bed. With Dick's help his boxers were the next to go with a lift of his hips and flick of his leg. Next, he was rolling his hips up, rubbing his extremely hard cock against Dick's ass. 

 

"This is ... A  _ very _ nice view." Slade smirked rubbing his hand down his chest and to the other man's cock. "Come on handsome." 

 

Slade put a hand on Dick's hips and positioned him over his length, teasingly thrusting up against his entrance.

 

Dick leaned in and kissed the other with passion as he pressed down into Slade making the other penetrate him. A sharp gasp escaped the hero before he rolled his hips massaging Slade's cock every inch of the way down. Once Slade was completely buried inside, Dick clawed at his chest and bit his own lip before slowly rolling his hips in a motion as fluid as a belly dancer. 

 

"God ... Pretty bird."

 

 Slade was overwhelmed by the sensual dance going on above him, the sensation along his member was unlike when he was in control. Dick's ass was amazing, but when Dick was taking the reins, moving his muscles and stomach around him… Slade couldn't even contain his own moan the was silenced by a kiss.

 

Dick's breathing grew into heavy pants, his face and chest red with color as he began quickening the pace, lifting his hips, and squeezing himself around Slade's member. 

 

"You're so... Big, daddy." 

 

Then, like that, Slade began snapping his hips up into Dick. He wanted to let Dick have control, use him, but Slade's instincts were taking over. His hands found Dick's hips, thrusts pushing to go on as deep as he could, and his own face held pure, absolute pleasure. 

 

Once Dick grew used to the feeling of having Slade's pulsing member rubbing along his inner walls and prostate, he got back to work rolling and moving his hips. Rather than take the control away from Slade, he began moving with him. His muscles flexed and tightened each time the other pulled out, and every time Slade pushed back in Dick's muscles would grow loose and he would roll and sway his hips causing his body to massage Slade's cock. 

 

The hero moved down, biting and sucking on Slade's neck. Soft growls and moans escaped him as his hand tightly took hold of Slade's hair, fingers tangling along his eye patch strap. 

 

Slade let out a heavy moan at their joint efforts and the new sensation of having Dick this way. It was definitely something they would be doing again. Slade was biting through his own lip at this point to keep himself quiet, feeling blood trickling down from the self induced injury. Slade matched every damn movement Dick made to work deeper, harder, faster. 

 

"Fuck." Dick growled into the other after leaving a bruising bite on his shoulder. 

 

He then licked the blood from Slade's lip and sat up fully, hands on Slade's waist as he started bouncing. This position gave him more freedom to move his hips.

 

Slade reached between them and began pumping Dick, unable to help giving him a few smacks on his outer thigh and ass only turning Dick into a moaning mess, soft screams escaping him every so often. In fact he took to covering his own mouth to keep the noises at bay. 

 

"Kid I'm-" Slade was close, so damn close he moaned over his own warning.

 

"Me... Too." 

 

Dick reached down to grab Slade by the hair to pull him up. Once the other was sitting upright Dick kissed him with passion and fury, his tongue lapping the blood off of Slade's lip before forcing its way into his mouth. His fingers pulled Slade's hair a bit too hard, the eye patch slipping off Slade's face and onto Dick's wrist as he moved his hips with more force.

 

 The movements wasn't as coordinated and grew more sloppy before every muscle in his abdomen tensed. Dick broke the kiss moaning loudly against Slade's mouth as he released all over Slade's chest, his grip eased on the others hair before he buried his face into his neck and pant hard. He didn't stop moving his hips though and had started to moan out Slade's name over and over again.

 

Slade couldn't withstand the ride out of Dick's orgasm, cumming deep inside Dick as he began his mantra. He let out a deep, nearly feral moan as he met Dick's hips in hard strokes riding out his orgasm. He felt ... Amazing, his body tingled all over, head rushing with hormones and satisfaction. 

 

"Dick ..." Slade finally whispered in response to him, steadying Dick's hips down on his own, still inside him, but without the friction.  

 

He put a hand on the back of Dick's head and kissed his temple. "You okay, pretty bird?" He asked soothingly, yet breathless.

 

Dick was panting hard, his body shivering, still, a smile spread across the hero's lips and he let out a chuckle before wrapping his arms around Slade's neck.

 

 "Of course I am... That was..."

 

 He sighed and shook his head before pressing his forehead against the others sharing each breath. One arm remained fixed around Slade's shoulders while his other hand moved to rub Slade's cheek and beard softly.

 

 "I think.... You're the best I've ever had.." He about whispered, "I mean... As far as men goes at least... It's hard comparing you to women because it feels so different... But.... No one gets me going like you.... And... I'm pretty sure you could make me finish without even touching me."

 

 Dick chuckled and pulled back enough to see Slade's face, his other hand joining the first one on his cheek. 

 

"Sounds like a fun challenge." 

 

The hero rolled his eyes, "No one makes my head spin like you do.." 

 

Dick didn't expect to be the best Slade's had, not by a long shot. The best man,  _ maybe _ , but Dick was sure the other had plenty of experienced women. The more he thought about it the more he figured he may have put Slade in an awkward position and decided to change the subject.

 

 "I hope we didn't wake anyone."

 

Slade leaned in to give Dick yet another kiss. "I love watching you let go ... When you stop trying and just start feeling ... God, Dick, it's  something absolutely breathtaking." 

 

Slade smoothed his hands down Dick's sides. "You're an experience I've never had with someone else ... No one else compares." 

 

He pulled them down onto the bed and slipped himself out of Dick who wore the sweetest smile. Despite their mess he pulled Dick close and covered them with the bunched up blanket at the foot of the bed. 

 

"Sex ... Never was an emotional experience for me." Slade started, seeming a tad hesitant but powering through anyway. "Even with Addie ... I loved her but that's not why we ... Anyway." 

 

He decided pillow talk about his dead wife wasn't exactly sexy. "You're different. You connect with me physically and emotionally when we are together. It's intoxicating."

 

Dick couldn't ask for more than what the other said because it was so much more than what he could've hoped for. 

 

"I'm happy I could show you something new.... For me sex has always been a means of connection. Getting vulnerable with someone, pleasing them. It's... Nice that you encourage me to enjoy it.. Not that I haven't with other partners but... With you everything I give is reciprocated and I love that..... I love  _ you _ ." 

 

Dick smiled and softly kissed Slade before shifting so his arm was over Slade's head and he was propped up hovering above him. 

 

"You know... Back at the farm house when I was talking to Lloyd, I was telling him about us. How we used to 'hate' each other and how this brought us together... He called it fate..... Every moment I'm with you.. The more I feel it's true."

 

"Of course Llyod said that." Slade chuckled. "He believes in soulmates, fate, that sort of thing ... My guess is you do to." Slade said with an adoring smile. "I'm ... Not a believer, but ..." 

 

He paused, brushing Dick's hair back. "I love you and ... That's all I need." 

 

Slade shifted out from under Dick, sitting up before picking him up out of the bed with ease. Bridal style of course.

 

 "Now, let's get a shower."

 

Dick wrapped his arms around Slade's shoulders as he was carried into the bathroom. 

 

"... I need to find my astrology book so I can figure out your birthday."

 

"You're never going to figure it out."

 

"We'll see."

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  


~Earlier in the morning while Slade and Dick were occupied.~

 

Tim's eyes fluttered open, looking at the larger man's neck next to him. Then his face as he sat himself up. He rubbed his eyes a little bit and let out a short yawn. Poor Benji couldn't sleep like that forever he'd probably get stiff. Tim was eighteen and he could feel it.. Somewhat. 

 

"Ben..." Tim said in a soft voice, rubbing the other's arm to wake him up. "You should go get in bed. Get comfortable."

 

Benjamin gave a sharp inhale as he woke, it was instinct. When he slept with Slade's kids he was paranoid of not waking up for them.. Not to mention military experience made sleeping in hard.

 

He groaned and rubbed his face before looking down at his watch. 6:45am. Why did the summer sun have to shine bright as early as 5?

 

 "Mm, I imagine everyone will be getting up soon." He grumbled and got up, "I'm going to go get some stuff for breakfast. What kind of coffee do you want?"

 

"I have options?" Tim asked, looking toward the kitchen. 

 

On the counter, he saw an all in one auto french press, espresso maker next to a coffee machine.

 

 "God make me some espresso, two shots ... Oh, and we are taking that with us. Slade can pick up the bill." Tim said with a devious smile, turning toward Ben on the ground with the blanket still over his legs.

 

Benjamin let out a soft chuckle, "Of course, kiddo. Ra's isn't here so you don't have to go without coffee or meat anymore. I'll put you on a special diet." He said as he got to work on the coffee. 

 

By now Connor stirred, eyes slowly fluttering open before he closed them tightly and blinked, his head was killing him. He was honestly surprised his dna didn't push the drug out of his system... Maybe it was the sheer amount, it must've slowed his metabolism down even. If he were human it would've killed him within five minutes.

 

Tim's eyes snapped over to the couch when it moved in periphery. Connor's eyes opened, and he felt a strange cocktail of relief and fear hit him. Relieved that Connor was conscious, but fearful that Luthor hadn't truly disarmed the controls Ra's had on him. 

 

"Connor?" Tim tried softly. 

 

He looked like he was in pain, which made Tim's heart leap. Supers weren't usually in pain.

 

 "Hey, Benjamin..." Tim called, eyes still fixed on Connor. "Can you open the curtains?" Sunlight would help.

 

 Tim reached forward to touch Connor's cheek and felt himself hesitating, his hand instead resting back down on the arm rest behind Connor's head.

 

 "Connor?"

 

Connor groaned again and slowly sat up propping himself up on his elbow before looking around.

 

 "Tim.... Tim?" His voice began to strain as his eyes teared up. 

 

Benjamin took that as a sign to give the two privacy and moved over towards the French doors to see if Slade was awake. He didn't get too close before he noticed the moving figures. It didn't take long for him to put together what the two were doing. The tiger couldn't help but smirk and chuckle before turning to walk away. Lucky Slade. Benjamin didn't intend on cock blocking him and Tim seemed to busy for that. Still, he'd keep an eye on the teen so that Slade could get some in privacy. 

 

Ben headed to the kitchen where he took out some eggs and bacon before grabbing some bread to make French toast. It looked like Slade had the staff load up the fridge and cupboards but there wasn't an overwhelming amount of food. 

 

Since they had some privacy, Connor began softly crying. "Tim I am so... Sorry.. I... Should've been strong enough to stop it but... I couldn't... I kept screaming and.... I am so sorry, Tim."

 

The tears in Connor's eyes absolutely broke Tim's heart. Tim could never believe, even for a moment, that Connor didn't fight against the tech in his head, that he hadn't wanted to save Tim. How could he even imagine such a thing? This Connor would never do that, this Connor would have never hurt him like that. 

 

"Kon ... You don't have to be sorry. It's okay." It wasn't, it was  _ anything _ but okay. "We don't have to talk about this right now. I understand." 

 

This was easier and Connor needed him. Tim would much rather be needed than pitied any day. Tim pushed himself closer to Connor on his knees, his side next to the couch, his face at level with Connor's. 

 

"It's okay." Tim repeated, finally letting his hand rest on Connor's chest to urge him into lying back down.

 

 The other hand grabbed some tissues, dabbing his cheeks with gentle attention.

 

Connor, while he instantly regretted it, smacked Tim's hand away. An action that put Benjamin on guard. Tim snapped backward, teetering off his knees. He held his own wrist against his chest, freezing absolutely still once his butt hit the floor behind him. 

 

 "It is  _ not _ okay, Tim! God, how can you even look at me right now? After what  _ I  _ did to you..." He was whisper yelling. He could hear Slade and Dick, hear Constantine. He didn't wanna draw attention to himself. 

 

"Tim..." He started before shaking his head. "Please stop..." He said finally. 

 

Connor then stopped and stared at his hands. "What I did isn't okay." He whispered, "And I'm sorry."

 

 He felt so torn... How was Tim supposed to forgive him? Did he want Tim to forgive him.

 

"I think... I should go." Connor mumbled.

 

Tim wanted to respond with calming words or even with an angry voice telling Connor how he wasn't going to talk to him like that. Yet he couldn't say anything, which was worse than any other thing he could have done. His eyes didn't leave Connor's form, watching his every movement.

 

_ 'This is what happens when you're selfish, Tim.' _

 

He could feel warm hands on his face, back.

 

_ 'You always looked better with a collar.' _

 

He felt a sharp pain go down his spine, suddenly smelled blood. 

 

_ 'Such a work of art.' _

 

He felt a snap, and he was just left with his heart beating hard, fast, frozen in the same spot he was ... A moment ago? How long was he on the floor? When he woke up Connor was gone and he was in Benjamin's arms. 

 

"B ... Ben."

 

Benjamin looked down at him and pressed a mouth to Tim's head, "I'm right here.." He spoke in a soft and delicate tone.

 

Tim was so grateful for Ben's presence at his side, the tension starting to roll out of him. Safety, care, and protection was the representation Ben brought ... Something Connor used to bring.

 

Benjamin pulled Tim up onto the couch, softly rubbing his back. "Take deep breaths... You're safe here."

 

"Ben, we can't let him be on his own." Tim said looking toward the door. "Ra's violated him too ... He's a victim, Ben." 

 

Benjamin heard Tim's words but it didn't stop the anger he felt towards the other.

 

 "Tim... You got hurt too.... You don't have to be strong right now." He tried to convince Tim to care for himself but it was too late. 

 

Tim insisted on standing up slowly after a moment, still holding Ben's hand. "Come with me?" 

 

He asked walking toward the door without awaiting an answer. He needed to do this for Connor. He was a Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, Connor's support. He pushed the door open as he psyched himself up. 

 

“Connor ..." 

 

Connor was just sitting there with his eyes closed tight, fists on his head pulling his hair. It broke Ben's heart. He let out a sigh and squeezed Tim's hand before letting go of it and crouching in front of Connor. 

 

"I know you have a lot of anger right now... Rage around what happened... Guilt over not being able to stop it... But... Tim got hurt too... He sympathises with you.. Don't push him away."

 

"I can't even look at him. Every time I do, I just see what  _ I _ did...."

Tim felt tears spring up in his eyes. He had been so stuck in his own head with his own problems he hadn't  _ truly _ considered how hard this would be for Connor. That it might mean their relationship was ... No. No, he didn't want that. He couldn't have that. Wouldn't.

 

"But you didn't do that... Ra's did."

 

"I should've been able to stop it." Connor winced.

 

Benjamin shook his head, "No... Because if you could've, then Ra's wouldn't have used it.... He did it because he knew it would give him full control... That it would give him full control of  _ anybody _ ..."

 

Connor slowly opened his eyes and studied the darker man before looking to his pale Nerd Bird. "How can you stand the sight of me?"

 

Tim dropped down in front of Connor, looking him in the eye. "It's because I  _ love _ you, Connor." 

His words held pure, unsheltered emotion. "You would never do what you were forced to do. Never. Ra's could have offered the world, threatened you endlessly, but you wouldn't have if you had  _ any _ control. I ... god, Connor." 

 

Tim let out a short sob before he covered his mouth with his hand. "I apologized during ... That was for  _ you _ not Ra's ... I'm so sorry I dragged you into this. I'm so sorry, Connor."

 

Connors eyes began unloading countless tears. It hurt that the other understood so much because it only made him that much more innocent. More harmed by Kon's actions. Rather than fight, he decided to surrender and throw his arms around the other holding him close. 

 

"You shouldn't be comforting me." He whispered into the others neck, "I'm sorry.... I...." 

 

Kon closed his eyes tightly and tightened his grip on Tim. Softly rocking the other, the clone slowly began rubbing him with a wave of TK. Maybe they did enough talking. 

 

"Are we...... Are we going to be okay?" He asked before pulling back and looking at Tim. 

 

Those blue eyes reflected everything Connor loved. Brains, hopes, ambitions... Tim.... "I love you... I.... I don't want to lose you."

 

"You would never lose me, Connor." Tim said, bringing a hand up to touch the side of Connor's face. "I promise you, no matter what, you have me. I've always told you that. You've said the same."

 

He reminded both of them how strong their bond was, how no single event was going to break them apart ... No matter how big it was.

 

"We will get through this. I'm going to get that stupid thing out of you, we will find a way to stop all this and ... Then ..." Tim felt tears welling up again. "We'll have the rest of our lives right? I ... Still want everything with you. You're all I've ever wanted, Connor."

 

Connor slowly nodded before sniffling and wiping some of Tim's tears away. He pressed his forehead to Tim's and softly yet cautiously kissed him. "I love you." He whispered before falling silent, just enjoying the others company.

 

"I love you too." Tim replied honestly.

 

Tiggs gave half a smile at the two before he stood up, "Why don't we get inside? You two can talk or watch TV while I finish breakfast." He informed before looking at Tim, "Your coffee should be done." 

 

Connor slowly lifted himself and offered a hand to Tim, guiding him inside with a sigh. "Do you.... Think we should get therapy or something?" He asked genuinely before looking into Tim’s eyes once more. 

 

" ... I don't know." Tim replied honestly, using a single hand to feel up the back of Connor's spine to his neck until he felt the unfamiliar bulge of the device under his fingers. 

 

Tim knew Connor's body ... Not sexually of course. However, Tim had been the first to map out Connor's physical, genetic, and chemical makeup. He literally knew him inside and out.

 

"Dick would probably say we do ... Steph too..." Why did he have to think about her right now? "What happened ... It happened to both of us. Yet we both feel so guilty." 

 

Tim felt it intensely. He'd basically brought Connor to Nanda Parbat, then forced Ra's hand in a way he should have foreseen. 

 

"... I don't think it would hurt. Earlier I ... Connor, I can't freeze up like that. If we had been in the field, I would have compromised us. I need to get over this."

 

 It was a Bruce mentality. Bottle it up, push it to the back of the shelf, and hope it never saw the light of day again. "First things first though; we have to get this thing out of your neck."

 

Benjamin went back into the kitchen and got Tim his coffee before handing it over to him and moving away to make breakfast so the two could talk on the couch in privacy.

 

"I know I'm not.... The smartest when it comes to feelings but I'm taking one from your brothers book.... Tim... We need to heal. You can't worry about a mission. Worry about freezing... You need to give your mind some time to process and... I need to do the same." 

 

Tim nodded, Connor was right. He needed those reminders and he couldn't be more grateful for Ben and Connor. It wasn't his usual support system, but he loved it all the same. 

  
  


"We'll figure this out... Okay?" Kon said giving a reassuring smile before exhaling. "Now... Can we stop talking? I just wanna hold you." 

 

He didn't want to think about holding Tim down, or about Ra's, or even about how they forced some robot spider thing down his throat. He just wanted Tim.

 

"Me too." Tim smiled a little, kissing his cheek and hugged him around the middle. 

 

The teen then pressed Connor back into the couch and laid on top of him, snuggling into that impossibly comfortable chest he missed so much. He took a deep inhale of Connor's scent through his shirt. It smelled like the compound at Nanda Parbat, but underneath was that warm, Kyptonian scent. All it was missing was the rolling outdoor breeze in Smallville where Ma Kent washed his clothes. 

 

"We need to get you back into your Superboy shirts and jeans..."

 

"Someday... When this is all over with, we should stay at Ma's..... If she's alive." He whispered the last part and buried his mouth in Tim's hair. 

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Benjamin finished breakfast up and began plating French toast and bacon for everyone. He made some fruit smoothies as well and placed everything around the kitchen island before he went through the connecting doors into the room holding Constantine. He approached the other and pulled the blanket off him.

 

 "Breakfast." He said before turning and walking out. 

 

John groaned and dragged himself up grabbing his shirt and throwing it over his shoulders before he snatched his tie and let it dangle around his neck. Next was the famous trench coat and pants. He didn't bother buttoning his shirt up and shuffled out of the room with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He plopped down in front of the counter with a groan. 

  
  


In the bedroom, Benjamin cracked the door open. Fortunately, Dick had already pulled on pants and a shirt. "If you two are done, breakfast is ready." He said before walking out.

 

Dick smiled and went out though rather than focusing on breakfast the first thing he did was snatch the cigarette out of John’s mouth, "No smoking inside." He scolded.

 

Slade exited shortly after Dick, a little more dressed for the day in a form fitting, breathable, black cotton shirt and pants that he wore under his suit.

 

found a seat across from Benjamin. "Late night?"

 

Benjamin gave a nod to Slade before sipping his smoothie, "Tim was having a hard time sleeping last night. I came out to talk to him." He said with a soft sigh, "kids been through a lot." 

 

His voice was full of compassion for the young teen. "He woke up early too.." Benjamin glanced back to Tim and Connor, as Dick approached the two on the couch, before looking at Slade with a smirk, "You at least had a good morning."

 

"Pft, bloody better than all of us I believe." Constantine said before nibbling on some bacon. 

 

Slade shook his head, "Sound proof walls my ass." He commented taking a bite of French toast. "Definitely wasn't the worst way to start off my day."

  
  
  


Tim had fallen asleep, he didn't know how or when, but he woke with a small start on Connor's chest. He lifted his head, looking up at Dick, blinking tiredly. 

 

"Morning." He said letting out a yawn before resting his head down on Connor's chest. "Mm. That feels good." Tim muttered with a little smile, about ready to fall back asleep all over again at the feeling of Dick's hand on his back and the comfortable warmth under him.

 

Dick smiled at Tim as he continued caressing and rubbing his back, Connor just relaxed, content with holding Tim. He was far from tired since he got a lot of sleep but he wouldn't trade watching Tim sleep for the world.

 

"I ...  'ove you, Kon." Tim muttered, tucking his hands under Connor's shirt along the super's sides and making a pleased sound by the warmth radiating from him. 

 

Dick waited until Tim seemed to be asleep again before he moved away, ruffling Kon's hair. He moved to stand behind Slade where he kissed his cheek and sat beside him, looking down at his plate.

 

 "Was there any cereal?"

 

"No." Ben responded as Dick pout. 

 

"I don't know how we're going to be friends if you can't get me cereal."

 

"Who said I wanted to be friends?" Benjamin responded, maybe a little cold but he was joking..... Mostly... 

 

Part of him was wary of Dick since he hurt his best friend, that same part being annoyed by Dick in general. Otherwise? He saw how happy Dick made Slade and knew he'd have to get used to him.

 

"Is this about the Tony the Bronze Tiger thing? Cuz you tried to kill me, so I think that makes us even."

 

"Not when you still call me that…” 

 

"Behave boys..." Slade half heartedly interjected. 

 

“You know the kid-" Tiggs nodded towards Kon, "Thinks my name is Tony."

 

Slade laughed a little, "I thought only Jason called you that… At least it's better than Douchestroke." 

 

A small, single snorted laugh was heard coming from the small bat on the couch.

 

"That sounds like something Jason would say." Dick said as he began eating his breakfast.

 

 "So then it just runs in the family?" Ben asked as Dick paused to think.

 

"Pretty much."

 

"Looks like Slade is screwed."

 

Dick snort at that and nudged Slade playfully with his shoulder, "He'll learn to love it." 

 

Benjamin smirked and looked at Slade, "If you need to fake your death just let me know."

 

Slade shook his head, "Faking it? I was actually considering it." It was a joke, but part of him seriously wondered how in the fresh hell he was going to handle this kid and his family long term? Patience... Hopefully. 

 

Suddenly Dick let out an, "Mm!" Through his mouthful of food, for once covering his mouth while he spoke.. Someday he'd learn to stop talking with a full mouth. 

 

"Ben, do you know Slade's birthday?" Yes, he was still stuck on this. 

 

"He hasn't told you? Pft. You forget whose side I'm on."

 

"Asshole." Dick muttered before looking at Slade, "I swear to god if it passed while we were together, I'll kill you." 

 

Dick then paused to think, "Wait, it wouldn't have been cuz we got together in June."

 

"How would you know that?" John asked through his headache.

 

"Cuz he's a Taurus."

 

"You sure he's not an Ares?"

 

Dick shrugged, "Yeah cuz he's more on the stubborn side..."

 

"That's creepy." Benjamin commented.

 

"And that's confirmation." Dick said before looking at Slade

 

Slade leaned over the counter and flicked Benjamin's arm hard. "Way to go  _ Tony _ ."

 

"Still think astrology and fate is bullshit?" Dick teased.

 

"Fate is a result of the energy you put out into the universe. A product of electric frequencies that interact and attract others... Like magic... Astrology works the same way, your body reacts and connects with the energy your ruling planet puts out. Or scientifically the position of the Earth in space alters the electromagnetic frequencies and since humans are so sensitive it affects a person's fundamental personality." Constantine said around his French toast, "You are a bloody good cook." 

 

Dick was silent, "So... Do you have any astrological books? Namely one called 'The Secret Language of Relationships?'"

 

"Yes, I suppose I do have it..."

 

"Then we're stopping by your house."

 

"Before we make plans to go anywhere," Slade interrupted. "Especially plans to ... Get a book out from under a strange man's bed ... We need to talk about next steps. Or, at least confirm them." 

 

Someone needed to get this crazy train back on the tracks. 

 

"Luthor will want Connor back as soon as possible. Tim is going back to Nanda Parbat with Ben, and I'm stuck with Casper and his friends." Slade said gesturing to John. "I need to stop by a drop point in Gotham before we leave to load up on supplies. Ben, if you need stock of anything you're welcomed to come too." 

 

Slade then looked to Dick. "Now would be a good time for you to put your affairs in order." Gesturing back to the couch. "John you ... Just sit somewhere and don't make trouble for me."

 

"I think we'd be better off without the supplies. The Court needs to know I can rule without additional help and while I appreciate the offer, your weapons would make it seem as though I'm incapable of handling things on my own." 

 

"Weapons? I was talking about liquor." Slade smirked, only half joking. 

 

He had a dozen cases of irish whiskey and Kentucky bourbon sitting in a store house they  _ would _ be picking up. "You might need some moving forward. Or spike the morning tea and everyone will be on your side in no time."

 

Benjamin laughed, "Well in that case, I'll take half of your liquor supply." The tiger joked back, finishing off his smoothie before his attention turned back to Slade.

 

Ben then looked back towards Tim, "I also want to take the kid somewhere before we head back... Clear his head a little bit."

 

"Where are you taking him?" Dick asked curiously.

 

Benjamin looked back at the two, mainly Slade, "Remember that cabin in Iceland? The one you used to take Rose to when you got into fights with Addie? I was gonna take him there.. Let him escape the mountains a bit longer before we get back... I've already got confirmation that the High Court will have troops stationed in Nanda Parbat." 

 

“Sounds fun.” Constantine grabbed another cigarette, got up and lit it on the stove before heading out to the patio for a smoke. 

 

Dick frowned and sighed before he got up, kissing Slade's cheek before putting his dishes in the sink. 

 

Slade watched Dick move over to Tim before sliding his eye back over to Ben. "You're cautious of him now." His tone held no malice. "To be honest? So am I." 

 

It was hard to admit that he felt that way, but, it was the truth. "Adam and him talked again last night. Short but ... I can't stand it." He shrugged, "Addie is probably laughing at me."

 

"Addie would think you're getting what you deserve..... It's tough... He makes you happier than I've seen anyone make you." That clearly included Adeline, "And yet he's also hurt you when you least expected it... He has a flirty personality and.." Tiggs paused, "I saw the way he looked at Adam. It's the same look he gives you..." 

 

Benjamin let out a sigh, if only they had that whiskey  _ now _ ... "I think this chance is an opportunity for him to prove he's capable of giving himself to you, hell I was the one who recommended it, but if he does it again, Slade, you shouldn't put up with it... And he and I will be on  _ very _ bad terms.." 

 

Slade nodded, staying silent as he mulled over whether or not he should say what he was thinking. This was Benji though, if he didn't he'd eventually get it out of him some other way. 

 

"I guess that's the thing ... I'm not entirely convinced he won't do it again." He said low down at his french toast that was now two bites from done. "Adam has this influence over him that's rooted in deep. I have a hard time blaming the kid for it though ... From what I understand he spent years conditioning and grooming him. I know how the manipulation game works, I can't even begin to pretend it wasn't something I utilized in the past." 

 

The last was Terra. 

 

She was so vulnerable, broken, and Slade had used those things to win her over and cause destruction that, in the end, even he couldn't control. Worst of all? She had loved Slade, or maybe more so was infatuated with him. He gave her attention and praise in a way that he quickly discovered was inappropriate because of the reaction it garnered. She'd kissed him, he even came home to her naked in his bed. Instead of laying down a clear line in the sand about where he stood (that he wouldn't be dating or sleeping with a minor) he skirted around long enough to finish the mission. Frankly? It was disgusting, and he still thought so. As far as he was concerned, Terra's blood would always be on his hands.

 

"I  _ want _ to be understanding, to support him. Just because he makes a mistake or two I won't abandon him ... But my emotions get the best of me. It isn't rational. When I decked Adam for kissing him it wasn't a rational move. He could have turned us in. Worst I just left Dick there and ... You know the rest." 

 

Did Slade feel responsible and guilty for Dick getting picked up and tortured by the High Court? Yes. If he'd had a cooler head about things, it never would have happened. 

 

"This relationship is like being caught up in a whirlwind. He's highly emotional ... Thing is, so am I." Slade put his fork down. "I remember how much Addie used to balance me out, calm me down, help me think straight.” 

 

“Now, the roles are reversed and I'm trying. I want .. I want him to be able to rely on me but, I have to be able to make mistakes and not have him running off. I'm worried it's too much too fast."

 

"You can't compare your relationship with him to your marriage, Slade. You were with her for  _ years _ , you've been with him for, what, two months now? You're still learning each other.." 

 

Benjamin glanced back at Dick before looking at Slade, "I don't think he expects you to be a wall he can lean on... He expresses his emotions more openly than you do, you shouldn't let that suppress you." 

 

Slade never was outwardly emotional, not in the ways Dick was, but when he was comfortable with someone Tiggs noticed that Slade showed them more freely. 

 

"I think he'd welcome you showing your emotions, honestly.." The tiger said before fiddling with his cup. ".. Maybe you need to tell him you don't trust him.... Let that sting. It may not  _ stop _ him from cheating, but it might give him the awareness he needs not to put himself in that position."

 

 Oh Benji would be having a talk with Dick before he left. He just had to get him alone. "You two have a complicated relationship, not just within your moral standing, but with the age difference. He's young. Naive. Like I said before... You need to decide if the work you put into the relationship is worth the outcome."

 

"We need to talk about a lot of things apparently ... We still haven't talked about... Well any of it. Really, we just skirt over everything. I told him I overreacted and that he didn’t deserve to be tortured for it." Slade shrugged. 

 

Dick came back to him in such a destroyed and vulnerable state that Slade saw no choice but to take care of the person he loved. Then, after everything, Dick healed, Slade was finding it hard to admit to Dick that he never intended for them to start dating again. That when he left Adam's that night he was sure, positive, that he and Dick would never work. Yet, here they were again acting almost exactly as they did before. Slade didn't like the idea of bringing up old wounds for Dick when he clearly wanted to forget all about it. Maybe though, it was okay for Slade to need the closure and assurity that conversation would give him. 

 

Looking over at Dick interacting with Tim on the couch was cute scene. The genuine interactions Dick had with people, and especially with his family, was one of his favorite parts about him. It made him realize that maybe Slade was coddling the hero too much. Dick was helping Tim through such a tough spot not long after his own assault. Dick was compassionate and wanted to be there for Tim and everything else. He'd seen that very same attitude when Dick had spoken with Jason, Cass, Harper ... So, why couldn't Slade open up a little and admit to Dick things weren't okay yet?

 

"You remember how Joey used to like to feed the squirrels in the backyard? He'd sit really still and they would just come and eat right out of his hand?" Slade asked before letting out a small laugh.

 

 "Rose never could, she couldn't sit still, be quiet. Even the slightest jerk would send them running away from her, after the second time they wouldn't even come up to the porch if she was sitting outside." Slade did have a point to this story. "I'm trying to be Joey, because I'm afraid if I make the wrong move he'll run. Once I've made enough of them, he won't come back." 

 

Benjamin sighed, "It's... Typical for people to avoid uncomfortable conversations but in a relationship they're necessary... I lost the first woman I loved because I didn't tell her what was on my mind."

 

 That wasn't Benjamin's point though, "I know you love him... He means a lot to you. But... If he can't accept your thoughts and feelings then he's not as good for you as either of us believe.... You should have the freedom to tell him you haven't healed from the injuries he's given you... If he's not willing to hear it then he doesn't get to claim he cares about you as much as he does." 

 

He pointed out before glancing back at Dick. "If I'm going to be honest with you, though... Dick Grayson isn't a scidish squirrel. That kid stands in the face of danger. Challenges the world when it's turned against him.. If you honestly manage to scare him away when Adam  _ couldn't _ ? Then maybe he doesn't really love you." 

 

No, that wasn't reassuring at all. Benjamin looked back at Slade, "You have to be willing to lose him to see if what you have is real.... I can give you two a minute to talk if you need before Luthor comes."

 

Having Dick around was comfortable and it made Slade feel good. Potentially screwing that up wasn't an easy decision to make. However, if he couldn't have Dick truly, wholly, and honestly then in the long run it wasn't worth it. Slade was a little too old to be casually dating at this point, he wanted something real with Dick.

 

"This is what I get for dating someone in my line of work and half my age ... Complications." It was half joking, but also Slade's way of saying he agreed with Ben's assessment of the situation. 

 

Benjamin couldn't help but chuckle at Slade before rolling his eyes, "It's what you get for  _ dating _ ."

  
  
  
  


~While Slade and Ben were talking~

  
  


Dick had sat at the foot of the couch by Tim and took to massaging the teens calf, "Hey..." He soothed softly. 

 

He didn't want to stay goodbye but what choice did he have. "I... Wanted to let you know that I love you, Tim..... And... I was thinking about the last time I saw you.... How we fought..." 

 

Dick paused. "It was your birthday... I didn't even notice because I was so caught up with everything." He felt like shit for that one. 

 

"You don't have to be sorry. No one remembered ... Well Jason did, he reminded me with a cupcake, cigarettes, and condoms ... But I'd forgotten too. Things aren't exactly normal right now." 

 

Dick offered a half smile letting go of his need to discuss said birthday gifts, instead, he pulled a necklace from his pocket and handed it over to Tim's. It was Janet Drake's. 

 

"I went to one of Bruce's old caves... Found that there. Thought it should be in your hands."

 

It was a beautiful, yet simple, a single stone of Alexandrite that dangled beautifully on a white gold chain. There was a small gold tag attached to the back inscribed with three dates, the one his mother was born, the day she was married, and the day of Tim's birth. It was her favorite piece of jewelry and Tim thought he'd lost it forever not but 6 months after she died. Tim held the necklace close to his chest and looked sad yet, a small turn of his lips revealed something that could be considered reminiscent.

 

 "I thought I lost this." Tim started, running his finger over the stone. "... I cried for her more in the last two weeks than I have in the last two years. I missed her, wished she could hold me, could be here." He squeezed a little tighter. "...You know what it's like to miss your Mom." 

 

Tim was absolutely sure that Dick did.

 

Tim took a breath, releasing his grip on the necklace and settled his blue eyes on Dick. "I love you. I know you are always there for me ... Last time was just as much my fault as yours. I was exhausted, recovering and I just snapped. I'm not mad at you ... You should see your puppy dog eyes, you'd know I could never be mad at you."

 

Dick smiled and moved closer, an arm wrapping around Tim as he let his head rest against the others. "I know we're not blood but you are without a doubt my brother...... I have your photo in my wallet.... Had... I don't have my wallet now." 

 

Tim smiled and smoothed Dick's hair back as he hugged him. "Biology has very little to do with being a Wayne at this point." Tim replied squeezing him. "Even with Bruce gone ... We will always be a family." 

 

He chuckled and exhaled before nuzzling into Tim. "Today we're all going to get back to work but... I want you to know you can always talk to me... Especially with Benji in charge."

 

He had to hold onto that, or he would have lost it long ago. "I'll call once a week. We shouldn't lose touch." 

 

Tim wanted to keep his family close, and it was an absolute mistake to destroy his equipment. Though, Dick was right, with Ben in charge Tim would be upgrading  _ all _ his systems and his ability to help. 

 

Dick smiled and ruffled Tim's hair, "You better call me once a week or I swear to god I will use all of Slade's money to make all the coffee around the world decaf." He teased playfully, if he made good on that threat then he would be a deadman. Everyone knew it.

 

"You better not or I'll tell Babs and according to Bat Law, I'm pretty sure she can ground you now." Tim joked. "... Question. Are you head of the household now or is it Babs? Because I need to make sure I'm sucking up to the right person."

 

"I think it's safe to assume Babs is in charge. She'd wipe the pavement with me." Dick chuckled. 

 

Barbara was one of the most skilled fighters in the family, no doubt she could kick all the bat boys ass' "

 

But you can also ask me for any supplies or... Really anything you need."

 

"I appreciate that but ... You know Bruce's assets have been frozen for months now right?" 

 

Bruce suspected to have ties to Batman, at least funding him. Everyone knew that. So , it was bound to happen. 

 

"So unless your sugar daddy is coughing up dough ... Well, I do still have my trust fund and Drake corporate profits to live off of. Believe it or not, we are still conducting some business. People still need jobs to feed their families." Tim was allowed to make business calls, Ra's had allowed that.

 

"I do need your help with something though." Tim clamored off the couch and grabbed a small bag he'd been carrying under his robes last night. Out of it he pulled a perfectly sealed plastic bag with two cotton swabs inside. "The leader of the High Court had coffee with Ra's." 

 

Tim handed the baggy to Dick. "I was able to swab the rim before they washed the cup. Everything we have at the compound isn't sensitive enough to pick up any DNA ... I'm hoping you might know someone who can get something from this."

 

“I'll get right on it." He said with a smile before pulling Tim into a tight hug, nose in his hair. "I love you so much, baby bird." 

 

"I love you too." Tim said back immediately squeezing Dick's hands as he helped him off the couch. 

 

"Why don't you come get some breakfast? Benji is a pretty good cook." Dick said before winking.

 

Connor stood up slowly, hands finding their way to his pockets as he stared towards the ground. He still felt guilty, he was glad Dick wasn't attacking him for what he's done.

 

"It smells good." Tim admitted and looked over to Connor, reading his features quickly enough. Supers weren't exactly great at hiding their outward emotions though. 

 

"Hey Handsome," Tim started moving from Dick's side to put a hand on Connor's chest and sliding it up to his shoulder. "Come eat with me. I'll need someone to finish my french toast for me." Tim offered before, ultimately, grasping the bottom of Connor's shirt and pulling him toward the kitchen island. 

  
  


Slade was picking up his own plate and clearing a spot for the three boys to occupy, leaving the dishes for the hotel to take care of. He'd leave a good tip for the staff. Besides, he needed to go talk to his new responsibility outside and tell him the  _ actual _ situation. He didn't expect it would go well, but he headed out to the balcony anyway. 

 

"Ben ... I didn't know you could cook." Tim said before sitting down with an empty cup of espresso placed in front of him. 

 

He was already eyeing the coffee machine again. Ra's had rationed him out to two cups a day, and Tim had fought  _ hard _ for that second cup.

 

"It's just French toast, pretty basic stuff." Ben said with a shrug, following Tim's stare to the coffee machine before pouring him a cup and bringing it over to the teen.

 

Tim seemed otherwise occupied with Kon and so Tiggs took advantage of the fact Slade was outside,  looking at Dick, "Can we talk?" He asked. 

 

The hero looked up from Tim and gave a nod before following the tiger to the second room. 

 

"What is it?" Dick asked once the door was closed only to feel Ben grab the back of the shirt and force him against the door.

 

"I'm trying  _ really hard _ to have respect for you and to like you. It's even harder for me when I see you fawn over another man. Frankly? It makes me wanna knock your damn teeth in." Ben growled shifting back only slightly.

 

"You hurt, Slade... You  _ cheat _ on him again and you  _ will _ need some dental work... Got it? It’s hard for him to let you in the way he has. I'll be damned if I let you brush that off."

 

Dick was silent a moment, tense with brows furrowed. He gave a nod and broke eye contact. "I... Understand.... It's not going to happen again. I lov-"

 

"Then we’re on the same page." Benjamin turned and walked out of the room. 

 

Dick lingered a moment before sighing under his breath, "What you get for being a whore, huh?" 

  
  
  
  
  


Slade spent some time outside with Constantine who was ... Less than willing to cooperate. As if the situation wasn't already going to be difficult enough ... This man was just making it that much worse. Slade secretly wondered how angry Dick might get about killing the guy ... Sure he'd get in hot water, but not as much as he would if he couldn't deliver a well behaved pet to Alea in a decent time frame. 

 

He'd cut their conversation short, coming back into the hotel room shaking his head as he made his way to the master bedroom. Dick was already there cleaning up their things and making the bed. The atmosphere was uncomfortable. Slade closed the short distance between them, pulling Dick by his waist as he pressed his chest against Dick's back. 

 

He placed a short kiss on Dick's temple, "Are you feeling alright?"

 

Dick, at first, tensed but then quickly relaxed and leaned into him. "Yeah, I'm fine... Just thinking." He said, he didn't want to out Benji for threatening him. "We should probably leave soon... I need to take my antibiotics." 

 

He was going to need them for the next couple weeks to keep his lungs clear. Dick made a remarkable recovery but he was on antibiotics and still using breathing treatments to stay healthy.

 

The hero finally turned around and wrapped his arms around Slade's shoulders, "You know I love you, right? So much.... No one makes my heart race like you do." 

 

The admission of love out of the blue had alarm bells ringing. Dick was sweet, and of course, randomly reminded Slade of his love for him all the time. However, this felt different, it wasn't a reminder, it felt more like an anxious confirmation. 

 

"Of course I do." Slade smoothed his hands on Dick's sides before guiding Dick to sit down on the bed behind him. "Something is bothering you." He stated rather than asked, sitting himself next to Dick, facing the man's side with one leg bent up on the bed while the other stayed on the floor. 

 

"We've avoided having this conversation as long as we could ... We need to air things out."

 

Sometimes Dick hate how Slade could see through him so easily. With a sigh he looked down at his own hands, his body tense the same way it got whenever he was uncomfortable. 

 

"You mean about what happened at Adams..." Gee he wondered what Slade and Ben were talking about.

 

"I... Didn't handle that situation right  _ at all _ .... The first mistake was going to talk to him. That was an intimate issue between us that I should've brought to you, not him." Right now stating the facts was easier. "And obviously I shouldn't have... Kissed him." That one hurt to say. 

 

"It wasn't my intention but... That doesn't matter because that's what happened. And... I'm disappointed and angry and..." He stopped and shook his head, pure shame filling his features as he closed his eyes. 

 

"I shouldn't have begged you to stay the way I did." For the first time Dick looked over to Slade. "That wasn't fair to you. It violated your right to put up your boundaries and walk away.." And it was  _ humiliating  _ but he wasn't ready to admit that.

 

Dicks eyes returned to his hands as they fidgeted with each other, "I don't... Expect you to forgive me for it... I know that hurt you and I  _ regret  _ it everyday."

 

"....I haven't forgiven you." Slade admitted after a moment, unable to look at Dick either. "That night, when I saw you and him kissing it wasn't just about the kiss.  _ You _ know that." 

 

Slade let out a sigh. "When you look at him, when you talked with him, the way you let him touch you, hold you, everything ... It’s  _ obvious  _ you still love him. Maybe you still want him too, I don't know." 

 

Slade felt a twist in his chest. Even though this was the right thing to do for him, he knew it was going to hurt Dick and that  _ killed him _ . "That night, I told you I loved you. I gave you an insight that made me vulnerable in a way you  _ don't _ understand. I thought you felt the same, but you  _ don't _ . I won't love anyone else like I do you, I'd refuse to let anyone else occupy that space you have with me. You are precious enough to be the  _ only _ one for me." God he needed a drink. 

 

"I don't feel like I can trust you anymore."

 

Each word Slade spoke only hurt more and more and it showed in Dick's breathing. He'd take a quiet deep breath and hold it for a while before he released it. He didn't want to cry in front of the other, didn't want to turn this into some kind of pity party or make Slade feel guilty for expressing what he was feeling. So Dick took what felt like hours just sitting with his eyes closed, steadying himself enough that he could talk without sobbing. 

 

"That's... Understandable." Dick said in barely a whisper. "I... Already told you I still have feelings for him.. It's easy for me to promise to forget about those feelings when he's not around but..." He didn't need to explain it further.

 

 "I can't make these feelings go away, Slade.... I've tried.. For  _ years _ . And it  _ disgusts  _ me that I still have them… I  _ hate  _ it.. I can't change it but... I  _ can _ promise you that I won't let myself be alone with him... If you don't want me near him at all then I can skip out on all the resistance meetings and stay away from him whenever we go to a gala or whatever.. Or.. Just not go...." 

 

Dick took a deep breath, "And I can promise not to talk to him." Finally he turned his body to face Slade, a pit in his stomach. He felt like throwing up. "If.... You... Want to try to make this work, I'll do everything in my power to keep him out of my life. And... You don't have to trust me or forgive me or open up to me if you need to heal... And... I understand if you don't want to do this anymore." 

 

That last part hurt and he couldn't stop it from showing in his voice or stop the rogue tear that dripped loose.

 

"Stop..." Slade said, reaching out and brushing the tear from Dick's face. "Dick, I want you and I want to work on this." He moved his hand down to hold Dick's watching the tension drop from his shoulders. 

 

"I wouldn't have even bothered having this conversation with you if I thought it was over between us. I wouldn't admit I still love you." Slade squeezed his hand.

 

 "... I talked to Ben. He's my best friend, like a brother to me.. We are like teenage girls, we tell each other everything." Slade laughed out at the poorly timed joke earning a small smile from Dick.

 

 "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him. I  _ know _ Adam groomed you for years. I also know that the mental and emotional hold he has on you isn't your fault. I don't blame you for his behavior Dick and I won't hold you to an impossible standard of clearing all that out by yourself." 

 

Slade's tone was calm and understanding, but completely genuine. "Nor am I saying you need to be the one to wholly keep Adam at bay. What I am saying is that you need to let me be your partner. You need to talk to me, tell me what you need and want, but be okay if that conversation doesn't go well. If you need to talk to someone else about us that's fine too ... But it should  _ never  _ be Adam.” 

 

“He has no place between the two of us, so don't let him wedge himself there. If you feel like he's pulling on you, if you feel as though you need to run to him  _ tell me. _ I won't shame you for it." 

 

"More than all this though, Dick ... I think it's important you start talking to a therapist, one that  _ isn't _ Adam." Slade stressed. "You need someone to help you work through everything that's happened to you. I will personally pay for them, they can come to the house, or you can go meet them somewhere. Whatever feels right for you. I can help you find someone if you want me to as well. I could go with you too sometimes if you think that would help..." 

 

Slade was watching Dick's face, wondering if he was crossing a line but knowing he'd need the push to seek counseling if he needed it. "Dick, you don't have to live like this. You don't need to battle all your demons on your own and then suffer when you lose to them."

 

Dick nearly laughed and looked at the other to see if he was joking.... He wasn't.... The only reason he went to sessions with Adam was because Adam was a hot guy that he wanted to make out with. 

 

"Babe.. No.” Dick started, eyes shifting off of the other before feeling a tension in his gut, “Do you  _ seriously  _ think I need a therapist?" 

 

He didn't think he was  _ that _ messed up. "If that's what I need to do to make this work then.... I'll do it. I just... Don't want to have to take medication... Adam says I have depression but I don't need a pill to manage that." That wasn't his only diagnosis but he wasn't going to get into that.

 

"Dick, seeing a therapist doesn't have to be a need or mean something is horribly wrong. Lots of people seek therapy for a lot of different reasons. I went after my Grandfather died. Joey saw someone for years after he lost his ability to speak ... Addie and I even went after Rose was born." That was a story for another time, though. 

 

"Getting professional help just means you are being responsible about taking care of your mental health like you would your physical health ... Then again, I have seen what your diet consists of..." Maybe this was just an overarching problem of Dick not taking care of himself in general. 

 

Dick rolled his eyes and shot Slade a look.

 

"I'm not forcing you to go, nor is it contingent on us being together. However, if you want my opinion? I think if you find someone who you connect with, go in with an open mind, and give it an honest try.  _ You _ will feel better. You have to start taking care of yourself or you are going to burn out."

 

"But why can't I just talk to you? I'm not looking for a diagnosis or for someone to confirm that I have issues." 

 

Therapy was never something Dick was very.... Open to. He shook his head and looked back up at Slade before sighing again, "I'll.... Think about it, okay? But no promises... Believe it or not, it’s not easy for me to get raw and vulnerable with everyone... Some people feel safer than others and... I don't like pouring my heart out to people I'm not close to.. It feels violating." 

 

"But that doesn't mean I won't work on myself.... I know it's not something you'll wanna hear but Adam taught me a few things. I think my first problem is that I'm being a victim of my emotions. Surrendering my responsibility to them. Beating myself up over my choices instead of acknowledging them and making new ones....” 

 

“The only way I can get your trust back is if I change my thinking so that I can actually hold my boundaries instead of using my emotions as an excuse to lower them." He said before pressing his forehead against Slade's. "What I have with you is... It's amazing, Slade... It's like what I had with Adam but... It's  _ real _ .”

 

“ It's not in my head. It's not a manipulation game and... I treasure that. I treasure you for being who you are and what I need and... I don't want him." Dick softly kissed Slade before pulling back and holding his hand. "I promise you... I will not take advantage of your heart again."

 

"I appreciate that." 

 

While he wasn’t satisfied with Dick’s resistence to seek counseling, he wasn’t going to push it.

 

"It will take some time for me to heal, and trust is something you'll have to earn from me." He was firm, watching Dick's face for his reaction. 

 

"Before I saw you at the High Court holding facility I had no intentions of getting back together with you. I thought we'd be friends, acquaintances that could keep working together. Yet, you fell into me, I carried you out against my chest and realized I didn't want you anywhere else. This thing we have is ... Intense and happened so fast, but that doesn't make it any less real. I'm glad we both want to take this seriously."

 

It hurt a bit it was the reality check Dick needed. 

 

"I... Don't blame you." He answered honestly, "Like I said.. I don't expect you to forgive or trust me for a while." Dick reminded and pulled Slade into a tight hug, his face burying itself into Slade's neck. 

 

The hero sat still in Slade's embrace just taking in his scent for a while before pulling back, a hand resting on Slade's face as he smiled. 

 

"Thank you for talking to me. I know it was uncomfortable and... Hard... But it's what we need to make things work. It's... It's what  _ I _ need... That authenticity. Knowing how you feel and what you're thinking. So.. Thank you." Dick smiled, an ounce of pain behind it but his eyes were soft expressing gratitude.

 

Slade didn't respond with words, rather he hugged Dick, just holding him, pressing a kiss into his temple. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Getting everyone ready to go from the hotel was an absolute disaster. Tim had tried to steal the fancy coffee maker with Connor's help, who ended up ripping a water line out of the wall. The poor clone didn't actually know there were coffee machines fancy enough that they had their own water source. Tim was no help and had laughed hysterically at Connor's face while Ben tried to shut the water line off under the sink. Eventually Tim was floated over the mess on the floor by Connor (he didn't want to take his socks off or get his feet wet) and Slade told Ben Tim was grounded. Tim, Connor, and Ben left shortly after, Tim carrying the hand french press under one arm. 

 

Constantine fell asleep smoking on balcony, nearly lighting his pants on fire. It took a little more convincing and a promise to stop by John's apartment to get the man to wait on Slade's jet while he and Dick drove into Gotham city for some supplies.


	22. Count On Me

"I'm glad it's just the two of us ... Even if it's for fifteen minutes."

 

 Slade let out a sigh as his body relaxed against the seat back of his car. Currently, they were driving towards downtown Gotham to meet up with Harper and Barbara. 

 

"I just spent the night with more people in one hotel room than I have in a while and it was … Annoying." 

 

Slade liked his private space, to be _alone_ , or intimate time shared between him and his partner without distraction. When his kids were around? He liked to do one on one activities with them rather than try and make them always share Dad's attention. He could handle large groups, but for limited amounts of time. He needed those breaks of quiet in between.

 

 "Is my little introvert all pooped out?" Dick asked with a pout. 

 

"I thought having Damian around was a lot ... I've completely forgotten what it's like to have a full house. I don't know how I ever did it..." Slade chuckled, then sighed. "Constantine is going to be a handful ... I'm sure he and Damian won't get along."

 

"Constantine's an interesting character... I think he pushes people away because he's tired of feeling the pain of losing them... Nobody likes an asshole so the harsher and more obnoxious he is the less people _want_ to get close....." Dick thought aloud before pausing.

 

 "Or maybe he's just a selfish asshole... Or... Is willing to sacrifice the people he cares about for the greater good.." That was depressing, Dick thought. 

 

"We will have to figure out how to work with him. If Alea doesn't get what she wants then ... I postured too much." 

 

 Slade couldn't _actually_ use any torture techniques or manipulation on this guy ... Dick wouldn't let him. 

 

Dick rolled his eyes, "Well, anyways, if you need to go out and clear your head tonight I can handle the kids... Or I can take them somewhere if you want the house to yourself."

 

 Dick had offered wanting Slade to know that he honored the others mental space and wanted him to have a moment to recharge. He then reached over and gently massaged his thigh.

 

 "Or... I can give you a massage.. Help you relax."

 

Slade looked down to Dick's hand. "I like the second suggestion." 

 

He reached down to squeeze Dick's hand. "I have great locks on my bedroom door. I'm sure it would take even Damian a good half an hour to open them ... hopefully he just gives up instead." 

 

Though this was the child who had decided that he would make Slade's life a living hell for even looking at his brother.

 

 "I don't mind spending my alone time with you."

 

Dick felt his face heat up at Slade's words before he broke eye contact, looking towards the floor with a large smile on his face. It honestly humbled the hero that Slade wanted to spend his alone time with him and filled him with butterflies. 

 

 "I... Am really happy to hear that." He chuckled and kissed Slade's cheek. "I'll treat you after Damian goes to bed tonight... Constantine can handle himself..." 

 

His attention shifted towards outside the car as they arrived at the warehouse. Once they stopped, Dick got out of the car and approached the blue haired woman with Slade following close by.

 

 Cassandra approached from behind himself and Dick to stand next to Harper. Where she'd come from or how long she'd been following them was anyone's guess. 

 

"Hey." Dick started before looking at the briefcase in her hand. 

 

"Hey... I know you're not excited about this but Roy looked it over and everything checks out. It should only stun Slade's powers for a day.. Two tops." Harper explained before looking over to Slade, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

 

"Doesn't sound like I have much of a choice. Humanity and all being at stake." Slade said flippantly, even though it truly did mean more to him than that. 

 

"Hold on.... His powers 'should'? What if they don't? How sure are you?" 

 

"Hey... I know he's your boyfriend and all but relax. I don't have a reason to kill him."

 

"Dick, she isn't talking life or death. This is my meta abilities, unlike most, I'm perfectly capable of surviving my career without them." 

 

Sure it had saved his ass in a pinch before and having advanced reaction time, increased strength and speed, with a dash of increased mental dexterity was nice. However, Slade was a very accomplished Marine before his injections and had no doubt he'd still be a force to be reckoned with without them. 

 

"It'll be fine." 

 

"I know but..." Dick started before heavily sighing, "I never agreed to this." He mumbled and headed inside.

 

Babs was there, set in a loading bay with a makeshift lab. Around them in the rest of the warehouse were spare parts for a variety of things. Getting new supplies into Gotham was hard, so working on salvage was much easier and quicker. There was a chair laid with different wires across the arms all connected to a laptop Barbara was currently typing away on. 

 

"Think he'll mind giving us picture updates?" Barbara asked, looking up from her station and smirking. "Wow, boy wonder on time. That's a first."

 

"I was driving." Slade said after, shedding his jacket and laying it over where Barbara had placed her own. 

 

His eye immediately went to the chair ... He looked somewhat uncomfortable for a nearly imperceptible moment before his attention returned to Barbara. 

 

"This all for me?"

 

"Yes ... I'd like to say it isn't a pleasure to do this, but, there have been a few times I've wanted to do more than shock you." Barbara replied honestly with a shrug. "No hard feelings though."

 

"Of course." Slade replied.

 

"Alright, Dick, make yourself useful and hook your ... Boyfriend ... Up to the sensors on the chair. Harper, focus on setting up. Cass, do one more perimeter check before we run the tests." 

 

Cassandra nodded and headed up into the rafters where she completely disappeared.

 

"Are you sure about this, Babs? I mean-"

 

Harper smacked Dick on the back of the head, "If you were the one with superpowers you'd be begging us to do this. Now stop griping." 

 

She got to work hooking up the contents in the briefcase to the chair and the computer so they could activate the right voltage. 

 

"She's right, you would have been the first to volunteer. Slade is, for once, trying to do the right thing." Babs looked up from her computer with a smirk.

 

Dick gave a heavy sigh and gestured for Slade to sit down in the chair before he peeled Slade's shirt off and got to work setting up the wires.

 

 "Think I'd get an A in science class for this?" Dick asked quirking his brow.

 

 Luckily he knew which wires were meant for xrays and set them up appropriately. Harper helped set up the wires that the emp shocks would go through. 

 

"Look at it this way, he'll need to make more gym trips if this is permanent and I personally wouldn't object to going to some of those."

 

Dick rolled his eyes, "That'd be a private show." He responded before getting the last of the cords set up. 

 

"Bad boy routine not as convincing if he's being a good guy?" 

 

Babs was teasing Dick, which suggesting Dick liked the villain type wasn't exactly fair (they had dated). However, Dick did seem to swoon more easily into the arms of those less morally righteous. 

 

Dick rolled his eyes but otherwise stayed silent, he wouldn't have been okay with anyone he knew doing this but... He had to let it go.

 

He then put a hand on Slade's cheek, the other on the arm of the chair. "If this gets to be too much just tell us to stop...  Okay?" 

 

Slade said he didn't want to be experimented on again, the last thing Dick wanted was to cause him to have a PTSD episode.

 

"Dick, I'm going to be fine. You worry too much. Trust your family." Slade reassured him, moving his wired arm down against the chairs arm rests. 

 

The hero frowned and leaned in to softly kiss the older male who welcomed sharing that soft intimacy with Dick. Afterwards, catching Barbara staring. 

 

 Dick looked at Barbara, "What else do we need?"

 

She shook her head and looked down. "I'll get a baseline of his healing abilities and metabolic functions." 

 

Barbara approached and first took Slade's blood sugar, then, injected a fair amount of insulin into his system. While she waited for it to kick in she tested Slade's reflexes, grip strength, and cut him on his exposed upper arm with a three inch long, half inch deep push of a scalpel. The first reading of blood sugar was a little low, but fairly normal, the next was back to normal already in less than fifteen minutes. Usually insulin was just peeking in the system by then via IV. The cut on Slade's arm had already stopped bleeding and was even pulling itself back together. By the end of it Slade looked tense, but didn't say anything. Still, he earned a sympathetic look from his boyfriend. 

 

"Above average on everything. Means we picked the right measures to focus on." Barbara confirmed, watching Cass approach and quietly confirm they were still alone.

 

"Good. Let's get this over with." Slade said with a bit of urgency he hadn't expressed before then. 

 

"Fine by me, Harper run us through the three levels. I'll check his general stats here, once level three is done we will run the full exam again. Ready when you are."

 

Harper began activating the system, she hit the right buttons to take him through level 1. It was uncomfortable, but manageable. After a minute, Harper increased it to round Two. Slade jerked and tightened his fists while Dick shifted in worry. He felt his anxiety peaking as Slade expressed physical discomfort and even more so as Barbara read a blip on his vitals, a reaction, but not enough.

 

The third was different, Slade felt that in his bones, his body reacted by his chest jerking up in the chair, a choked sound of pain escaping him. It was a shock unlike anything he'd ever felt, it wasn't like a taser, this electricity burned and he swore he could feel it slowly invading every inch of his body back into his spinal column. His vision flashed white, he heard a faint ringing in his ears when the world started coming back to him in blurry color and pin pricks of rainbow fluttering around at the edges. His extremities tingled and he realized he had squeezed the end of the chair, he relaxed his fingers letting them flex to allow blood back into his white knuckles. Fuck, that wasn't fun, but he'd had worse. 

 

Slade looked to Dick first after a few seconds, "I'm okay Kid, relax." He assured him from his seat, knowing Dick was probably ready to explode.

 

"Harper, I think it worked." Barbara said, moving to Slade and testing his reflexes.

 

 Slade seemed a little less cooperative this time, obviously dealing with some after effects, so Barbara skipped the last few and moved onto the insulin trial. 

 

"Alright, same dosage IV, we will let it run for five extra minutes to make sure we get a decent comparison." 

 

"Just do it."

 

"Deathstroke, not a great patient, does not surprise me." Barbara smirked, and surprisingly gave him a squeeze on the arm as she injected the insulin. "I heard you like scotch."

 

"You heard right."

 

"I snuck a bottle of Macallan out of Bruce's personal stock for you."

 

"... Are we talking a twenty five or sixty four?" 

 

"Oh no, it's the M series seventy five. Bruce never even opened it. It's been perfectly kept by Alfred I assure you." Barbara spoke like an expert, and it made Slade smile a little.

 

"A woman who knows her scotch ... I like that." Slade almost sounded flirtatious, but really he was impressed. 

 

Most people couldn't tell a good scotch from a store brand, so he always appreciated a woman, or man, that could distinguish.

 

 Dick smiled, relaxing just a bit, he wasn't put off by Slade's flirty tone. Really, he was glad that not only his ex but his _very_ close friend was getting along with Slade or.... At least being civil. He honestly was scared Barbara would leave him like Kori did and even though he loved Kori (as a friend) and knew her longer the thought of losing Barbara hurt 12 times more. 

 

When Babs tested Slade's blood sugar, it was lower, 68. "We appreciate you doing this ... Especially if it works."

 

"Oh it's working." Slade mumbled out. "Push the glucose."

 

"A little longer I need to get two additional readings." Barbara said looking up at her computer screen.

 

"We'll be hitting the Court much harder so if this works that means we don't have to worry about tweaking it too much." Harper said as she shifted back to let Barbara get the readings. 

 

Cass saw Slade's physical appearance change before Barbara did. "He's turning white." His heart rate picking up. 

 

"Babara..." Cass said nervously as Slade began to cold sweat, fingers shaking.

 

"49 ... I just need one more reading." Barbara said, obviously willing to take the chance to make sure their experiment worked.

 

"No." Dick wasn't willing to push it. 

 

There was a fine line between humane and inhumane human testing... Really human testing _was_ inhumane but not pulling the plug when things started plummeting? Dick wouldn't allow it on anyone much less his _boyfriend_. 

 

The hero grabbed the glucose before pushing it through Slade's IV, wasting no time.

 

Barbara let out a sigh, "Sorry, sorry." 

 

She spoke genuinely, taking a final blood sample, the reading was in the thirties, Slade was moments from a damn coma.

 

 "Give him another." Barbara coached, handing him another IV syringe of glucose. 

 

Slade sat forward and began pulling wires off of himself, his brow was furrowed, respiration escalated and heart rate racing on the screen until he removed those sensors as well. 

 

"Slade, we will help you take those off when we are done. You need to stay seated." Barbara tried, Slade shaking his head immediately.

 

"We're done." Slade said through gritted teeth. 

 

"Your blood sugar is low, it can cause you to feel disoriented, confused-"

 

"Don't read off god damn symptoms to me!" Slade yelled and _really_ didn't hold back the anger in his voice.

 

 In his next breath he was trying to stand up but knees buckled sending him back down into the chair.

 

Dick was quick to move by his side, one hand on his shoulder while the other found his cheek. 

 

"Hey take it easy." He said in a soft tone, "You're right... It's over, they got everything they need." 

 

Dick shot both Harper and Barbara a stern look before crouching in front of Slade, a hand moving to Slade's hip while the other moved to hold his hand. 

 

Slade looked at Dick with fury for a split second, ready to lash out again. The feeling of Dick's body on his own brought him back to his senses. Fuck, he'd snapped at them. He barely felt it come on it just ... Happened. 

 

Harper sighed and grabbed a water bottle handing it over to Slade, "We need to keep an eye on him to-"

 

"I will do that." Dick cut her off, "I'll check on his healing factor and keep an eye on his vitals... If nothing changes in twenty four hours I'll give you a call... You're done testing him."

 

 There was that stern Nightwing voice. Dick stood up and pushed his fingers through Slade's hair, "I'll drive for the rest of tonight and cook dinner, I want you to rest, okay?"

 

Slade was in no mood, or condition, to fight Dick's orders, though he didn't want to. He just shut his eye and let out a somewhat approving hum. He could feel the faint feeling pass, but he still felt like utter shit.

 

Cass moved to stand next to Harper, their arms close enough when Cass breathed they touched. It was her way of listening to Dick, but standing by Harper ... Literally and figuratively.

 

"Watch your tone, Dick." Barbara shot back with not a single hesitation. "I'm sorry I didn't push the sugar fast enough. You _won't_ take it out on _my_ girls." 

 

She meant that, they were just as much her little chicks as Bruce’s as far as she was concerned. Harper may have technically been Tim's bat baby but that hardly mattered to Babs.

 

"You're right, I shouldn't have snapped at Harper and Cass." Dick said before standing up and looking at Barbara, “But you pushed him too far and that _wasn’t_ okay.”   
  
“I wouldn’t have let anything happen to him, you know that, Dick.” She responded but otherwise moved on, "I want hourly updates on all basic vitals and healing speed every four hours for twenty four hours. I'm sure he has something that can do that automatically?" 

 

Barbara asked, but didn't wait for answer. "After that give daily updates until he's back to ... Normal." Meta wasn't normal but she meant normal for Slade. 

 

"We'll see. The less we transmit the better." Dick responded, the last thing he wanted was for the Court to sniff them out. 

 

Dick popped his bracelet open and pulled out the drone before tossing it to Harper, "You'll have to reprogram it to use morse code, it's linked to my bracelet so we can communicate through it… I’m sorry for snapping."

 

"Aye, aye captain. And you’re good. I would’ve flipped if it was Cullen in that chair." Harper said before inspecting the drone, it looked like it was already built to send code and transmissions, maybe she didn't have to reprogram it to send morse but reprogram it to offer an open line for Dick to communicate with _her_. 

 

Cass was standing at Harper's side, leaning into the other woman's space curiously observing the drone Dick had handed Harper. "Cute." She smiled. 

 

Dick looked back at Slade, hand still in his hair. "Do you think you can walk or do you need a minute?"

 

Slade barely managed a smirk on his face, obviously still playing for the audience. "Wait and hope Constantine doesn't set fire to my plane? No ... We need to get going." 

 

Slade retrieved his shirt and removed the IV from his arm with a gauze bandage offered from Barbara covering it afterword. "Damian has probably flooded my house by now too." 

 

Cassandra's attention turned back to Dick at the mention of Damian. "Tell Damian I said Hi ... That I miss being at the manor with him." 

 

Surprisingly enough, Cassandra and Damian got along. He found her fighting skills and ability to read people fascinating. Cass enjoyed some company where normal socialization wasn't a requirement. It worked out well for both of them. 

 

Slade was standing by the end of Cassandra's request, an arm wrapped around Dick's waist that was more for his own support rather than romantic reasons.

 

"I’ll tell him. I know he misses you too... Once all of this is over we'll have to all get together and spend some well deserved time together." Dick smiled.

 

"Take care of them." He said to Barbara before heading outside. 

  


Once they made it to the car he helped Slade get in and went around the other side. Dick got in and began driving using Slade's phone to play some music along the way.

  


Back at the jet, Constantine was sitting at one of the booths, cigarette in mouth looking like he had just woken up. 

 

"There you are, sunshine. You don't look good." He said looking at Slade. 

 

Slade shot Constantine a stern look and headed towards the bedroom while Dick made his way to the front of the jet, after taking John’s cigarette of course. He took a seat and got the flight controls ready before taking off into the night sky. Once their course was set, Dick activated the autopilot and made his way to the back of the jet to find Slade lying on his side with a pained expression on his face. 

 

"Do you need anything?"

 

“No ... You alright?" Slade moved, making some room for Dick to sit or lay down on the bed next to him. "I'll be fine, you know that right? Breathe."

 

Dick sighed and sunk down beside Slade before letting out a soft sigh, "I'm sorry... It just.... I love you, Slade..  I just... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." He laid his head on Slade's chest, arms wrapping around his stomach as he listened to his heart. 

 

"Anyone ever tell you that you worry too much?" Slade asked, putting a hand over Dick's back and rubbing it absentmindedly. 

 

“All the time..”

  
  


Dick could've fallen asleep like that but after a while he got up and went to land the jet. 

 

"Welcome to New York." Dick mumbled before he parked the jet in one of Bruce’s private parking spots. 

 

From there he went and got Slade before walking out with Constantine who wasted no time calling a cab. Soon they arrived at their destination outside of dank apartments. The hero was hesitant to descend the steps that lead into the building but without a second more they were inside standing before a long corridor. Dick took Slade’s hand feeling a tinge of anxiety bloom within him. The halls were dimly lit, lights flickered and, what looked like blood, stained the walls. Dick could face demons, gods, psychos... But ghosts? He can't punch those. Still, he pressed forward, following behind the trench coat and scent of cigarette smoke.

 

As they neared a door at the end of the hall, a large figure crawled from the vents and grew more solid in front of the door revealing itself to be a large pale spider like creature. It rose tall in front of them, a dozen red eyes and razor sharp teeth. Its mouth and claws were covered in blood and it let out a low growl. 

 

"John Constantine."

 

Dick clutched Slade slightly tighter as Constantine blew smoke into its face.

 

"Really Walter? I'd give you an A for effort but you try _way_ too hard."

 

The menacing expression on the creature’s face slowly began to dissolve, "Really? I've been working on this all week."

 

Slade looked more annoyed than scared. "I didn't sign up for this shit." He muttered to himself sounding fed up entirely.

 

"Like I said, you are the least terrifying demon I've ever met, you should stop trying.." 

 

Constantine had scolded as the demons figure shifted to a red demon with a bit of a beer belly standing no taller than John. 

 

“Just do me a favor and go back into that little pocket dimension I secured you.”

 

Constantine pushed passed the demon and into the apartment with Dick and Slade soon to follow. Inside was a mess. Trash on the floor, an overfilled ashtray, walls covered in papers written in other languages. 

 

"It’s been a bit, I apologize." He explained before heading towards the bedroom. Normally it wasn’t _this_ bad.

 

Slade looked around, nose wrinkled slightly. "And I thought Bats were bad housekeepers." 

 

Deathstroke stood still,  judging whether or not it was safe to even sit down on the couch. "I'm trying to remember the last time I had a tetanus shot ... How-" 

 

He brought out a pocket knife and investigated a suspicious bowl on the coffee table, somewhat unsurprised when fruit flies lazily flew out of it. 

 

"I told you I have been busy. Normally it's cleaner than this." Constantine said returning from the bedroom.

 

`Forget the fact you just got your girlfriend killed. Cuz I'm sure that has nothing to do with it.`

 

"Don't you have anywhere better to be, Chas? You're a bloody ghost. You can go wherever you want." 

 

Dick moved to one of the shelves looking at some antiques before stepping in a pile of goop. He couldn't make out what it was.

 

"... Well we are burning those shoes now." Slade commented looking at Dick's sludge covered foot. "They certainly aren't coming into my plane. Actually ... All of this stuff is ..." 

 

Disgusting? Probably covered in bed bugs? Gave off a creepy vibe? "... Definitely flying in the cargo hold." Then would probably stay there.

 

Dick moved away from his spot. "What was that?"

 

"Hm? Oh, I put a curse on my magical relics so whenever someone touches them their body rapidly decomposes.."

 

Dicks face went white as John turned to the demon. "Who was in my apartment?"

 

Walter shrugged, "Some girl with these guards with her... She was really pretty."

 

"Most likely it was your admirer Alea and her men. One less now though of course." Slade commented looking down at the puddle. "Would have paid good money to see her face when it happened." 

 

Probably wouldn't have been as exciting as Slade would have hoped, but entertaining nonetheless.

 

Constantine passed a dense book to Dick. "I'm going to pack some things while you take a look at that."

 

Slade ignored the hand off, reading along with some of the insanity posted on the walls. Made sense ... Sort of, if you thought in loops and circles. Actually, Dick might be able to make sense of it better than he could. 

 

Dick took the book and moved to the counter setting it down between the dirty dishes. He leaned forward and began flipping through the pages before reading, all while Constantine paused to enjoy the view. Was he trying to look at Dick’s butt? No. But the second he glanced over his eyes got stuck and Dick’s tight pants weren't helping. It was a better view than the dress clothes he wore the night before. He must’ve changed in the jet now that John thought about it.

 

Turning back toward his lover, Slade caught John staring. His first reaction was to be angry, but then when he looked too.. He couldn't blame him. Instead, he stood right next to John, giving an appreciative glance with him. 

 

"Mesmerizing isn't it?" He said, turning to look at the shorter man. "All of _that_ and yet ..." Slade gave Constantine a firm smack on the shoulder. " ... With me around you haven't got a chance." 

 

John couldn't help but to give what sounded like a disappointed sigh, "Bloody shame it is... You're a lucky man."

 

Slade moved forward then to join Dick at the counter, slipping a hand around his waist before letting his hand slip down to cup Dick's ass within his pocket. It was definitely a possessive move. Anyone else could look, but only _he_ got to touch.

 

"What is it about this book you're so interested in love?"

 

Dick looked at Slade and smiled as he looped an arm around him, "It breaks down the zodiac signs into four weeks. In the front here you can read about your birth week, personality and whatnot. Further in the book you can read about your relationships with the other weeks.” 

  
“It breaks it down into five types of relationships.. Love, family, marriage, friends and work." Dick began explaining. "I'm a Scorpio 2, I was born in the week of depth." He paused and flipped to the page that featured his birth week. 

 

"This explains my personality, thinking, patterns.." He trailed off before pointing at a small section, "My strengths are 'serious, steadfast and sexual.' And my weaknesses are 'depressive, worrying and escapist.'" 

 

Dick smirked and looked up at Slade, "I already know you're a Taurus so I'm going to use this book to find your birth week so I can get closer to your birthday... You can have a look before I get started if you want."

 

"So you really believe in this ..." Slade's tone wasn't at all judgemental, but honestly curious. "You'll have to be patient with me. Mom was a strict Christian, and Pop was ... Well he probably would have thought Taurus was a type of cheese." 

 

He shrugged. "I never really devoutly followed anything, but this is out of my scope... Horoscope." Slade smirked at the half made pun that earned a small laugh from Dick. 

 

"It depends.... I believe the professionally written horoscopes and _some_ psychics... The thing is, a lot of people relate to it because it's so vague you can find bits and pieces of all of them to relate to... I like this book because it feels more personal..” 

 

“Humans are complicated and can't strictly be tied to specific traits but... I find that people have more in common with their horoscopes than they think. Which is how I guessed yours." Dick said poking Slade's chest.

 

"What makes you so convinced I'm a Taurus anyway? I could be anything 

maybe a ..." Slade flipped through the book. "Sagittarius? What is up with these names..."

 

Dick laughed and actually made himself snort before covering his mouth, "I'm sorry, that was cute. Sagittarius' are considered to be blindly optimistic and careless. I think you'd have to be high to come across that way.." 

 

Dick then paused and thought over Slade's initial question, "Taurus' are patient, warm hearted, determined, security loving... Stubborn.. My first guess was an Ares for you but they're more.... Impulsive though, you do carry some traits." 

 

Dick's eyes then returned to the book as he read through the four weeks of the Taurus. After reading through them he flipped further into the book and read about his relationship with each week before turning back to the front of the book.

 

"Based on this... I think you're on the Ares, Taurus cusp, the 'Cusp of power' which.. Makes sense. That would put your Birthday between April 19th and the 24th.... Am I close?" Dick looked to the other with a smirk.

 

Slade raised an eyebrow, he was _really_ close. "You really want to know my birthday don't you?" 

 

He asked, reading over the page itself. God this book was kind of scary ... He wondered what it would say about other people in his life. 

 

"I told you it's a secret... I can't tell you." Slade said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Really ... I can't. I don't know when it is."

 

Dick rolled his eyes, "You're a terrible liar." He smirked before looping his arms around Slade's shoulders before giving the other a fake pout, "Well.... I sure do hope this is your birth week because according to this book it's the only Taurus relationship that says 'Love' is our best relationship."

 

"Since you won't tell me, I guess I'll just have to celebrate your birthday for that whole week." Dick _would_ get the last laugh.

 

"Can't help if you don't believe me." Slade said with a shrug to his shoulders. "However, I'd say you're close or on target. I mean if the book says so ..." He straightened up a little and leaned into Dick's space before he stopped. 

 

"Mhmm right... If the book says so." 

 

Dick smirked, leaning in with Slade until he caught the look on Slade's features. Something was wrong. He was determined. Focused... Dick had just turned towards the window when he was pulled down to the ground, his back pushed against the cabinets as Slade knelt in front of him, putting a hand over Dick's mouth. 

 

Seconds later the glass in the living room broke, something rolling in after it. Slade pressed himself close against Dick as the explosive went off. Debris flying overhead and scattering around the room.

 

Someone knew they were here.

 

Dick’s ears were ringing. For a brief moment he covered them but it didn't take him long to focus on finding out what the hell was going on. Slade was just as vulnerable as he was and he didn't plan on letting Slade get hurt. Dick shifted towards the edge to see if he could get a peak at what was going on. 

 

"Bloody hell! You know a knock will do just fine!" Constantine shouted from against the bedroom wall.

 

Five individuals, one woman, and four men surrounded the apartment. The first two men entered through the window standing at attention and scanning the room with assault rifles and High Court patches attached to their black uniforms. 

 

"Does he sound British?" The first man said to the next, clearly, they were human.

 

"Isn't the ghost guy British?" The next one responded with, grabbing his radio com on his vest. "One confirmed intruder, sweep in progress. Possibly ... Constantine."

 

{How is that possible?} A female voice came over the speaker. {We are coming in.}

 

Slade listened and leaned close to Dick, pressing morse's code into the small of his back, 'They don't know we are here, wait until the whole group arrives, then we can take them all down at once'. 

 

He looked around the area they were at in the kitchen. A block of knives, a wooden broom, cheap plastic mop, a cast iron skillet on the stove. Slade had a gun clipped to his belt, three knives strapped on various areas ... Yet he figured Dick wouldn't be putting up with any of that. Especially considering these guys all seemed very human. Plan B.

 

Slade spotted a bag of flour on the floor, partially open. He would have laughed if he wasn't trying to stay quiet. With absolute silence Slade grabbed it, putting it under Dick's hand. 

  
'Homemade smoke screen, I'll move at your signal'.

 

If this was going to happen without killing, he'd need to take his boyfriend's lead.

 

Dick smirked feeling his adrenaline start pumping. He could hear the footsteps around them and closed his eyes to help pinpoint where they were located and how many there were.  

 

They would have to move fast, Dick knew High Court guards always came overly armed. He reached and took Slade's wrist, 'I go high, you go low.' He instructed, turning his attention back to the outside noises. 

 

Low? Slade was over six feet tall he never went _low_.

 

He could hear one of the men approaching Constantine’s bedroom and quickly Dick sprung into action. He leapt over the counter, flour flying everywhere. Now the ‘low’ made sense. Slade grabbed the, clearly never used, broom from next to the fridge and the cast iron from the stove  finding himself smirking, "Show off."

 

Dick did a front flip and kicked one guard in the head before standing and disarming another, elbowing him with his free hand before hitting him in the face with the gun knocking him out. 

 

“Didn’t your parents teach you not to come to a party uninvited?” The hero quipped.

 

Slade used the skillet like a damn frisbee, hitting the man's knees nearest to Constantine’s bedroom. A horrible crunch was heard before the man went to the ground. The man went down hard, his buddy coming up in an attempt to help. Slade used his free hand to pivot on the counter top and kick the second square in the chest across the room. Landing on his feet he carried his momentum forward cracking the woman over the head with the broom stick which broke in half in his hand. 

 

"Cheap junk." Slade muttered, dropping it as he looked over at the man with the now busted kneecaps. "It's been far too long since I've had to use a skillet to fight with." Had it happened before? Yes. Actually a few times. 

 

Once things settled down, Constantine got to work tying one to a chair, "I think I'm getting evicted now.. That would've been a great time for Walter to shapeshift." Fucking coward ran away. 

 

"What are you doing, John?"

 

"He blew up my house, I deserve some answers."

 

Slade moved over to where John was tying up the man, nodding. "Frankly? I don't think they did any real damage, looks cleaner now actually..." He grabbed a (what he hoped was clean) dish towel from the stove handle and wrapped it around his hand. "But, I agree, we need some answers." 

 

This guy looked the youngest of them all, probably Jason's age with dirty blonde hair and a bloody nose. "If I tell you anything they'll kill me."

 

"Sounds like that'll probably be the case either way." Slade replied smoothly, pulling out his own gun and setting it on the table while he pretended to pay attention to the injury on his hand. 

 

"Why were you here? Asked to play look out? Just stumbled on by? Perhaps following us?"

 

"... You’re Deathstroke."

 

Damn it the eyepatch always gave him away. "One and only."

 

"Sh-Shit ... Look, we were asked to check this place out. I don't know why, honest." The man was quick to say, shaking his head. "If they say something you don't question it. You just do it ... You have to."

 

Dick watched the man carefully, they had to be careful how they did this... Slade had the advantage of being pissed off about being attacked but he couldn't make it seem like he was working against the Court. Dick wanted to pipe in, use his own techniques but he had to play Slade's obedient pet... Unfortunately, John was a loose cannon.

 

Constantine lit a cigarette and blew the smoke in the mans face, "Have you ever been to hell? It's a real bitch. I wonder how long you would last." 

 

He stood up and punched the man in the face, "I wanna know _exactly_ what the bloody Court said to you!"

 

"John." Dick said softly but with enough bite to get the other to look at him. "This isn't our fight.."

 

"Isn't our- I'm _sorry_ he didn't blow a hole in your wall.... Granted its for the better but still.. My deposit doesn't cover this." Constantine turned back to the man, "I just wanna know if they're after my relics.. Because I came to collect those and I don't share."

 

The man's nose ran with a new spurt of blood, the skin turning red and bruising almost instantly. "I told you! They said to check this place out, see if anyone was here. If anyone was we were to kill on sight ... Unless they had a British accent." 

 

"You heard the man what _exactly_ did they say?" Slade pressed on despite Dick's interference. "I'm with the Court. If they sent people here ready to kill _knowing_ this place and it's owner were under my watch and jurisdiction ... We are going to have an issue." 

 

The man looked at Slade, but tried to gain a sympathetic look from Dick.  "Don't try and play to him." Slade warned, picking the gun off the counter, flipping off the safety and pressing it to the man's temple.

 

 "He's on his knees every night for me, because I _own_ him. The only person in charge in this room is me. Now-" Slade squeezed around the handle, which made the man tense. "-Answer the question." 

 

"F-Fuck ... They said not to touch anything and that a second crew would be coming through to sweep after us." The man started shaking. "P-Please ... You don't understand-"

 

"Get your shit, we need to head out before that second wave hits here. I'll take care of him."

 

"-What!" The man finished off, he looked over at Dick again. "Y-You know what it's like with them." He pleaded. "They fuck with your mind, torture you with your own goddamn worst nightmares over and over again like a twisted fucking game. Then they test on you ... I-I can't go back to that!" The guy yelled.

 

 Slade sighed shaking his head. It would have come off as disinterested, but really ... The clip wasn't even in the gun. The guy was in no real danger. 

 

"I have a kid. I'm all he has ... Please."

 

With a swift move the guy was out cold. "Dick ... Get him untied and on the floor with everyone else." Slade looked down at the now blood soaked kitchen towel. "Then grab your book and get ready to go."

 

Dick got to work untying him, he wanted to say something to Slade but now wasn't the time. "Constantine, do you have your things?" He asked glancing up at the other who just gave a nod.

  


"Go call us a cab." Dick ordered which John, surprisingly, listened. 

  


Before long they were out of the city and on the jet where Dick took to tending to Slade's hand, unwrapping the towel and leading him over to the sink to wash the wound. It wasn't an aggressively deep cut, but spanned his palm from the inside of his thumb down to his wrist. 

 

"Looks like the emp worked." He said looking up at the other before smiling softly, "... You were really great back there." 

 

Constantine plopped down in one of the seats behind them, leaning back before looking out the window. He had to figure out how to distract Alea from her whole drive to control magic.

 

Slade poured a heavy glass of whiskey for himself and then John, shooting his down in no time.

 

"Looks like it." Slade replied, unsure when the last time he'd bled this long from ... Well anything. "You can give Batgirl her report ... And remind her I haven't forgotten about the scotch." 

 

"I gave her your address. She'll send it over when she's decided you've suffered enough." Dick said 

 

"It felt good to fight again ... Or rather it was nice to watch you fight again." Slade said with a slightly suggestive tone after downing a second glass. "I almost forgot why I liked fighting you so much in the field..." 

 

Was now the time for flirting? Maybe not, but damn Slade couldn't help it. "... It’s  just a pleasure to watch you work." 

 

The way Dick's body moved was unlike anyone else Slade had fought. It was this absolutely unique combination of Batman's hard-hitting mixed martial arts, years of acrobatic training, and Dick's own free flowing style. It made him hard to pin down, difficult to keep track of, and gave him the advantage of surprise. More obvious than any of that though? Dick loved it. Bruce fought with purpose, Tim with strategy, Jason with anger ... But Dick fought with _passion_ . Sometimes negative, but when he wasn't and that little smile came over his face when he landed an impossible flip or got the better of Slade and managed to surprise him? God ... That was _attractive_. Though ... Watching that incredibly trained, sculpted body move is what had Slade's nerves on fire at the moment. 

 

Dick began drying the wound, a soft smile on his lips. "I missed it so much... When all of this is over, we're doing a vigilante night marathon. I need to get my blood pumping." 

 

No... He needed to get that kick of adrenaline he got in the face of danger. The pride of saving lives. The excitement of performing. This undercover stuff was... Boring... Time consuming..

 

"Mm." Slade agreed. 

 

The idea of running through the streets with Dick sounded perfect. Sparring was fine, it performed the necessary task of keeping the body ready and trained but ... It wasn't the same. 

 

"Why don't we skip bandaging this and go make the best of our time left not playing babysitter?"  Slade rewound that sentence in his head and decided it probably was a bit much to say in front of company. "I still have one good hand left." Jesus what had gotten into him?

 

Dick's entire face flushed red.

 

"You two are like rabbits." Constantine piped in, downing his scotch. "Mind if I watch this time?"

 

"You're the kind of guy that sits in an easy chair and just watches during an orgy aren't you?" Slade said toward John. "What we get up to is a private show ... Mostly." 

 

Slade added the last bit with an iffy shake of his good hand that then reached above Dick's head to the glass bar above the sink. He grabbed the bottle, popping the cap off in between his teeth and poured over the arm Dick was working on with expert precision. 

 

Constantine shrugged, "If I get invited to join that's always a plus but one look at you tells me you're not up for sharing." The brit smirked, honestly at this point he was just amused. 

 

He'd never really known Slade, he's just heard about Deathstroke and seen some of his personal handy work. It was interesting to learn Dick was enthralled by him. Dick always seemed so pure and good.

 

"What's gotten into you?" Dick asked before his eyes trailed down to the glass.. 

 

Was he? No... He had to have more resistance than that. "Babe, lets focus on patching you up." 

 

Dick then turned and grabbed a small pad of gauze and place it in Slade's palm before he began wrapping it firmly with bandages.

 

"Me?" 

 

Slade mouthed around the cap, corking it back and just setting the bottle down on the counter. He picked up his new drink as a replacement. 

 

"Nothing ... Maybe the blood loss is putting me in a good mood ... Delirium can do that." Slade explained as he took a heavy drink, watching Dick's handy work.  "You'd make a good nurse ... I'd request they put you in the _old_ uniforms though. Scrubs covering that ass of yours would be a damn shame."

 

Dick offered a painfully embarrassed smile at Slade before rolling his eyes, "Too bad you haven't bought me anything to wear for you." 

 

Dick didn't mind dressing up for his lovers as long as he knew it turned them on. He got off on his partners getting off on him. 

 

Within no time, Dick finished wrapping Slade’s hand and moved it against the older man’s chest before giving it a soft pat.

 

"We could always get back off the plane and head to a store ... This _is_ New York." Slade suggested almost seriously, smiling at how embarrassed Dick was. For once...

 

Dick's blush darkened, "Cute." He responded sarcastically. "I think you're tipsy." 

 

Dick grabbed the scotch and set it aside earning an offended look from Slade.

 

"I'm not tipsy. Dick, we've had this conversation, I can't _get_ tipsy ... Wait a minute." Slade looked at his glass and just let out a short laugh. "Do you know how _long_ it's been since I've been tipsy?" 

 

He  actually started to think about it. "Maybe there is a benefit to this whole thing after all ... God I can take _tylenol_." It was the first indication Slade had ever given that he was in pain in front of Dick. 

 

He moved to the bedroom where he found a bottle, popping two into his mouth. A heavy sigh escaped the hero before he rolled his eyes and followed the other towards the bedroom. Part of him was irritated that Slade didn’t _tell_ him he was hurting, he wanted to help him… To support him.. But, Dick supposed Slade didn’t trust him enough to lower his defenses.     
  
“Do you need anything?” Dick asked with sympathy in his voice.

 

"How about you get us home so we don't have to worry about company? Surely John can occupy a child for a couple hours."

 

"Hate to burst your bubble, sweet pea, but when we get home... We're eating and you are resting." Dick sat by Slade and softly took his hand into his own.

 

"If you're good then tomorrow..." Dick trailed off and leaned in to whisper into Slade's ear, he then pulled back and smiled, "But for now? We're going to make sure you don’t wake up with a hangover." Maybe it was drastic since he hasn't drank too much but... Still..

 

"But sugar I'm _always_ good." Slade insisted, laying down for him anyway on the bed. 

 

Dick kissed Slade's cheek and moved to the front of the plane where he began flying back to Maine. It took a couple hours but once they arrived Dick felt relief. He landed the plane, helped Slade out of it and into the treehouse where he plopped the other onto the couch. Slade had gotten drunker, but was still in complete denial that he was, in fact, intoxicated. Sure, tipsy, but drunk? He had maybe four shots total. Slade Wilson didn't get drunk ... Meta Slade anyway ...

 

"I'm going to make dinner.."

 

"Why would you do that?" Slade asked, putting a hand on Dick's lower back. "I'm hungry for one thing and it's  not in the kitchen." Apparently the man wasn't done flirting either. "Come here and let me have another taste." Slade said low between them, using his bandaged hand to pull down on the front of Dick's shirt. 

 

Dick smiled and let Slade touch and fondle him though he had no intention of giving in. Slade was his boyfriend, sure. He probably truly wanted to fuck but... Dick has had drunken sex with someone before only to wake up and regret it. Sure it was with Catalina which was a problem in itself but... He felt used and taken advantage of and while he doubt Slade would feel that way... Slade wasn’t in that state to make those choices. 

 

"Wilson, I've been clear on my intentions of removing your hands entirely if you cannot keep them off my brother." 

 

Damian had appeared from the sliding door going out to the back part of the house. He had a bit of dirt and leaves covering his person, but looked in good health. There was a tiny wriggling form of the baby chipmunk under his shirt. Quickly, she made her way up to his collar and poked out her adorable head before sitting comfortably on Damian's shoulder.

 

"Damian... Be nice." Dick said before shifting out of Slade's touch, approaching his brother as he scratched the chipmunks chin. 

 

Damian made a face that was a unique mixture of pouting and a scowl. "It physically pains me to even look at him, let alone be nice ..." He sassed as Sophia happily leaned into Dick's finger scratches.

 

"Ah ... I was hoping you found the chipmunk's family and they had agreed to take you in." Slade announced flatly from the couch.

 

"Don't be ridiculous, Wilson, I'm too large to fit in a chipmunk burrow." As if _that_ was the problem with Slade's statement. "I'm teaching her how to forage for food. How else will she learn?"

 

Slade looked at Damian, then back at Dick. "I have combined about seventy years of parenting experience, but that-" He jerked his thumb over to Damian. "-You're on your own, kid."

 

Dick rolled his eyes, "I'm proud of you and how responsible you are being with her. I’m going to work on dinner, why don't you get her settled and go take a shower."

 

Slade let out a puff of air across the room and said something incoherent under his breath. 

 

"I think Grandpa is having a stroke ... Come on, Sophia." Damian said unnecessarily as he walked toward the master bathroom with the chipmunk still on his shoulder. 

 

"I'm drunk you little shit!" Slade said after him and then leaned back with a sigh. "That ... Doesn't help my case." He admitted, sitting up and taking a sip of his water.

 

Slade then stood up to make his way over to the kitchen island. Obviously not listening well, but bringing the water with him like a good boy. Constantine set his box of things down before going to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of scotch, once done he sat down and loosened his tie before looking at Slade. 

 

"Are you too drunk to take this collar off?" He asked quirking a brow.

 

"I'll never be that drunk. You aren't predictable, nor trustworthy. Maybe if you behave yourself long enough I'll consider it." Slade rolled his shoulders looking forward to Dick again.

 

John rolled his eyes, "And people call me the asshole." 

 

Dick refilled Slade’s water, "Drink. If you’re sick tomorrow I'm not going to be happy." Would he take care of Slade and be lovey dovey? Yes, but Slade didn’t need to know that.

  


"Hang on." Slade pointed at John. "This man threw up this morning, then you brushed his teeth, held his hair, and coddled him. You're telling me I don't get the same treatment? Richard Grayson, you wound me."

 

Dick had taken out three steaks and had gotten to work rubbing them down with seasoning, a thoughtful look on his face before he stopped to wash his hands. The hero poured some oil into the pan to preheat it before he moved to Slade putting a hand on his neck.

 

"You don't have to throw up to get that treatment... In fact, I can treat you more if you're not feeling sick." Dick smiled and pecked Slade's lips. 

 

Dick then got to work cutting some brussel sprouts soon putting it in a pan with seasonings and a bit of chicken stock before putting a lid on it. From there he put the steaks on another pan and got to work cutting up some bacon before cooking it in a separate pan.

 

Constantine slid his collar over to Slade and popped his neck before leaning back and putting his feet up on the counter, "We all know the reason I get five star treatment is because of my accent, it always seduces the cute ones." 

 

"I can admit that I have a thing for accents but I find the words that come out of your mouth to be a turn off." Dick teased making Constantine roll his eyes.

 

"That's because you're a goodie two shoes."

 

"No, it's because you're too forward and cocky. Didn't you ever learn out to flirt properly?" Slade asked, leaning a head onto his hand, elbow propped up on the countertop. "If you go for subtlety and let them move into your space instead of crowding theirs you'll have better success. Though ... The only one you can practice on is Damian and, well ..." Slade shrugged. 

 

"Here's the thing, I know how to flirt. If I really wanted to, I could get him under me.. Or on top.." Constantine shrugged, "Anyways, he's _taken_ and he seems to value that, I don't wanna push it."

 

`No... You don't want Deathstroke to kill you.`

 

"Same thing, Chas."

 

Dicks face was red embarrassment but instead of reacting he seasoned the bacon with paprika, pepper and some brown sugar. 

 

"Dick, that smells amazing. Never thought I'd be the one watching someone else make dinner."

 

“Get used to it. As much as I love your cooking, sometimes I wanna cook too.”

 

After tossing the salad Dick set it aside and mixed the bacon in with the brussel sprouts (after setting some aside for Damian of course) he then added a bit of honey before stirring it together and plating everything up. 

 

Damian emerged from the shower in a stolen shirt from Dick and finally was wearing some of the clothes Slade had bought for him. Just a pair of simple, black cotton shorts. Sophia seemed to have taken a shower too and was curled up inside a hand towel next to Damian's chest. The boy sat down and placed Sophia in his lap. The sight made Dick let out an ‘Aw’ before ruffling Damian’s hair.

 

"Thank you." Damian said to Dick, happy that he didn't have to eat microwave food or raw fruits/vegetables another night. 

 

In response, Dick gave the boy a gentle hug, kissing his head and whispering a little ‘I love you.’ into his ear.

 

As Damian ate he handed down small pieces of his salad to Sophia until she decided it was easier to just sit on the table. She waited patiently for each bite and didn't dare pull anything off of Damian's plate without permission. So much for foraging training.

 

Once Dick broke away from Damian, he cut a piece of steak and offering it to Slade who made a sound of pure pleasure. Something that, in reality, should have stayed in the bedroom. 

 

"Love, that's the best cooked steak I've ever had and I've been to all twelve michelin star restaurants." Slade wasn't lying. "Dick has this flirting thing down ... Food is the way to a man's heart." 

 

Slade followed that up with, looking at Dick like he was the most precious thing in the universe. 

 

Constantine rolled his eyes and took a bite out of the steak. Holy mother of all things pure and holy, since when could the kid cook? He didn’t realize he too had made a lude sound until it was too late. 

 

"Okay... That's it. Sign me up."

 

"Come sit down, baby ... I'll clean up after dinner."

 

Dick rolled his eyes and moved to sit partially on Slade's lap, mainly one leg while Slade wrapped an arm around him. The hero didn't intend on staying there he just wanted some cuddles. 

 

"You don't have to do that, honey." Dick said before kissing the other’s cheek and moving to get up, only for Slade to tighten his grip around the others waist not letting him up. Dick smiled.

 

"Of course I do, you cook, I clean." Slade said with a shrug of his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

 

John looked over to Damian, whom he had met before, and sipped some scotch. "I see you've taken to caring for rodents." 

 

"She's not some rodent." Damian replied in masked frustration. "She's a chipmunk, specifically Tamias Striatus ... The Eastern Chipmunk. Despite her small brain size and diminished prefrontal cortex I'm fairly confident she's score higher than you on an IQ test."

 

Slade chuckled, and a single grape rolled from the fruit basket on the table and right in front of Sophia who began chowing down on it immediately. 

 

"Sophia says thank you." Damian spoke to whatever spirit had done so with a small smile on his face.

 

Chipmunks are rodents." John said before Dick looked at the magician.

 

"You know, he could probably kick your ass."

 

"Not probably, definitely." Damian corrected, glaring Slade down as Dick continued to feed and kiss him. 

  


Once everyone finished up their dinner, Slade set to cleaning up the kitchen as he had promised, taking the dishes from the table, stealing John's from in front of him before he could even finish.

 

Damian was up too stretching in the living room and pushing the limits of his healing body. He wanted to be back into fighting shape, wanted to go back to Gotham, to his father, somewhere he could be of use rather than sitting and wasting away at Slade's home. 

 

Sophia sat in 'Slade's' chair in front of the fireplace and cleaned her fur. After stretching Damian made her some fresh formula and settled down to feed her on the couch in his lap. Damian couldn't help with the big stuff, like saving the world, but ... If he could help this little creature then at least he was doing _something_.

 

The kitchen was spotless and Slade was leaning against the counter sipping on some 'coffee' that was spiked with rum. Fuck it, it wasn't every night he could drink. "

 

Dick, why don't you loosen up and have a drink with me?"

 

Dick passed Slade more water before arching a brow. "Do you need more to drink?" He asked in a teasing tone. Slade hadn’t gotten drunk in years, Dick could understand the excitement. 

 

"I was already losing my buzz. The steak was worth it though." Slade mentioned.

 

Nightwing watched the other and bit his own lip, he didn't drink but... He supposed one drink wouldn't hurt. "Okay... But just _one_." He insisted before opening the cabinet.

 

 Dick pulled out a glass and grabbed some Bourbon before filling the cup half way. He then jumped onto the counter and sipped the drink before smiling at his lover. 

 

"Didn't think you ever took your liquor neat." 

 

A lot of people didn't, mostly because bourbon, scotch, and whiskey was an acquired taste. He remembered Pop having him taste scotch at twelve, Slade had swallowed it with a face of absolute disgust. But, his Pop said that if he ever wanted to impress a lady at the bar he needed to drink his liquor neat or with no more than two ice cubes. Now, the taste was definitely nostalgic and because he usually didn't get drunk, he enjoyed it often. 

 

Dick couldn't help but smile, "Roy scolded me anytime I washed it down... Not to mention I cheat and take little sips so I don't have to taste it. I prefer mixed drinks…. Have I told you how sexy you are?"

 

Slade chuckled at Dick, pushing himself off the counter and putting his hands on either side of Dick. "A few times."

 

A clearly audible, 'ugh' was heard from the living room that had to be accompanied by an eye roll. 

 

Slade shot Damian a sideways glance before focusing back on Dick leaning in closer so he could speak into his ear. "Have I told you how happy you make me?" He pressed his nose into Dick's hair and kissed next to his ear. "Even if you make me crazy at times ... I want no one else, Dick. Just you."

 

Dick  didn't hesitate to set the drink down before wrapping his arms around the older mans shoulders softly kissing his neck. "I'm glad we're on the same page." 

 

"I was thinking that... When all of this is over I'd like to officially move in with you... Here.. Update the armory, get some of my things from my apartment. Tell Bruce." Dick whispered the last part before chuckling and looking at the other.

 

"Maybe build a training hall where we can spar." Dick was more than ready to settle down with Slade and that was clear. 

 

"Move here? Maybe. You'd want to be close to your family wouldn't you? I could find something on the ocean near there ... Definitely need more bedrooms." 

 

Slade had plenty of apartments, condos, homes all over the place. He kept a small apartment in Gotham itself, but the city was too much for him to deal with day and night ... He liked to get away somewhere quieter. 

 

"I... I like it here... If you wanna buy a home together to make things feel more... Like a partnership we could do that but personally? Maine is close enough to New Jersey for me... Besides, Tim used to live in New York and Jason was hanging around California.." 

 

He paused to think a moment before shrugging, "I feel like if we move we should go to D.C... Or maybe New York? I don't know.”

 

"We can definitely add on an addition." Slade agreed. 

 

He liked his little spot in the world here. It wasn't exactly by civilization. There was a town with a grocery store, schooling system, and movie theater about fifteen minutes away when there wasn't any snow on the ground. This was, by far, his favorite property. The lake, forest, mountains for two square miles was all his and he hadn't cut down a single tree to build this house or the small guest house by the lake (it was really just a room with a shower and toilet). If he could trust Constantine enough, he'd shove him down there. Maybe in a week or so ...

 

Dick sipped his drink before setting it down, “Let’s play a game."

 

"What kind of game did you have in mind?"

 

"Two truths and a lie.... Get to know each other better...." Dick paused, "I'll start. I was 16 when I first kissed a girl. I can do an entire dance number in heels. And my favorite book is Robin Hood."

 

Slade smiled a little, thinking over the options. "Let's see ..." He started, tapping his finger against his glass after finishing the rest of the spiked coffee. 

 

"You were the original Robin and that outfit was very Men in Tights inspired. Though, if I remember correctly your Mother also called you Robin as well ... Either could be the reason." Slade then looked over to Damian. "I could see you doing a number in heels, but that doesn't mean you can. Can he?"

 

"That's cheating, Wilson, and you know it." Damian said, standing up with a now sleeping Sophia cuddled to his chest and walking into the bedroom. "I'm getting out of here before I decide to kill myself." 

 

"Such a pleasant boy," Slade said sarcastically. "Anyway ... There is absolutely no way you didn't kiss a girl before sixteen. That one is definitely true. I'll say that the lie is that your favorite book is Robin Hood." 

 

Dick scoffed and rolled his eyes before playfully hitting Slade, "I was 15 when I first kissed a girl, asshole.. She actually kissed me on my 15th birthday." 

 

"My turn then." Slade looked thoughtful, "Let's make it interesting: I was in a BDSM relationship with Wintergreen during my marriage. I have a brother in a mental institution. And I once filled a contract to spray paint 'bald baby man' on the outside of Lex Luthor's office."

 

Dick moved over to the couch with Slade, taking a seat and cuddling against his arm.  "You're really kinky but you said you've been with three men.." 

 

He paused thinking over the three Slade listed... Wait.. Was Bill, Wintergreen? What was that old farts first name... WILLIAM.

 

 "Oh my god, you totally did hook up with your butler." Dick snort at the realization but then turned his focus back to Slade, "Addie didn't seem like the kind to share but.. Its possible.. Or you did it in secret...." Interesting, "I imagine you'll do just about anything if someone pays you good enough and I don't doubt you'd get some satisfaction spray painting outside of Luthor's office.... I'm going to go with brother as the lie. You always struck me as an only child and I've never heard you mention having a brother."

 

Slade smirked. "You're right, I did fuck my butler. Addie knew though. I needed someone to toss around and mark up, she wasn't into that kind of thing. Though, sometimes she did like to watch." Turns out Slade's marriage was a little kinkier then he let on. 

 

Shit, Dick couldn't blame Addie for wanting to watch Slade and William, that must've been hot as hell. The thought of it made Dick’s face heat up. Only thing was, he couldn't watch his partner be with someone else. It may arouse him at first but then he'd feel jealousy and then feel undervalued. 

 

"I actually did get a contract to spray paint the outside of Luthor's office, in the pay line though it just said 'do it for the laughs'. So, I had to decline ... On principle of course." Slade admitted, then looked a little more serious. 

 

"I do have a younger brother ... Well, a half brother. His name is Wade LaFarge, the same father. I didn't know him until I was in my teens, his mother dropped him off to our father as well, but ... He was ten, eleven? I'm not sure what he went through but, he wasn't stable. He would explode in random fits of rage, tried to kill me in my sleep twice, ended up stabbing Pop with a steak knife one night…”

 

 “He went somewhere else after that. I didn't see him again until I started dating Addie, turns out he escaped the juvenile facility he was at and forged his age to join the military. Said he was twenty-one, he was more like sixteen. Adeline dated him for a while believe it or not. Small world." Slade took a long drink. 

 

"When he found out we married he tried to break into our house and kill Grant, myself ... I didn't press charges, but I had him placed in a psychiatric facility. I don't visit, but I've heard he's doing better."

 

"Wow.... That must've been.... Rough." Dick acknowledge before placing a hand on Slade's cheek before softly kissing him. "Is that what you were referring to when you said there were some bad memories at the farm? Your little brother?" 

 

"Partially..." Slade answered shortly, not giving any more hints or details as to what that cryptic answer might mean. Easily enough though, the conversation could shift back to the original topic. "Your turn kid." 

 

Dick frowned slightly but chose to respect Slade’s need for privacy, "Okay... I've been with 5 men, oh im sorry, boys." That was a jab at Slade's comment about maturity a couple months back at the gala. "I've bottomed for a woman and Bruce used to go to pride events with me when I was a teenager."

 

This bunch of 'truths' was a little more difficult to decipher than the last. "You've given me a challenge... All of them are believable, but just barely. Bruce might have taken you to Pride events, but the issue isn't with him being homophobic, he just hates large crowds.” 

 

“I think you would have bottomed for a woman because you don't subscribe to assigned gender norms, but, the issue is which one of your girlfriends would have been willing to fuck you like that?”

 

 “Last ... Well, I had at least five partners by your age, probably more, so saying you had sex with five men is believable, but ... You only have sex with people that you are dating or having feelings for. I don't think I've heard five separate names." Slade looked over Dick's face and tried to, somehow, dig out the answer from his poker face. 

 

"I'm going to say the lie is that Bruce used to take you to Pride events as a teenager. Bonus answer I bet Batgirl was the one who bent you over. For some reason I think she'd get a kick out of that."

 

Dick took a drink of his beverage before making a buzzer noise, "Wrong again. Bruce took me to a couple events when I was trying to figure myself out, he was really supportive.”

 

“As for Barbara? She almost did but we got interrupted... Actually... Her dad walked in and put a stop to any activities we would've been up to for a while, then things got romantically complicated. Kori was the one who did it though. She really enjoyed it." 

 

Dick smiled, "As for the men, you're right that I don't have sex with people I'm not dating or don't have feelings for but unfortunately not everyone reciprocated my feelings and I'm... Hasty... Now, officially I've been with four men.”

 

 “Adam which I don't need to tell you about. Keanu, who was the first boyfriend Bruce knew about. Bruce took him in after his parents kicked him out for not wearing dresses or identifying as a girl. Then there's Eric who is the one who hospitalized me and lastly you." 

 

Dick leaned in to peck Slade's lips. "But unofficially... You could count Roy, which... Was stupid on my part, I was drunk... Then there was Kyle Renner who I had the biggest crush on and... We hung out a lot but I read into it so that one was crushing.” 

 

“Then Simon Baz who.... Happened more than once." Dick’s cheeks dusted pink, "Part of me thought if it happened enough he might get feelings but that was... Really naive of me. Then there was Tiger from Spyral who... Again, I read into things.... So that's-" Dick added up the numbers, "Woah I've been around... 8 men.. Including you."

 

"You're much more balanced it seems. Meaning you sleep with as many men as you do women. Unless you're number of girlfriends is much higher than what I've imagined." Slade said, feeling his wonder buzz coming back to him.

 

"I've... Been with a lot of women too… 12." Dick chuckled though... There was that bit of shame in his expression, “And then I’ve been with 3 non binary people. 

 

 "I've slept with ... Three men, including you. Four if you count a blow job from when I was sixteen." Slade had reciprocated, but it didn't feel like sex to him. Fooling around more like. "As far as women go ..." 

 

Slade clicked his tongue. "I stopped counting a long time ago, dozens, more than dozens. After Addie and I separated ... I spent more nights in the beds of different women than I did in my own." He looked toward the bedroom where Damian was. "Some of my rendezvous weren't exactly smart either ... But, I know better now ... Sort of." 

 

"I know you beat yourself up over your 'number'." Slade started, referring to his number of sexual partners. "But that's all it is, _a number_. If it meant anything I'd be a down right man whore." Those words just sounded strange coming from Slade's lips, he chuckled. 

 

"Well then we can be whore’s together." Dick teased despite the painful bite to it, he needed to stop holding himself up to such a high standard.

 

"I know we've been drinking ..." Slade turned toward Dick. "But I have a game we could play." He kissed Dick's neck up to his ear. "One where you let me touch you until I make you cum."

 

 Dick’s body softly shivered and he bit his lip with a smile, "You're such a horny drunk…. We should really wait until your sober. Then I can take care of you in the morning..." He smirked and ran his tongue along Slade's bottom lip.

 

"I'm not horny, love, you are just _very_ attractive. I'm just usually better at hiding my desires for you most of the time ... Otherwise, we would be in bed all day." 

 

They would have to eat at some point. Though, if he thought about it, having a long day in bed with Dick where they could have sex throughout until the sun went down sounded _perfect_. Maybe after all this chaos was over they could have one of those days. 

 

"You're looking out for me." Slade said with a small smile. "That's really _cute_. I'm a big boy though ... I can handle my liquor." 

 

However, if the situation was reversed? Slade would _never_ have sex with Dick while he was drunk. Mostly because Slade knew he had to take certain precautions to prevent retraumatizing Dick, and if Dick didn't feel in control of his facilities, then it wasn't the time to fornicate ... Fornicate? Damn it the demon spawn was rubbing off on him. 

 

"I understand though ... We can still make out like horny teenagers though, right?" Slade asked, pulling Dick into his lap in a fluid motion.

 

A  across Dick’s lips as his hands rested against the others shoulders. "Mmm, making out never hurt anybody." 

 

Dick gave  Slade a couple teasing pecks before deepening the kiss, a hand tangling in his hair as he slipped his tongue into the others mouth. 

 

This was the perfect way to end the night.


	23. We're Not Gonna Take It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are currently working on the next chapter! Things have just been busy, I'm sorry for the long wait everyone!

Jason, for lack of a better word, was feeling a little stir crazy. There had been plenty of times he had to lay low in different places for extended periods of time, but this was just different. Usually? Jason kept himself busy, there were baddies to track down, cases and evidence to go through. Even if all of that somehow was finished, Jason could spend plenty of time updating his gear and cleaning/maintaining his weapons. 

 

Right now, Jason wasn't just laying low, he was nearly out of commission. Going to the resistance meeting was the first step he had taken through all of this to actually help fight against the High Court (he was of course was not counting having to save Roy's dumb ass). Jason had fully intentioned to stay out of everything, not because he didn't care about what was happening, but because he had something he needed to protect.

 

Growing up as a Bat meant having each other's back but knowing full well that the man or woman standing next to you was plenty capable of handling their own shit if need be. When he had been on the street as a kid it had been impossible to protect anyone or anything, he wasn't strong enough and didn't have the resources. This situation was in some strange new middle ground between the two. He wasn't alone like he had been on the streets, he had Roy and more or less Bizzaro (as far as pure muscle power went anyway). However, Lian was  _ very _ vulnerable and unable to protect herself from a real threat like, say, Damian possibly could. The puppy? ... That was an entirely different issue. 

 

Jason had convinced himself at the beginning of all this that the only way they would all make it through this and survive was to go into complete locked down isolation. Jason  _ thought _ he could live with that if it meant his family was safe. 

 

Apparently, he had been wrong. 

 

He'd been watching the news, talking to the townspeople, listening to Roy brief him on what information he got from the resistance ... Every bit of it made his skin crawl and ache just to do  _ something _ ,  _ anything _ to help. Innocent people were suffering, children were disappearing and dying. If he was back in California, Gotham, or South America, he wouldn't have sat by and let it happen ... The _ Red Hood  _ wouldn't have sat back and watched this happen. 

 

Jason had started small since the meeting in Gotham. Adam had tasked him with finding or making weapons, which to him seemed like a busy task. There were no weapons that could take these guys out, you could shoot bullets right through them and they'd just keep coming. The only luck Jason had was with magnum rounds and that didn't kill them, just knocked them down long enough to make a hasty retreat.

 

So, Roy and Jason had brainstormed over coffee and non-alcoholic beer, they came to the same conclusion that Harper had in Gotham. Disabling their meta abilities would be the easiest way to take these fuckers down. The only problem was the tech was under tested, there was one single prototype, and the complex circuitry coupled with the narrow target of electrical energy would make it expensive and difficult to reproduce. Jason had pointed that very fact out quickly to Roy (and consequently Harper) completely killing the vibes of success everyone was feeling. 

 

The problem wasn't the idea or even the execution, they just needed a way of making it cheaper, infallibly accurate, and easy enough that even Lian could use it. So, of course naturally, Jason told Roy to get the fuck to work and to let him know what he needed. 

 

Finding parts, even rare metals, wasn't as hard as what Jason had been expecting. Everyone was running things under the table these days, if you even tried to run a Dairy Queen above ground nowadays the High Court would put their creepy little hands all over it. That also meant that money didn't have as much power as it used to either, people wanted  _ things _ , supplies, weapons, information. Luckily, Jason had a lot of weapons stored in just about every corner of the world, Roy made a lot of weird shit and Jason had plenty of information that Bruce would kill him for giving out ... iI he wasn't already dead anyway. 

 

Now, there was a lull. They were waiting for a shipment of lab grade silver to come in through Ukraine into the southern border of Belarus. Why there? The High Court didn't think anyone was stupid enough to go through the most radioactive site on Earth to smuggle goods ... Aka the blast zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Turns out, Jason knew some guys in lead suits that were dumb enough to take the Pripyat river right through it. They promised nothing would come back radioactive ... Jason had a meter just in case.

 

Unsurprisingly, it was taking a bit of time. The traffickers had sent him a message saying they had to lay low near the Kiev Reservoir for four days after being spotted by some High Court affiliated towns people. Jason hadn't gotten an update since.

 

Currently, Jason was taking his frustrations out on a punching bag. He'd been in the training room since six that morning, hadn't even stopped to make breakfast. First, it was the treadmill, then pull-ups, martial art drills, push ups, sit ups, stretching table, and now he was beating the shit out of this leather bag like it owed him money.

 

"Yo, babe!" Roy shouted across the cave.

 

Bizzaro had come in to hold the bag from the other side, watching Jason break a sweat with a curious glance that moved over to Roy as he entered the room. 

 

"Red Dad call you..." Bizzaro announced.

 

 Jason gave a nod in response and grabbed the towel from around his shoulders to wipe off his face. He then combed back his sweat drenched, curling hair with his fingers. His shirt was gone hours ago, feet bare, and sweatpants sitting low on his hips. 

 

"We need to head into town... I know we're trying to lie low but..." Roy started.

 

Jason's eyes began narrowing, "Roy we can't-" 

 

He started to talk over the other, and was stopped when he realized what Roy was holding up. A missing persons poster holding the image of a young girl. She was around Lian's age, maybe a tad younger, big brown eyes and wild blonde curls framing a huge cheeky smile for the camera. Fuck ... Why was he such a softy for kids?

 

"If that was my baby girl I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her... They need us and... I can't sit here and do nothing." 

 

Jason stayed quiet for a moment, which was either dangerous or hopeful. 

 

"... I've been feeling the same way. I want to keep our family safe, but I think we can help without jeopardizing that ... Right?" 

 

Jason had asked, sounding genuinely unsure.

 

"If this whole shit show wasn't happening we wouldn't hesitate to go. We'd drop Lian off with Donna or Alfred and take care of shit." Jason's eyes went up to meet Roy's. 

 

"I was never afraid of a fight before, especially if it was for the right reasons. I just ...F uck. Roy, how do you balance this parenting shit?"

 

Roy let out a heavy sigh and lowered the photo before pushing his hair back. 

 

"Jay.... The thing is there... Isn't a balance... Court or not, each time we step away to kick some ass we're making the choice to possibly leave our children orphaned…"

 

"But we do it not only because it's what we need, it's what they need... What the world needs. If there wasn't anybody willing to sacrifice the hard things then there would be no body to fight against the Court..."

 

 Roy paused and put his hands on his hips. "I've been thinking about our situation a lot lately... How every time we leave this cave we risk drawing attention to it... Part of me wants to dump the kids off with Viktor to keep them safe but..." 

 

He glanced at Bizzaro, "We can't... It wouldn't be safe for them. I think our best bet is to teach them to take care of themselves."

 

Roy continued, "I  _ can't _ put my bow down and walk away from this.... Maybe someday but... Not when everyone needs me most... Lian is a smart and brave girl.."

 

"We can teach her how to handle herself and give her the means to communicate with Barbara... Set up ground rules like… If you and I don't return for three days she calls them…"

 

"I think we can go out in costume and.. Be heroes... Shit maybe change our identities so that the Court doesn't sniff out Red Hood and Arsenal... I don't think this town will rat on us if we're helping them and... It's so quiet the Court hasn't really been involved." 

 

Roy paused, "If you don't wanna do this that's fine but... I want you to know that I will be.."

 

"Take care of themselves?" Jason asked, teeth almost shattering under the weight of his clenched jaw.

 

 "Roy, seven-year-olds don't take care of themselves, they  _ shouldn't _ take care of themselves." 

 

This wasn't the time to get pissed off or yell at Roy, in all actuality his fiance was right. Jason knew he was right, but the whole idea still put knots in his stomach. 

 

"Z'arro know how to use microwave now." 

 

The grey man said proudly while standing next to the bag, flashing Jason a giant smile that didn't help to ease his worries at all.

 

"Fuck ..." 

 

Jason growled throwing down the towel toward the laundry basket he kept in the training room, specifically for their sweaty laundry. Which was done separately from Lian's because she said it smelled like 'old man farts'. 

 

He moved past Roy and grabbed the front of his shirt,  pulling the other around with him and encouraging him to follow before letting go so Roy could do so on his own.

 

"I don't like this." 

 

Jason started, moving into the large shower room just off the training room, where he turned on the warm water which would help drown out their voices. However, Jason did need a shower so he started to strip out of his clothes as well. 

 

"You ... Asked me to be more honest with you so I'm going to be."

 

 Jason glared down the shower wall, it was easier not to look at people when being vulnerable, even if it was the love of your life. 

 

"I want to be out there fighting too, god, Roy, I want it so bad you don't understand... I mean you do, but you've been out of commission before, you know how to sit better."

 

"I've been fighting for everything since I was born, whether it was for myself, my Mom, Bruce, Gotham. There was only one other time I was as selfish as I'm being now and I nearly destroyed my entire family, gave up my second chance, and the life I have now with you."

 

"So ... I know we can't just keep sitting in this cave hoping things are going to blow over and get better. I could give you a line of bullshit that it's because I want to make this world better for Lian, or because we need to make things better for us."

 

"It's not though ... It's because  _ I _ know what it's like to suffer and I don't want anyone else to have to feel that way. I promised myself after I came to my senses from the Pit that I was going to devote myself to that…"

 

"Which I know sounds like some fake shit Superman would say but I mean it." Jason finally looked up at Roy, "But how do I justify possibly leaving Lian  _ alone _ because I'm some idiot that wants to go out and play hero?"

 

Roy sighed wrapping his arms around his lover from behind. 

 

"Maybe... It's not about what we want." He mumbled into the others shoulder, "Maybe it's about the greater good.... The world that we're building for our kids.... Yes, they're young, too young to handle this shit but.... We  _ can't _ do nothing...."

 

 He pulled back just enough to work on lathering his own hair up with some soap.

 

 "Think of it this way, Jaybird.... What if the people responsible for these kidnappings completely take over our little town? That means no more food supplies for the kids... No more medical supplies."

 

 "It means we don't get to take the kids down to the goat farm in the middle of the night. It means no more star gazing in the woods.... We'd be prisoners here and we can't do that to the kids."

 

"I guess..." Jason replied, turning around to face Roy in the shower fully. 

 

This was just eating at him, this decision to act or stay ... It was pulling at completely different ends of him. There was another bout of silence before Jason took to putting some conditioner in his hands and working it into Roy's hair. He softly pulled out the knots, massaged against Roy's scalp, and just got lost in touching his fiancé.

 

"When I was her age I had to take care of myself." Jason said suddenly, but continued on with Roy's hair. "My Mom was around sure, but ... You know how that was. I became in charge  of most things before she died but I still had her." 

 

His face dropped a little. "If we are going to do this I need to make sure Lian  _ knows _ that she isn't alone. I still want her to be a  kid no matter how bad this shit gets." 

 

Jason looked determined. "I want to make her every meal she needs before we go. We need to pick out her pjs with her. I want to call and read her bedtime stories, make sure she brushed her teeth and washed in between her toes because, damn it, Roy, the kid always forgets and her feet  _ stink _ the next day if she doesn't." 

 

He took a breath and let his hands fall into Roy's shoulders. "And ... We need a plan. So that if we don't come back, Lian will still have people doing all those things for her and making sure she gets to stay a little girl as long as she wants to."

 

"Babe... That's all I want for her…" Roy sympathized as he placed a hand on Jason's cheek.

 

 "I know Babs and Kori would love to help look out for her. I'll set up a transmission before we leave. It'll automatically notify her if we don't come back in three days. Until then I'll make a secure line so we can call our babies..." 

 

Jason felt his anxiety de-escalate from head exploding to a minor itch. He knew it was unrealistic to expect it to go away entirely, even with medication and all the planning in the world. However, Roy was right, these were risks they had to be willing to take. Having someone else in his life that shared the same morals he did was better than good, it was reaffirming. It was everything that made Roy a great partner, not just romantically, but in the field too. He knew when to question Jason, push him if necessary, but most importantly, Roy supported him. 

 

"I feel like Lian would probably be better off with Babs anyway ... She'd still grow up to be a badass for sure." Jason smiled a little at the thought of it, even if it meant they'd be dead.

 

Roy smirked, "Ain't that the truth?

..  While I work on setting all that up, you can cook and sort out pj's, then we can talk to them together.... Sound like a plan?"

 

 "That and we need to make sure they take care of LF." 

 

Jason was now referring to the puppy purely as 'Little Fucker', but using the abbreviation so he didn't have to put more money in the swear jar.

 

 "Other than that ... I think it's a plan."

 

Roy chuckled and rubbed Jason's waist, "They've been doing a good job at taking care of LF, the challenge is making sure they don't feed her human food." He said with a soft chuckle. 

 

Jason offered a small smile though it was clear he was still uncomfortable with the idea of leaving their kids behind. He'd have to work through it, Roy was ready to support him and both of them knew that. 

 

"I don't know what this says about me but ... I think it's really hot what a good Dad you are. That you care so much about your ...  _ our _ family. Honestly? It made you ... Different. In a good way." 

 

Roy smiled and pulled Jason into a soft kiss, strong arms wrapped around the other as he just buried his face into Jason's neck. Jason was the only person that validated him in the ways he needed it the most, without him, Roy honestly thought he would be nothing. The length of the shower was much shorter than either male would’ve liked, however both of them sucked it up, got dressed, and split up.

  
  


As predicted, Jason had a hard time leaving. He probably made way too many meals to eat, went as far as to write down a schedule of what the kids needed to do while they were gone and made sure Babs knew what was going on. He communicated with her via a bracelet similar to what Roy had given Dick only this one used morse code vibrations to receive communications while having the ability to send Roy and Jason audio feeds. Jason told her that he wanted to do the right thing, but he had to be a good dad too. She'd said Bruce would have been proud of the person Jason was. He honestly didn't know what to say in response. 

 

Meanwhile, Roy got to work putting a bug in the computer that would automatically reach out to Batgirlin three days unless Roy deactivated it, which he would do if he doesn’t die. Once complete, he set up the communication means so that he and Jason could safely broadcast to the cave without the High Court picking up on it.

 

It took him some time in creating the coding but once he did he printed it on a small harddrive. Roy took the device and hooked it up to a small speaker equipped with a microphone and camera before he headed off to find Lian's teddy bear. He cut the stuffie open, installed the device and stitched it back up before he got to work testing it.

 

"Hello, beautiful." He said into his coms, smirking as he heard his voice through the bear.

 

He then squeezed the bear paw and tested the Mic punching the air when it worked. Roy then set off to change into his gear before cleaning up any tools, devices, or items that could potentially hurt the kids or be hurt by the kids, which also meant locking up his workspace and hiding the key. LF had taken to following Roy at this point though he didn't mind. In fact, he used the fluffy fucker to lure the other two kids into the living space where he taught them how to use the teddy bear. At first Lian was  _ pissed _ Roy frankensteined it but when he brought up leaving she hugged and clung it to her chest. He waited for Jason to go over the ground rules with them before giving them both long hugs.

 

Jason hugged Lian tight to his chest, he told her to call them if she needed anything, that if she got scared or something happened he would be there in a second. Jason  _ promised _ her that this wasn't going to be like the other times he had left. 

 

"Lian, sweetheart, I love you. I cannot believe how brave you are, how strong you've already managed to be at your age. I am so proud of you." 

 

Jason held her face in his hands as he spoke to her, squatting down in front of her and kissed her forehead. 

 

"I'll take care of Dad. Make sure he doesn't do anything that's more stupid than usual." 

 

"I don't think even you can keep Dad from being stupid." Lian replied with a small smile. Jason laughed in return.

 

 "I love you too."

 

Roy then begged Jason to let them all have a small treat together, the kids quickly joining in.    
  


After they ate the treat Roy headed out to the cave exit where the four wheelers would be. 

 

"It’s time to kick names and take ass." So what if he was quoting a marvel movie, it was better than quoting Duke Nukem and Evil Dead all the time.

 

Jason had been entirely quiet until Roy spoke, he couldn't help but crack a smile. "You are an absolute dork." 

 

After brushing all the leaves off the fourwheelers, Jason put on his Red Hood helmet. It was practical at this point, but also symbolic. Roy made a good point saying they could try different identities but Jason didn't want to. Red Hood, the Outlaws, they stood for something and even if it put a spotlight on them, hiding would only make them look suspicious. Besides, their names held a little weight that might make things easier ... Or harder. Really, it was hard to predict. 

 

"So, there is something I've been hiding from you." Jason started as he got onto his vehicle.

 

 "Remember that woman that we bought the HellHound from? ... Well, she's got this gigantic barn on her property, and turns out, she's blind as shit.”   
  


 “These four wheelers are great in the forest, but I thought we might like something a little more street worthy once we get into town. I have one of Bruce's mustangs I stole ... Red of course, and two motorcycles. Those I stole from Dick, so blue unfortunately was the only color choice."

 

Jason made a game of waiting for Dick to leave his bike unprotected and then stealing it out from underneath him. It didn't matter what kind of security system he put on it, or protection that Bruce or Tim worked into the bike, Jason always found a way around it. His personal favorite was the time he stole this  _ atrocious _ lightning blue bike Dick had bought for his civilian use. Jason managed to not only take it without getting caught, but he'd also parked it on top of the third concrete tower to the bridge coming into Gotham. How did he do it? He'd never tell. 

 

"Hmmm Nightwang Blue or Breadhood Red.... Fuck, I really like motorcycles.." Roy pout. 

 

Roy pat Jason's ass, making the other jerk slightly before earning a glare, as he climbed onto one of the fourwheelers and headed off into town. 

 

Once they got to the barn they snuck around back, somehow without letting the dogs know. Jason had more than just a few vehicles stored there. It was, basically, a hidden stash away from Roy. In perfectly organized piles, rows, and labeled in Batcode were crates and boxes lifted off of the dirt floor on pallets. Explosives, ammunition, MREs, medical supplies, various spare parts for Jason's guns and equipment. Fuck, he even had quivers of arrows he'd saved from their Outlaw hideouts in California and Hawaii for Roy if he needed them. All of it? He never told Roy about. Why? Because Roy was  _ terrible _ at rationing or saving  _ anything _ . His fiancee had a creative mind that was running constantly. So, if he had access to all this? It would have been gone months ago. It was the very same reason Jason hadn't told Roy where he was keeping all the money and valuables he was using to pay for things in town ... The goddamn red head would have bought something stupid by now if he had access to it. 

 

Roy stared and gawked, "Damn babe... You've been seriously holding out on us." 

 

The redhead began looking at the various arrows, not hesitating to grab a good handful.

 

"Us? Just you ... Lian knew about all this." Jason said with a small smirk.

 

He had told Lian about the spot and the supplies when they first arrived in Belarus. He told her to keep it a secret because they both knew how bad Dad's impulse control was when he was doing his little experiments. Lian had literally just sighed like a long-suffering, middle-aged woman and agreed not to tell. 

 

Roy’s attention didn’t stay focused on the supplies for the sight of a shiny red mustang stole his attention. Sharp green eyes looked the vehicle up and down like it was a beautiful woman in a semi revealing dress, if this wasn’t true love then Roy didn’t know what was.

 

"Okay.. I changed my mind but  _ only  _ if I get to drive the mustang...  _ Please _ . I swear I won't crash it."

 

"I don't know if you  _ could _ crash it. Fox gave this to Bruce as a birthday present. Get this ... Modified four-wheel drive with skid resistance and auto adjusting suspension based on terrain and weather conditions.” 

 

Jason began explaining.

 

“Bullet proof glass that takes up to one hundred rounds from an AK-47 per  _ square inch _ ." He tapped on the glass as he spoke. "Carbon steel frame that will withstand being run over by a tank, but is light enough to jump the length of a football field with expanding aerodynamic panels.” 

 

“1,300 bph, nitrous injection engine in the front. In the back? Hybrid electric motor that can be recharged by hidden solar panels in the roof." Jason was touching the car all over as he spoke, obviously in love. 

 

"All of that and that's not even the best part."

 

 Jason pulled the keys out of his pocket, pressing a button on top, seconds later? The car was nearly invisible in front of them, just the tiniest hint of the outline showing. 

 

 "Bruce drove this thing a total of once before I stole it out of the cave. I mean ... Lucious wouldn't have made it Redhood red if he didn't want me to have it right?" Jason pushed the button again and tossed the keys to Roy. 

 

Roy fumbled the keys, his jaw still slack as he stared at the car. He imagined that Bruce must've been  _ livid _ that this beauty was stolen and Dick must've been  _ jealous _ that Lucious didn't make him one.  Especially since he tried wooing Luke.. Then again, maybe that’s  _ why  _ Lucius didn't make him one.

 

Jason got into the passenger side and immediately lit a cigarette. He could almost hear Bruce scolding him for smoking in his car. 

 

The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. Jet black interior with red and dark silver finishes, a huge tech touch panel in the dashboard and ... A booster in the back. Fuck, he probably should take that out before they went ... He'd put it in for Lian if they ever needed to get the fuck out of town fast. 

 

"I know you are probably trying to hide your boner out there but we are on a schedule."

 

With a whistle and a lick of his lips Roy climbed inside and gave the steering wheel a loving squeeze, "I'm in love... Babe, you're cool with having an open relationship right?" 

 

Jason was right about one thing... Roy did have a hard on for this car.

  
  


He backed out quickly and didn't hesitate to punch the gas as he zoomed into town. The rush of adrenaline showing on his face. Within 5 short minutes they made it the rest of the way in town, killing Roy's buzz though he didn't hesitate to skid and drift to a stop in the middle of the street. He may have learned a thing or two about driving from Dick and Bruce since Oliver was typically busy. 

 

Roy popped out of the car pulling his hat back onto his head as he struck a heroic pose for the staring civilians. 

 

A child held her mother’s arm and pointed to Roy, <He's a superhero! Maybe he can help us find Pietro!>

 

The woman looked like she had been crying for days, her hair a mess and face exhausted. She pulled her daughter closer to her as the towns people grew wary.

 

"I don't think they appreciate our entrance." Roy mumbled before stepping out and shutting the door.

 

Jason lightly shook his head as he stood just outside the car door leaning his forearms on it, "You've been working with Nightwing too much ..." 

 

‘Hood pushed off the car and reached inside, grabbing a black backpack before shutting the door and going to stand behind Roy. He was being supportive despite the train wreck his to be husband was directing in front of him. 

 

<Hello, I am Arsenal. This is Red Hood, we are vigilante’s from America. We dogs that you are being terrorized and have tweeted reports about kidnapping. We are here to nap.> 

 

Roy’s Belerusian was rusty at best. The crowd gave him a confused look before whispering amongst themselves making Roy's smile falter for a second. He then reached in his pocket and pulled the photo of the missing girl.

 

<We want to find bird.>

 

"God ... Marriage is going to be rough." Red Hood mumbled under his breath.

 

An older woman with white hair and a limp approached, softly sobbing. "My Katrine. She go missing, we can't find her."

 

"We want to help." Roy reassured putting a hand on her shoulder. "Where did you last see her?"

 

"The park." The woman responded before she began breaking down completely.

 

Jason listened carefully to the woman but watched as a few more tearful faces began emerging from the crowd. Most of them mothers, some spouses. 

 

<My Irina disappeared two nights ago after babysitting at the Crkyov’s!> A woman spoke in Russian from the left, holding up a picture of her daughter. 

 

<Jakob was killed on his way home from school!> A husband spoke next to his wife who looked too upset to even speak.

 

Jason took in a few other shouts from worried families telling them about their missing, hurt, or dead loved ones before he decided things were getting out of hand. Reaching up, he pressed a button on the side of his helmet.

 

<Listen up!> 

 

Jason's voice came out like he was talking through a megaphone on blast in Belarusian. Some of the people closest to them covered their ears for a second as silence quickly fell over the small crowd gathering. Shit, Jason was going to beat the piss out of Roy later. 

 

<First things first, we aren't doing this crazy crowd trope. We  _ are _ here to help but I need you all to take the energy down about ten notches. Here is how this is going to work. We are going into that bar->

 

Jason pointed over to the local dive bar they'd parked, or more like skidded in, next to. The helmet registering at a  _ much _ softer level. The owner was standing dusting out his open doorway when every eye surrounding them moved over to the old man. 

 

<\- and will be taking  _ one _ person at a time in the big booth in the corner.>

 

 He'd never been to that bar before, but he'd bet this guy kept the bar 'old school' with a big round booth in the back for public figures to sit. 

 

<I want names, pictures,  _ exact  _  addresses where things happened, and a  _ short _ story about how and when they disappeared. We will be focusing on missing persons  _ only _ > 

 

The Red Hood was going to come off as a total asshole and that was fine. However, they didn't have time to listen to everyone's individual problems which probably ranged from theft to murder. Jason had, unfortunately, learned while being Robin that people had a hard time sympathizing or prioritizing when dealing with stress or trauma. Jason wasn't going to go tracking down family heirlooms or investigate into people that were already dead and weren't coming back. Those things did matter, but not more than the lives of those that may still be out there.

 

Still, that wasn't why he was setting up a 'by appointment' system with defined rules and an emphasis on efficiency. No, he was doing that for Roy.

 

Jason had also learned while Robin that certain heroes had a compulsory need to console loved ones or victims suffering from trauma and tragedy. From who you ask? Dick Grayson of course. If there was one similarity between Roy and Dick it was their giant, externally bleeding hearts. Of course, it made them compassionate, well liked, easy to talk to but ... And Gods love them ... That also made them absolute time drains. 

 

They would unintentionally spend long periods of time with singular victims, reassuring them, and usually getting drawn into keeping promises that they shouldn't because of their strong empathy. Jason remembered Nightwing spending  _ three years _ tracking down a woman after a mass shooting in Gotham to deliver her Father's dying words of apology. Was that sweet and heartwarming? Sure. Right now though? It was an absolute waste of their time. 

 

"Come on Arse-n-hole." Jason said without his mic, weaving an arm around Roy's (despite the glare the other shot him) and taking him away from the now chattering group of people. 

 

The old man from before was happily opening the door for them, smiling large with a well-trimmed push broom of a mustache stretching across his face. God, Jay wished he could send a picture to Tim ... This guy was like an NPC out of a video game. Jason handed him a folded wad of money as they entered, letting out a small chuckle as he saw the booth he  _ knew _ would be there in the back, covered in red leathered glory. 

 

<I want a beer, whatever you recommend that doesn't taste like piss, and he'll take a coke.>

 

"I speak English. I served with the British army in World War II. Also, you are in Belarus son, all the beer tastes like piss, you'd be better off drinking mors and vodka." The man answered back with a thick accent but otherwise spoke perfectly. 

 

"What's your name, sir?" Jason asked casually, despite his formal language. 

 

"Andrei Kornyeva." 

 

"Andrei, I like you. I'll take a vodka and mors, let's keep them light because this is going to be a long night." Jason spoke as he sat down in the corner seat, taking off his helmet and setting it down on the table in front of him, his backpack next to him. 

 

Andrei smiled as a response and got started behind the bar as Jason began setting up the space like a makeshift office pulling out a map of the area, two legal pads and a laptop which he slid over to what he had quietly determined was Roy's side of the table. 

 

"So much for 'subtle', Arse. I'll kick your ass later, right now I need you well enough to take notes." Jason shot toward Roy without even looking up from his bag and only gesturing to the other end of the booth.

 

Roy got settled and grabbed a pencil, adjusting the notebook before drawing some lines to break things down into categories. Name, name of missing person, location, and age. Below he had prepared bullet points for what happened. 

 

"In my defense, that car wasn't very subtle  _ regardless  _ of my driving." He pointed out before the first person approached. She was a younger woman. 

 

"Hello." She said in English, it made Roy grateful that the whole town didn't solely speak Belarusian or Russian. While he knew both he wasn't exactly a professional. 

 

"What’s your name?" Roy asked.

 

"Anya Vlivokaufski."

 

Roy totally botched the spelling of her name but that wasn’t important.

 

"And who are you here for?"

 

"My brother. He went missing. He's only two years old. I was watching him because our mother was at work and I left him in his crib to do some laundry but when I came back he was gone."

 

Jason watched the girls face as she spoke. "What time of day was this?"

 

"About noon?"

 

"Was that the last time you saw him? In his crib?" Jason asked taking notes.

 

"Yes. He was sleeping after lunch."

 

"Did you hear him cry or any noises before he was taken?" 

 

"No, I was in the living room watching TV. This is my address." She said pointing to the map, Jason quirked a brow.

 

"Your family lives in the apartments here?" 

 

"Yes."

 

Jason stared at her for a moment tapping his pen against the pad of paper. "Did you leave the apartment while he was napping?"

 

An older woman was standing behind them, looking over to the side, the younger woman looked back a little nervous.

 

"Don't worry. Mom doesn't know English does she?" Jason asked, the woman's eyes flipping back to him.

 

"No ... She doesn't."

 

"Then just tell us what happened. I don't care enough about your family drama to taddle to her about any major secret you've been keeping." Jason stated as he took a long drink from his cup.

 

"I put him down for a nap at noon. I did leave the apartment ... I'm not supposed to but he always sleeps for three hours. Never stirs. So, I ... Went to my boyfriend's house and we-"

 

Jason stopped drinking and waved his hand in front of him. "I don't need details about  _ what _ you did. When did you get back from ... All that?" 

 

"Two thirteen. He was gone, the front door was just open when I got back." She confirmed.

 

"Alright. You know what condoms are right? Using them?"

 

"What I ..."

 

"Seventeen, feeling rebellious and invincible ... I've seen it before, wanna know what ruins all that? Babies. Just ask this guy." Jason continued, pointing toward Roy. "Buy some. Next." Jason said waving her out of the booth and taking their next case. 

 

In total, they interviewed fourteen individuals and ended up with twenty confirmed missing individuals ranging from 2-15 years of age. There were two adults missing. 34 and 45 years old. Jason didn't have the heart to tell the families that, more likely than not, they were dead and the bodies just hadn't been found yet. They didn't meet the kidnapper's MO.

 

All of the children disappeared with no witnesses. Either they went missing when no one was around, or during attacks from 'thugs' that came in out of town when people were distracted.

 

 Every citizen described the group as the same dozen men, dressed in stolen military gear, busting shop windows, stealing money, valuables, food, and killing or raping anyone who tried to stop them. Jason believed they were connected, even though the towns members insisted that they'd never seen the men touch a single child. 

 

Andrei shut the bar doors, turning the open sign to closed. "That's it for the night boys."

 

"Andrei ... You are a damn good bartender." Jason praised, rolling his shoulders and letting his back hit the cushions for the first time since they sat down. 

 

God, he wanted to just take off his domino mask and rub his eyes, take off this damn kevlar. Long nights interviewing in uniform were always more exhausting to Jason than those fighting in the streets. Social interaction was fucking draining as hell.

 

"We can start following our leads tomorrow. Tonight we should go over our notes and prepare a plan ..." Jason let his head roll over on the back of the cushion to look at Roy. 

 

"Babe, carry me to a bed somewhere." The request came out tired and a little bit dramatic.

 

Roy stared at Jason's empty glass feeling his cravings boil for a moment before his green eyes snapped back up to the others face, smirking in response to Jason’s dramatic behavior. 

 

"Oh, babe... You don't want these guys seeing the big bad Hood carried out like a damsel in distress do you?" He asked quirking a brow before kissing his cheek, receiving a grunt from Jason in response. 

 

Roy wiggled his way out of the booth before offering a hand. "Come on, I saw an Inn just next door. We'll get settled, relax... See where fate takes us next." 

 

Jason took his outstretched hand, pulling with almost his entire weight to rock Roy forward as he rose out of the booth. It put him in the perfect position to push Roy flush against his own body. He wanted Roy to lean into all four inches of height Jason had on him ... In his tactical boots.

 

A strong arm wrapped around Roy's center Jason using it to keep them pressed together, his other hand doing the same by gripping Roy's forearm.

 

Even if Roy had the arms of a god from being an archer, Jason carried more muscle than his partner nearly everywhere else. Pressed together like this it was even more obvious. It would be hard for anyone to deny that Jason was the stronger of the two. 

 

"You know I'm too impatient to wait for fate on that front." Jason nearly rumbled out by Roy's ear. 

 

It thrummed with a dominance that matched Jason's form, but it ended just as quickly as it started. Jason pulled away, his hand dragging along the middle of Roy's back as he began moving toward the door. Throwing his bag over his shoulder and slipping his helmet back on.

 

 Jason left Roy behind him. "Come on, hot stuff."

 

Before long they arrived at the Inn and soon were in their suite. Roy went ahead and stripped off his uniform before he plopped on the bed in his underwear rubbing his hands over his face. Shit… His exhaustion was kicking in.

 

Jason emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his neck and literally nowhere else. He was yawning loudly and despite being entirely naked, didn’t look at all ready for intimacy. He was furrowing his brows like he usually did when tired, sitting next to Roy on the bed before just laying down next to him. 

 

"I know we said let's go over the notes and make a plan but can we order food and sleep instead?"

 

Jason looked over to his lover, relief suddenly coming over his features at the suggestion. "That was the sexiest thing I've ever heard you say, babe."

 

Luckily… That's exactly what they did. 

  
  
  
  


Hours later there was the sound of screaming outside, soon followed by the sound of a gunshot and distant yelling. Roy and Jason both shot up quickly and got dressed in their uniforms. 5am, damn these guys liked to start early.

 

Jason observed Roy while standing just next to the bed, lacing up his boots half off kilter. He knew that Roy was much more suited for fighting at a distance like this and let him take position up by the window.

 

While Roy wanted to rush out and protect the people he knew he wouldn't be able to track them down to their stupid little hole… Still… Watching these men throw these people around didn't sit well with him. He cracked the window open and readied his arrow before firing an explosive arrow at one of the men's feet. 

 

It didn't hurt to kill a couple, right?

 

Roy turned his attention further up the road, this time aiming a normal arrow that he fired into someone's leg. That one drew more attention to him and before he knew it a bullet flew through the window. A smirk spreading along Roy's face.

 

"I guess we weren't meant to lie low." With that the archer leapt through the window, landing on the patio where he fired three smoke arrows into the ground.

 

"Arse-" 

 

 "Cowabunga!" Roy exclaimed before jumping over the railing.

 

No plan, just action. Jason could get behind that.

 

 Roy landed beside one crook and wrapped his bow around his throat before he jerked it to the side, breaking the man's neck and sending him to the ground. Another approached Roy swinging at him with a bat. Unfortunately the hit landed since Roy was watching Jason work.

  
  


Red Hood landed with a forward roll, taking a man in front of the inn down like a cannonball of pure muscle. The man's chest ended up under Jason's boots and from his squatted position he shot two men down to the ground with a total of three bullets from his drawn handguns. A fourth approached behind Jason, the butt of his gun coming down on Red's helmet.

 

Jason's head didn't even move. Instead the hero somersaulted backward while pushing his body upward, the steel reinforced toe of Hood's boot cracking against the man's face. With the rest of his momentum Jason pulled his body back under him and stood at full height.

  
  


"Low blow, bro! Let me #payyouback." With that Roy punched the man in the face, kicked his legs out from under him and fired an arrow into his shoulder.

 

Jason was staring too and just about took a bullet for it. When Roy looked his way, Jason was sure he was caught. With a smirk and a wave, the redhead was heading back out onto the battlefield leaving Jason standing with a renewed fire in his gut. 

 

God, it had been too long. 

 

Jason heard a scream amongst the chaos, but it sounded far away, maybe a block over, and was quickly followed by the sound of breaking glass much closer by. When Jason looked back at the chaos surrounding him, he saw a man from earlier punching a thug that was halfway hanging out of a store front.

 

Actually, he wasn't the only citizen trying to attack these men. Others were throwing whatever they could get their hands on, some screaming in anger and fear. Basically? This situation was going from bad to worse quickly. They needed to get these guys out of town before the violence got completely out of hand. You couldn’t convince these families just to calm down and let them handle it. These were people so fed up and emotional they were beyond reason.

 

Flash grenade time. 

 

“Mad Mod!” Jason yelled, signaling to Roy what he was about to do. 

 

Both of them had agreed on that code name. What else was flashy, made a lot of noise, and left you with a disorientingly bad headache afterward? Fucking Mad Mod.

 

The grenade went off with a blinding flash seconds later, the citizens dropped down instinctively, covering their ears.

 

 Weird enough though, the thugs all kept standing, ready to go even though many of them did look disoriented. That was trained behavior. Your run of the mill gang types weren’t that well trained. Jason knew then and there that these men weren’t going to run away for their lives if they spooked them enough. It only really left them with one option. 

 

Eight down, four to go. 

 

Jason used another twelve bullets to take down two more men. Five were used just to scare another crouching in front of the storefront away from his thug counterpart.

 

The crooks didn’t hesitate to return fire. Roy took a bullet to the arm as he rose an arrow and fired it, the tip broke open and several smaller arrows shot out and landed at one of the crooks feet. Before long the small arrows exploded sending the males top half flying while his bottom half was obliterated. Roy reached back, aimed and went to fire at the last man standing but he froze upon seeing the man touch his ear. A com link. The hesitation gave the man enough time to throw a grenade and despite Roy firing he only hit the man’s side. Roy didn't have time to fight the man because the grenade rolled right for Jason. Arsenal quickly tackled him out of the way, kicking the grenade in the process before it exploded above them.

 

His ears rang, his head throbbed, and his eyes moved towards the woods where the man was limping off. Whatever, Roy would follow him later.

 

"That was.... Explosive." Roy commented before climbing off of Red Hood, blood trickling down his arm making his grip slick. 

 

Roy's punny comment had Jason moving his hand to smack Roy on the arm, but that's when he saw it. Blood dripping down Roy's arm and onto his leather jacket's sleeve.

  
“Are you alright?”

 

Jason sat up, pulling himself off the ground and grabbed Roy's arm as he turned back to face him.

 

 "Am  _ I _ alright?" Jason asked,  examining the wound. "You were  _ shot _ ??" This kind of thing happened, sure, but Roy was so goddamn calm.

 

The crowd was beginning to gather around again, people speaking loudly about what happened. Jason was so concerned about the blood he barely noticed. He got to work taking a pack of gauze out of a compartment in the back of his belt, putting it against the wound and wrapping more gauze around it. 

 

"You need stitches." Jason said, looking up and deciding this took president over dealing with the townspeople right now. "Andrei!?"

 

 "Baby, I'm fine." Roy chuckled despite his mind was lulling behind almost like a bad English dubbed movie. The sounds he heard were not matching up with what he saw.

 

"Yes young man?" Andrei responded from right behind Jason. 

 

"You take over here. You know what to do?" Jason asked, the man smiled and nodded.

 

"Clean up and secure the area." Andrei replied simply before shouting out orders in Russian and Belarusian like it was second nature to him. As if world war II happened yesterday and he was still commanding his troops. 

 

Jason finally realized why he liked the man so much ... He reminded him of Alfred. 

 

"Come on, let’s get this taken care of." Jason said in a low voice, pulling Roy in front of him and leading him back into the inn. 

 

"You need to tell me if you get light headed or dizzy, otherwise I'm not catching your dumbass if you fall." Jason cared through insults, it was just part of his Gotham charm.

 

Before Roy knew it they were inside the bar and he was sitting down. He let out a heavy sigh, the pain slowly starting to sink in as the bullet was fished out and his wound was clean. 

 

"It's times like this I wish I could take a hit or two of morphine." That was... Definitely a junkie reference. 

 

He wanted to do something harder than morphine, that was for sure, especially when the suture pressed into his skin. It felt different than a syringe but that small sting always got his body itching and head spinning. 

 

"I've got an ice pack, 800mg of ibuprofen, and lidocaine for you instead." Jason offered. 

 

The red head only shook his head in response, for the time being Roy had decided against the painkillers, that's how it all started after all. An aspirin. Then, it went to vicodin and other opioids. 

 

Jason finished the last stitch and looked up at Roy.

 

"You know, you look pretty hot with your bow. I saw you moving out there and ..." Jason's eyes flickered with excitement behind his domino mask. "I'm remembering why I couldn't take my eyes off you as Robin." 

 

Jason had the most  _ horribly _ embarrassing crush on Roy when he was younger. Every time Dick brought him around, Jason would find a reason to be hang out, or just watch him train with Dick. His older brother probably knew  _ way _ before Jason did that he was so stupidly in love with Roy Harper. 

 

"I love you, Roy."

 

"You were pretty hot yourself... Your on point shots.. That flip." Roy gave an exaggerated moan, "I could take you right there baby." 

 

"You saved me, you know that right? You've given me... So much... You remind me I'm a better person. I love you so much and I can't wait to marry you."

 

Jason hooked a hand behind Roy's neck and kissed him, lips connecting together in a familiar form. Jason may have kissed Roy a hundred or more times, but every time his stomach still flipped. 

 

"We saved each other." Jason corrected, his thumb rubbing under Roy's ear. "I'm sorry I took so long to realize that I can't do life without you. After this shit though? I say we grab Kori, my brothers, get Lian an adorable dress, somehow get a tux that will fit the big guy and do this Vegas style." 

 

Jason would refuse to do some giant, fancy, and formal wedding. He was marrying Roy to cement their relationship, not to entertain anyone else.

 

Roy smirked, "Vegas style sounds perfect, baby."

 

Jason helped Roy up from the booth, moving them the short distance to their rented room nextdoor. Outside was quiet, Andrei having taken care of business better than Jason probably could have. Damn, Jason owed that man a gift. 

 

Once the door was locked behind them Jason's hands were on Roy in an instant. His movement wasn't hurried, or forceful, but was firm and dominant. Jason trapped Roy against the wall across from the bed, fingers unclipping Roy's uniform piece by piece with practiced knowledge. 

 

"You're going to let me take care of you." Jason said, but did not ask.

 

He took off his domino mask, teal eyes boring into Roy with barely contained lust. "If you behave for me, I'll make it worth your while."

 

A smirk spread across Roy’s lips as his hands moved to rest on Jason's hips. "Mmm and I thought tonight couldn't get any better." 

 

Moving his hands lower, Roy undid Jason's pants. The red head then pushed his hands under Jason's shirt as his nails scraped against the others skin before he pulled him into a deep kiss, tongue slipping into his mouth in a fight for dominance.

 

This kiss relit the embers smoking inside of Jason into a roaring flame. All the excitement of their fight, the endorphins and adrenaline mixing in harmony with the desire he felt growing  along with it. Jason's hands momentarily steadied themselves against the wall on either side of Roy's body, pushing all of his concentration into the slide of his tongue along Roy's, enticing it between his own lips so he could lightly suck along it in a very suggestive manner. 

 

By now he had completely memorized the others taste and by god was he lucky to have. If Roy had to describe the way Jason tasted the words that he would choose would be 'a real man' because in his eyes? That was what Jason was... 

 

The kiss broke and Jason decided a wall wasn't going to stand up to what he had planned. Jason first forced Roy's vest off and then exposed his chest, hands moving from the discarded material to Roy's hips. Swiftly, Jason pulled the archer closer to him, took two steps back, and then flipped their positions before shoving Roy down onto the bed now behind him. Jason stood with his legs close to the end of the bed, pulling off his kevlar, and then finally lifting his under shirt over his head and tossing it somewhere to the side. He leaned over Roy, a hand immediately going down to slip under Roy's pants, the other forcing his head to the side so Jason could kiss along the side of his neck. 

 

"I can't decide if I want to ride you ... Or make you suck my cock." Jason admitted forth right, quickly sucking a hickey onto the pulse under his lips.

 

"We could always do both... Unless you feel like topping tonight.. Either way? That cocks going in my mouth."

 

 The redhead smirked and kissed Jason sensually before softly pushing on his chest to sit him up. Once Jason was up right, Roy undid his pants and pulled Jason from his member moaning at the sight. He wouldn't say this out loud for sake of sore feelings but Jason was bigger than Dick... At least when Roy last saw the dope. 

 

A hand stayed tangling his fingers in the red heads long hair. Jason’s eyes were dark, looking at Roy with nothing but pure aroused interest. 

 

"So fucking beautiful, it could become an art sculpture." 

 

"You talk too much." Jason teased.

 

The redhead rolled his eyes before dragging his tongue against the slit of Jason’s member, slowly rolling his tongue down the head and around the bottom before taking the head completely into his mouth. Roy hollowed out his cheeks as he sucked before going about half way, his limit, and pulling back. His other hand moving to stroke him steadily as his lips brushed against the tip.

 

 Jason’s eyes closed, unabashed moans escaping him as he gripped Roy’s hair hard. As things moved forward, Jason's grip became a little more forceful, rocking his hips along with Roy's movements. He wasn't intending to choke his lover, he just needed to move against something. Heloved the feeling, but he wanted to touch too, wanted to see Roy lose it  _ with _ him. 

 

"Babe ..." Jason breathed out, pulling back just enough to signal for Roy to stop. "I need you." 

 

Jason kicked off his pants and underwear and used his hands to push Roy back onto the mattress again. He was over the top of him again, kissing Roy with purpose, moaning in a possessive way when he tasted himself on Roy's tongue. 

 

"I'm on top." Jason said, rolling his hips down into Roy's. "But I'll let you choose if you want my cock or ... If you want to let me have yours."

 

There was a fire in Roy's emerald eyes as he stared into Jason's beautiful teal ones, a small smirk on his lips as his fingers danced along Jason's cheek and into his hair where he softly pulled him into a delicate and deep kiss.

 

 "Let me spoil you." Roy smirked, sitting up lazily to grab the lube from his utility belt. He always had the stuff handy.

 

He squeezed it onto his finger tips and reached to softly brush them against Jason's entrance, his mouth moving to suck on Jason's neck as he slowly pushed a single finger in. It was probably less than Jason would've liked but Roy didn't like to rush. He loved how roudy Jason got. 

 

"You ... Were supposed to let me take care of you." 

 

Jason tried to let out with some of the same threatening tone he'd used earlier, but felt it dripping out of his words the more Roy fingered the inside of him. By the second finger Jason was, once again, bucking his hips, pushing Roy deeper into him and moaning through every pained stretch. If there was one thing in common between the batboys? They all enjoyed a little pain with their pleasure. Some liked inflicting it, some liked taking it, Jason liked both. 

 

Jason felt his forearms and wrists quiver as Roy began stroking him, a jerking shake and loud moan forcing its way through Jason when his lover took to licking his nipple. 

 

"Roy ... Roy ..." Jason started to repeat, losing himself to the sensation again, all plans forgotten in his lust hazed mind. 

 

He felt  _ so _ close just from this. Roy had a way of doing that though, slipping his hands and mouth on Jason until he gave in and turned into puddy with Roy's trained assault on his body. God ... He was going to cum like this ...

 

Jason had a single moment of sanity, a flash of inspiration looking at Roy's utility belt that was in reach. 

 

Bingo. 

 

Jason moved his hips forward, feeling Roy's fingers slip out of him. It produced a near whine, that was one hundred percent unintentional on Jason's part. He pushed on though, his hands finding Roy's under arms and pushing them down hard enough that it forced Roy's arms above his head. With a swift movement Jason grabbed the cuffs from the belt, and wrapped them between the bars on the headboard, clipping each cuff around Roy's wrists. Roy could get out of them, they all could. But that wasn't the point. Jason took a few steadying breaths. His hands resting on Roy's forearms as he stared down at him. 

 

"Be good for me and stay still." Jason said, finally sitting himself up.

 

He shifted his hips back until he could feel Roy's hardened cock rubbing just between his cheeks. His hands positioned on both of Roy's sides below his ribs. 

 

"God, you're going to feel so good inside of me, Roy." Jason teased, moving his hips back and up, so very slowly. 

 

The drag of Roy's cock against his entrance, fucking between the mounds of his ass had him wanting to ride Roy immediately ... But he had a bone to pick with his handsy fiancee.

 

"Oh... Baby.." Roy said with a blissful sigh, eyes closing as he inhaled deeply before opening his eyes back up for Jason. 

 

"You're so... Evil... And sexy..." 

 

The redhead rolled his hips up against Jason begging for entry, Roy wasn't at all above begging. Unlike the batbrats, Arsenals are very... Open to breaking down for their lovers. 

 

"You gonna make me beg, stud?" He asked through a small smirk, hips pressing against Jason's entrance the best he could.

 

"I don't think I'll have to make you beg." Jason replied, smiling at Roy's reaction, and moving his hips along with Roy's teasing movements. 

 

It was just enough to increase friction, but by no means was Roy dipping into the honey pot until Jason was ready. ... Jason needed to think of another metaphor. 

 

"I think if I wait long enough,  you'll do it all on your own." Jason finished, leaning down closer to Roy and kissing his arms, chest, anything he could get his lips on. 

 

Teeth and tongue teased nipples, moved on to adding a few hickeys along his collarbone.

 

 "Though ... Begging may make me more inclined to," Jason rolled his hips up and let the tip of Roy's cock press just slightly into his entrance, a fraction of an inch, before he once again let it slide between instead. "-Stop teasing and give you what you want. What  _ I _ want."

Roy was losing it internally. Every movement causing a jolt of ecstasy to burn through the redhead, every teasing word sending a shiver down his spine. Roy tugged at the handcuffs slightly feeling an urge to reach down and take hold of Jason's hips. 

 

"Fuck." Roy whispered, eyes closing as Jason teased his cock. 

 

Jason placed his mouth by the side of Roy's head, lips finding the lobe of his ear. "Remember last time I rode you like this? ...  You were so  _ deep _ inside me I thought I'd lose it ... I came without you even touching me ... Just from the feeling of your cock inside me."

 

"Please let me fuck you, baby. I wanna feel your tight ass around my cock." He pant out, rolling his hips to thrust between Jason's slicked cheeks, "I wanna hear you moan. Feel your mouth on mine. Feel you cum on my chest...  _ Please _ " 

 

Roy begged without a lick of hesitation. He was an addict and drugs weren't the only thing he was addicted to. Jason was just as tantalizing.

 

Listening to Roy beg was music to his ears, it made Jason thrum with a sense of domination that, frankly, had nothing to do with who was fucking who. Anyone who asked 'which one is the girl ... You know the one that takes it up the ass?' Was an idiot. Just because Jason bottomed more than he topped didn't mean he wasn't the head of the household, or that he wasn't in charge during sex. In fact, the opposite was true in both cases. 

 

"The way you surrender yourself is ... Beautiful." Jason admitted, kissing Roy with a slow passion that conveyed the love he felt for his partner. 

 

The trust they always displayed when doing this with each other.

Jason broke the kiss and sat up, reaching down to grasp Roy's cock, smiling when he felt how hard he was against his palm. He guided the tip into his body, his breath hitched at the stretch. He  _ loved _ it. 

 

He intended on going slow, really making Roy struggle but ... God Jason couldn't wait anymore. They were always waiting. He pushed Roy the rest of the way inside him, his eyes nearly rolling back in his head when he bottomed out completely. It was deep, pressing into all the right places. Jason sang. 

 

Roy moaned and slowly moved his hips upwards. He needed to pace himself and go slow but it was so hard. His cock was throbbing, soft moans escaping Roy as he began slowly moving his hips upwards thrusting into Jason. 

 

"Fuck." He pant out after the other, "Oh, Jaybird. You're so beautiful." He hummed in appreciation, eyes fixed on watching Jason taking his cock.

 

His thrusts grew in speed and force as he tugged at his handcuffs with enough force to bruise his wrists. He didn't notice. His body was tingling and buzzing with pleasure every time Jason moaned and flexed around him.

 

Jason placed his hands on Roy's thighs behind him, using them to lift his body and create movement. After a few testing thrusts Jason closed his eyes and just rode Roy for everything he had. He could feel the other against his prostate, could not stop the line of lewd sounds filing out of his mouth.

 

 "F-Fuck!" Jason sighed out feeling his thighs trembling, sweat forming and beading down him. "Roy ... Fuck ... I'm going cum ... Fuck!"

 

"Cum with me baby. I'm so close... I wanna feel your orgasm." Roy pant out, sharper and harder thrusts pounding upwards into Jason as heavy pants escaped him.

 

Jason was beyond words and conversation, he was focused and enjoying himself fully. The only response he gave was with rolling hips and panting breaths. He leaned forward when he felt pressure building. One hand gripping the headboard, the other placing itself on Roy's chest. The new position entirely sent him over the edge, Jason tucked his head down, moaning out Roy's name like a passionate prayer. He came between them, making a mess of Roy beneath him.

 

Roy moaned, there was  _ nothing _ more beautiful than the pure pleasure that spread across the raven hair’s face when he came. It was only a matter of minutes before his head fell back and he began cumming inside of the other, letting out a silent gasp at the firey sensation of pleasure that bloomed through his entire body.

 

 The redhead smirked lazily as the movements slowly ceased, his green eyes locked on not only Jason's face but his body. "So beautiful." He whispered. 

 

The hand on Roy's chest tightened into a fist around the ring threaded around Roy's neck, his own 'ring' hanging down from the cord above his partner. He never took it off and he probably never would. 

 

Jason took a moment to gain his facilities back, the orgasm rolling over him in waves that he only got when cuming this way. He was going to be so sore tomorrow, but it was worth every damn second. He pulled up on Roy's necklace and met him half way with his lips, kissing Roy in a lazy, breathless way, letting out one more small moan into Roy's mouth.

 

 "I love you." Jason found these things easier to say after sex, he just relaxed in ways he couldn't doing other activities. 

 

The hand by Roy's cuffs unclipped them, finally freeing his fiancee.

 

Roy ran his hands up Jason's body and hugged him as he sat up and began kissing the others neck.

 

 "I love you too, bumpkin. More than you could ever imagine..." 

  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


“How did last night go princess?” Jason asked from their table in the room. 

 

He had Lian on the phone, facetiming the teddy bear she had propped on the kitchen table. He attempted to look over their notes from yesterday. As usual though, their daughter had a way of taking up all his attention. 

 

“Okay, BZ wouldn’t stop crying-”

 

“Zarro no cry! No tell Red Mom he cry!”

 

“Any way …” 

 

Jason swore he saw her roll her eyes to the side, all it did was make him smile. He couldn't help it, she was cute. 

 

“We made cereal this morning and ate strawberries. I’m skipping a shower, I want to do a PJ day. We are going to watch cartoons.” 

 

This is where Jason would have usually said they shouldn’t watch them all day, that they needed to make sure to spend some time away from the screen for a while. He quickly realized that if he didn’t give them a little leniency then this would never work. Besides, the TV never made a mess before.. Though... There was a first time for everything.

 

 “Sounds like a plan, you know how to use the microwave for popcorn right?” 

 

“Yep! I’m going to eat four bags.” 

 

“How about two?”

 

“Deal.” Lian smiled and looked around. “Where’s Dad?” 

 

“Downstairs, getting a start on work today. Hopefully we’ll be home tonight before you go to bed. He told me to tell you that he loves you both and that his work station is still off limits.” 

 

Jason saw Lian pout a bit, and it looked  _ just _ like Roy. “Alright, I have to go, behave.”

 

“We will!”

 

“One more thing, call me if you need us okay? I’ll answer no matter what.”

 

“JayJay I know~” Lian said with a sigh. “Dad’s right, you worry too much.”

 

“Pft. Brat.” Jason joked, still smiling, of course. “I love you.” 

 

“I love you too Papa have a good day! Bye!”

 

“Bye sweetheart.” 

 

Jason still had reservations about this whole thing. Leaving the kids alone didn’t sit well with him, even if it was necessary to ‘save the world’ and shit. They'd already made their choice, but Jason had a way of regretting decisions. 

  
  
  


When Jason caught up with Roy he was already on a trail. He was a damn good bloodhound. 

 

Arsenal had  followed footprints and small trails of blood. The prints lead out of the town and the further they wandered the harder the marks were to follow. Less blood and less soft earth, but Roy didn't give up. He put himself in their shoes and followed the bits and pieces of broken twigs and plants landing him before a massive and ominous cave. He could feel a slight cold breeze coming from it and drew his bow with a firm grip. 

 

"I've seen enough horror movies to know where this is going."

 

Jason drew a gun, feeling the shift of the wind. Jason knew a lot about caves, growing up with Batman would do that. He'd been and lived in more caves than houses. So when he heard a few echoing clicks he had Roy stop at the entrance. 

 

"The Bats are talking." Jason said, gesturing up to the ceiling. "They used to chirp like that down in the cave when we'd first come in at night before patrols. So, the men we are tracking either are just waking up or got back recently."

 

 If he had to guess? They were sleeping off their piss poor performance last night. 

 

"I want to go in with the element of surprise this time, keep to the walls, ceilings, and see how many we can take down without raising alarms."

 

 Jason twisted a silencer on his gun. Though, in a cave, he didn't know if it would be silent enough. 

 

"On it, sugar plumb." 

 

Roy couldn't argue that stealth would be key here. They were walking into the lion's den with no idea how many men they were facing or whether or not there were hostages. Any sudden or wrong move could be fatal not only to The Red Hood and Arsenal but to the children these guys took. 

 

Jason moved in slowly, shifting his steps so they made the least amount of noise possible, but fuck his hips hurt. Worth it. It didn't take long for a couple men to appear. 

 

<They won't like that.> The first man said, smoking a cigarette from their makeshift guard post. 

 

<Two kids a week, take what we want. We had to deliver that and fear. Boss is going to skin you alive for leading that botched bullshit last night.> 

 

The man he spoke to shifted his stance, letting out a displeased sound. Jason could tell he was favoring his right leg … It was the man from last night. Roy lead them to the right place, not that he ever doubted him.

 

<We still got six guys … We can finish things up before then, really scare them.>

 

 Scare them? Why scare them? Jason was going to need to do some interrogating this afternoon. Jason turned to Roy and communicated that with a series of taps into the other's arm before motioning for Roy to take the lead and silently eliminate their first two targets. Arrows always being much quieter than bullets.

 

It was always harder to aim multiple arrows but Oliver taught Roy well, if he didn't? Then Roy figured it out himself. He released the arrows and one plummeted itself through the first crooks throat while the other went through the second man's head. Both falling to the ground with a quiet thud. The bats stirred slightly but not enough to raise suspicion. 

 

Roy then proceeded forward, eyes sharp. He was grateful these guys had small lights lining the cave walls but at the same time? It made sneaking around harder. As they made it deeper into the cave Roy spotted a small ledge that he lead Jason on. Below, the four other bandits sat around a campfire. One leaning on another, a third lying on the ground and the fourth sharpening his knife. 

 

Jason was observing the scene below with a critical gaze. The four men where their obvious targets, but he was looking for something else. Children…  If the children were here in the cave, they would need to move in with  _ extreme _ caution to make sure they didn't get hurt. Oddly, Jason didn't see evidence of kids anywhere. Their youngest victim was two years old and still wearing diapers, yet, no signs of a baby were in sight. Either the kids were being held somewhere else or it was as he had feared ... The children had been killed.

 

That infuriated him, made the Pit madness swell and swirl in his mind. He wanted to do more than kill these men, he wanted them to suffer horribly. Jason couldn't stop thinking about the towns people they spoke to, the fear and sorrow they all wore. The parents that asked if they were ever going to see their kids again with hopeful eyes boring into Jason like he was their guardian angel.  They couldn't have been more wrong but ... Jason was going to do right by them. He had to. If he couldn't return their children to them, then he would at least make sure this would  _ never _ happen again. At least not here.

 

Roy took hold of Jason's arm and communicated through Morse.

 

 'The two cuddling. Partners. We leave both of them alive and use it as leverage to get answers.'

 

Jason didn't respond at first, his mind hard processing his own anger in a way that would keep the pit at bay. He couldn't risk losing it here, there was too much at stake. Though, there was some comfort knowing that if he did, Roy was there to pull him back from the brink.

 

Finally, Jason nodded, spotting a line of assault rifles against the back wall. He'd need to focus on putting himself between them and these men so they could keep the upper hand.

 

 'I'll take us down.'

 

Jason took out his grappling gun, pointed it across the canyon at the perfect anchoring point, a support beam, on the parallel outlook. He flipped the power toggle before firing. The sound was loud and echoed through the cave. The bats above them chattered loudly and began swarming the large open space. Jason smirked. They'd have a perfect Batman style entrance. 

 

He yanked on the cord at the right time so it wrapped tightly around the beam before he grabbed Roy around the waist. He clicked the trigger to reel them at high speed toward the anchoring point. They flew off the ledge and arched down to the floor below, going right through the swarm of bats that the men were now screaming about. Jason dropped Roy off about fifteen feet from the floor right by where the couple was positioned. 

 

Jason continued to the far wall, cutting the line of his grappling gun at the bottom of the descent, rolling to redistribute the force of landing against the dirt floor. He stood directly in front of the assault rifles. Instead of reaching for his own handgun he grabbed one off the wall, clicked off the safety and took out the first man who spotted him with a short burst of bullets. There was something satisfying about shooting a man with his own gun. 

 

While Jason didn't particularly enjoy killing even if he found it necessary, however, the process could be made more enjoyable by the little things.

 

The second man was one hundred percent occupied by the swarming bats, swinging his hunting knife around like a fly swatter in an attempt to defend himself. 

 

"Steve Irwin didn't sacrafice himself for you to injure endangered animals you fucking wombat."

 

 The bats where Bechstein bats, and yes, Bruce had taught him all the different bat species. 

 

With that the second man was shot as well, the bats dispersed for a moment before landing on the man's dead body. Jason kind of hoped they'd eat him, but knew that was wishful thinking, they ate bugs not people. 

 

Tossing the gun onto the ground, Jason looked toward Roy to ensure he successfully secured their subjects in which, he did. The man had a broken nose from taking Roy's knee to the face and his partner, a young woman, was apprehended by Roy's trip arrow. Both tied heavily beside each other. 

 

As the noise died down, the wails of a child could be heard deep in the cave. Roy kept focused, he had to even if it killed him. He trusted Jason to handle things with the child.

 

 The cries were high pitched, with sharp breaks in between, the duration was long though, so the kid must not have been crying for long or rather ... It sounded like a young baby. Jason knew babies just about as well as his bat species. 

 

However, that was a different environment from the caves. That was from growing up in the poorest area of Gotham. Where it wasn't at all uncommon for crack babies to be abandoned out in front of the recently closed firehouse across the street. Jason's mom or the woman that was nextdoor would always end up going out and grabbing them. They'd hush and cuddle the baby until the cops 'got the time' to get a social worker out there. The babies staying with them until placement wasn't the best, but it was better than them sitting in the shitty 'children's shelter' fourteen blocks over that had an 8 to 1 child to caregiver ratio. 

 

At that time, it was better than it used to be. The foster care/orphanage budget for the city had grown exponentially when Bruce adopted Dick ... The ratio used to be 12 to 1. But, it wasn't enough. Kids still died, became injured, or flat out decided to live out on the streets rather than be there. A decision that later Jason had also made until he was 'caught' by Batman. 

 

It seemed an absolute world away now when he thought back to it, but he hadn't forgotten what taking care of those young babies and growing up like that taught him. He never would.  He knew how much impact one person could have on a child in distress, that all they wanted was a pair of trusting arms to fall into. 

 

He'd carried that into Robin and beyond. Always offering to help the kids, even if he was pissing Bruce off, or if  _ he _ was pissed off, more likely the later. Jason would even skip out on sneaking cigarettes while Batman talked to the cops. Just to cuddle a crying baby or talk to a six year old about being a sidekick or meeting the members of the Justice League. Anything to get them to feel like, even for a moment, they had someone who  _ saw _ them. Cared about them.

 

Jason followed how the sound echoed through the cave like the goddamn bat he was trained to be up to a flight of stairs. They lead straight up to the ledge where he had shot and hooked his grapple. There was a pathway leading back into the mountain face that looked like an old mine entrance. It lead back about ten feet until it opened to a larger room with a three meter deep hole in the middle. Around the edges were all the children's stuff he had been looking for. Filthy, disgusting children's stuff. 

 

In the middle of all the barely organized chaos, on what appeared to be a card table covered in clothes, was a baby girl. She had to be no more than three months old, fine blonde hair stuck up in all directions, her face was red, tear streaked, and she was wailing in a way that sounded raspy ... Like she had been wailing a lot the last twelve hours. 

 

Then, it hit him. He heard a scream last night during the fight. Being ... Distracted afterward he hadn't thought about it since. There were three apartments on top of shops, all next to each other. One of the residents was a young nineteen year old girl whose brother disappeared two weeks prior, the same day, her boyfriend died. Her mother was there with her holding a baby …  _ This _ baby. Jason's heart sank into his feet. More likely than not, this baby's mother was no longer living. No one had reported a missing child by the morning. Besides ... The scream was that of a young woman ... Not a baby. 

 

Jason went over and picked up the baby with the softest of shushing, but she screamed louder. It was the damn helmet. He put her back down, took it off, and clipped it to the back of his belt. When he did, he smelled a very soiled diaper, the urine having reached his gloves just from picking her up. Jason had to center himself so he wouldn't lose his fucking shit. 

 

He searched everywhere and he finally was able to find a clean diaper and a change of clothes. Jason pulled a large evidence bag out of his jacket and cut it lengthwise to lay it between her and the floor, which was much cleaner looking than any other surface. When he picked her up this time he went slow, rubbing her sides a little at first before lifting her up. He removed her soiled clothes and diaper, tossing them aside before reaching into a pocket and pulling out, yes, baby wipes. Why would Jason carry baby wipes? Because they were an amazing, multipurpose wipe. He'd gotten the entire batfamily keeping them in their belts too.

 

She was cleaned up with a wipe down before Jason applied a little triple antibiotic to her poor rashy buns with her diaper, and dressed her in a thick onesie with the most fucked up looking mickey mouse he'd ever seen on it. By now, she was huffing, but calming down. Jason spoke to her in soft hushed tones, explaining what he was doing with each step just to fill the space with a soothing atmosphere. He finally was able to toss his gloves to the side, going bare handed to raise her up against his chest. Charge off of course. He took off his jacket before hand and now had it over her little head, so when they went back into the main space the bright lights wouldn't shock her sensitive eyes. 

 

"Shhh. You're okay now, JayJay has it all covered. You're okay, princess." 

 

It was just so natural to say, he used to say to Lian all the time. She was getting a little too old for baby talk now though ... Ow… He hurt his own heart with that. He did not need to have a parental crisis about his baby girl growing up right now. 

  
  
  
  
  


<We're going to have a little chat.> Roy said to the man who only spit at him. 

 

That's when Roy slugged the woman in the face.

 

Now... He wasn't for beating women. There was almost nothing that pissed Roy off more, however, when it came to women who were highly skilled in combat he felt it was a fair fight, even if he often got his ass kicked..  And women who had it in them to hurt a child? Those were  _ people _ that didn't deserve to live, let alone get his good graces. 

 

<Don't touch her!> The man growled.

 

Roy snort and walked around the cave before grabbing a rogue gun soon holding it to her head.

 

<What have you done with the children?>

 

<You're bluffin-> 

 

The woman started before Roy shot her in the side without hesitation.

 

This was a side of Arsenal not many people got to see. His old crew saw it after they decided to kill a bunch of innocent people.

 

<Where are the children?> Roy repeated, not waiting for an answer before he shot the man in the thigh.

 

<Gah! Okay! Okay... The High Court has them.>

 

<Why?>

 

<They didn't say... They just told us to terrorize the town and take the kids... You don't say no to the High Court.>

 

<Look, I'll tell you where they take them if you just let us live. Please.> The woman pleaded, the man shook his head. 

 

<Better dead by them then by the High Court, don't talk.>

 

<Petya ... We have a chance. Look. They take them up this side of the valley going west. There is a big facility there, lots of meta children they are storing.> She started.

 

<They need the normal ones too, though. It's guarded, saw a man approach from three hundred meters and they shot him square in the head. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.> 

 

She finished, looking to Jason who had just arrived back. 

 

<If you let us live … Maybe we can get you inside, say you know where more children are, something. They are always looking for new, strong men to help. They may let you in.> 

 

Roy listened to the woman, his face cold as ice. He didn't need them to help them get into the facility, he just needed to know where it was. After all he was Roy Harper, Outlaw, Addict, Genius... He didn't  _ need _ help breaking into places. 

 

<Interesting idea.> Jason said back in a flat response.  Walking up to Roy and handing him the baby. "Hold her, cover her ears." He said in English, watching the hard expression drain from Roy's face.

 

He turned back to the couple, squatting down to their level. "You two don't really know how to negotiate well ... Though it doesn't really matter, because I don't negotiate with child peddlers." 

 

Jason stood back up and fired two shots into both of their heads with the silencer. Loud, but not incredibly so.

 

"I'm glad we're on the same page on that one.... Assholes who fuck with kids don't deserve to see the sun."

 

 The frown on Roy's lips only seemed to widen as he kept rocking the baby, looking down at her. Her brows were furrowed as she stared at Roy with a look that read, 'I don't know if I can trust you.' Big tear drops still pooled in the corners of her eyes. 

 

Roy brought her to his chest and softly hummed to her, sure he needed to talk to Jason but he wanted to get the child settled first. 

 

He spent a few minutes just swaying and humming until the baby began drifting to sleep, his emerald eyes still fixed on her as he spoke to Jason. 

 

"We talked to her parents already, didn't we?" He asked vaguely remembering the child. "We're going to have to track down a decent relative to keep her with."

 

"We did. Her mom was that young woman, her grandma was there too. Hopefully Grandma is still around." 

 

Jason really did have to hope at this point, because he didn't want this little girl left alone. He approached Roy after holstering his gun and peaking over the lip of the jacket to see shut eyes and a thumb placed firmly in her mouth. Roy had the touch too ... Of course he did. He'd raised his own child. 

 

"She's cute ..." Jason commented before kissing Roy on the cheek. "You holding her like that is cute too." 

 

He liked the whole scene. Maybe in another world, under another set of conditions he and Roy could have had an actual family ... One where Lian could have at least one sibling that wasn't a giant grey toddler. 

 

"I have a thing for strong, attractive men with kids. Probably some kind of Daddy complex. Wonder where that  _ possibly _ could have come from." 

 

Roy looked at Jason and offered a smile before he chuckled softly, "It's how I felt when I first saw you hold Lian... It was yet another moment I realized I was in love with you... So... Impossibly in love." 

 

Jason spent some kind collecting any useful evidence from the cave. Most of it seemed like trash, but he hoisted the hard drives from two locked computers for Roy to plug and break open later. They'd need to go back to the cave for it and to plan an attack on this unnamed facility. Hopefully, the kids would still be alive.

 

Right now, though? They needed to focus on finding this baby's family. Roy got to hold her for the most part because she'd fallen asleep on his chest. Jason was jealous and it was obvious in the way he stared. Andrei met them outside, unsurprised to see the girl with them. Her mother and grandmother had been found murdered this morning in their apartment. 

 

"The baby's name is Elaine." Andrei said shaking his head. "Her mother has a sister that lives the next town over. I'll give her a call again. She said if we found the baby she'd take her." 

 

Jason let out a sigh of relief. The baby would have family to take care of them. 

 

"Perfect. Andrei, you really are a lifesaver. When will the sister come?"

 

"Two days? Takes a while to travel around the forests here. Until then I'm sure we could find someone to take care of her ..."

 

Jason's head whipped around to look at Roy with a face that was nearly pouting. 

 

"We could watch her. Yeah? Please?"

 

 Roy couldn't help but chuckle before carefully passing her over to Jason, "Okay... I can't say no to you, baby.. Besides... I wouldn't dream of turning this sweet little girl away."


	24. Say You'll Haunt Me

"Dad? Dad? Where are you?" 

 

Snapping into focus was a dark forest sometime past midnight. The sky was moonless, the stars barely lighting a path more than three feet ahead if one was lucky. It felt cold, late October maybe.

 

"Dad! Dad, I'm scared!" 

 

Slade recognized the prepubescent voice as it became more clear to him, less washed out from what sounded like rushing water around him. He turned toward it and was met with grey hair and a little blue unicorn nightgown. She was only seven years old.    
  
"Rose? Sweetie, what are you doing out here? Where are your shoes?" Slade asked, moving toward her. Her blue eyes went as wide as saucers as she turned to run.

 

"Rose! Rose!" He yelled after her, attempting to catch up to the child. 

 

He should have easily out paced her, but his legs felt so heavy ... Before he knew it, he was losing sight of her. 

 

"Rose! Where did you go? It's dangerous out here, you're going to get hurt ... Rose!" 

 

"Dad?" 

 

Slade turned to the side and in the middle of the forest was a hospital room. Rose was there, but older. She was sat in the middle of the white room on a gurney, blood staining the bottom half of the bed where the sheet met her waist. 

 

"Dad, I'm scared." Her voice quivered

 

He hesitated to move into the room, the stark whiteness nearly blinding him. The setting was familiar in a way that was unsettling and yet, he passed the threshold onto the tile because ... This was his little girl. He was always going to be there for her.

 

Slade finally reached Rose, putting hands on either side of her arms. "Everything is okay now ... I'm here. I'll take care of everything, I'll protect you."

 

"Like you protected me?" The voice changed, Adeline now was in front of him, sitting on their shared bed in a home that no longer existed. "You're a selfish coward, Slade Wilson."

 

"Addie, you know I never wanted you to get hurt. I never wanted anyone to get hurt." Slade spoke, feeling like nails were sliding down his throat with every syllable. "Where is Rose? She needs me."

 

"She's better off without you." Addie quipped, standing up and opening a door that would have led to their suite bathroom. "What are you waiting for? Another death in the family?" 

 

Slade took a step toward the door and felt a wave of white take over his vision and body, hitting him with the force of a sonic boom. Suddenly he was on his back, there was ringing in his ears, his vision started to clear.

 

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

 

It was Adeline ... Younger, in her officer's uniform. She was blurry, but he'd recognize her anywhere.

 

"He's the first one to survive the injections. We'll contact you with the results." Wait, no, Slade remembered this. This was  _ real _ . He knew what would happen next.

 

Addie got closer, bent down over him and gave him a small smile. "I'll be back for you in a while, handsome." 

 

“No ... Addie, don't leave me here, please. You know what they'll do please.” She couldn't hear him as his voice echoed in his own ears.

 

"I'll make sure to tidy up my quarters ... You deserve a night off after all this." Slade felt small, strong hands run through the top of his hair. "I love you, Slade." 

 

"Addie ..."

 

"Shhh. Relax."

 

It came in flashes. Fingernails ripped from their nail beds, a Y-incision across his torso, seeing his own insides, them being removed and dissected like he was some animal. He came in and out of consciousness, but one thing remained ... The pain. The horrifying, unbearable pain.

 

He looked over during one spout of consciousness, cold sweat coating him like a blanket and saw Rose. She was chained to her own bed, belly swollen and a doctor ready to take a knife to her. Just as he watched the blade pierce her stomach she screamed.

 

Slade felt himself suddenly free, he grabbed the doctor by both of his wrists and took him down to the floor. "STOP-"

 

He heard himself, not in the dream, but in reality. Reality where he was holding someone down by their wrists, but it wasn't the doctor he was putting bruising pressure on, it was Dick. His breathing was erratic, pupils blown, skin coated in cold sweat. 

 

Slade's hands shook a little once he realized what he was doing, releasing Dick and sitting up quickly, cursing at himself under his breath. "Kid ... I'm sorry ... I'm sorry."

 

Dick’s eyes met the others as he sat up with him. "Hey, it's okay... It's okay."    
  
He reassured, his voice softer the second time around. He had heard Slade squirming next to him, heard the soft incoherent mutters. Naturally he had moved to pull Slade into his arms, to comfort him. He wasn't totally surprised that Slade had turned to defend himself or... Whatever he was dreaming of. Dick’s been exposed to enough of his own nightmares to know the kind of terror and fear that can plague one behind closed eyes. 

 

So despite the fact his wrists were aching and bruised, the hero moved and sat side to side with Slade. His hip against the others as he pulled him into his arms and moved a hand up to soothe through Slade's hair. Dick knew the mercenary didn't like being vulnerable but currently Damian was in the shower and all Dick was asking for was an opportunity to show support. 

 

"You're okay... I'm right here."   
  
Slade knew that, but Dick didn't mean it just physically. He meant it emotionally. That he was there to support Slade despite the other lashing out at him. 

 

"Do you need to talk about it or do you want me to just hold you?" This time, Dick looked into Slade's eye. A hand curling under his chin while the other rubbed soft circles along the others back.

 

Slade didn't fight the contact, however, his muscles were pulled tight under every inch of his skin, his jaw locked solidly. There was a pause where Slade just watched Dick's features as if he was trying to figure out what the other was thinking.    
  
"It's  _ not  _ okay." Slade replied, letting out a shaky sigh. "Your wrists..." 

 

He could already see new, red-purple bruises blooming in perfect circlets over old, yellow ones from the last time they'd 'faked' them. It had to be painful. The skin was so thin and delicate in that area. 

 

Suddenly, Slade let out a short, humorless laugh. "When am I going to stop hurting you?"

 

Dick offered a sympathetic smile before his hand moved to hold Slade's, "I'm a tough 'kid', Slade.." 

 

His thumb ran over the top of Slade's hand, his expression falling into the same one it did whenever Dick thought about something. "Given who we are... You... Can't stop hurting me. Not if we wanna spare each other or.. Play." 

 

He flashed his charming little smile to lift the mood. "As long as you're not putting your hands on me out of anger, I don't care what bruises you give me. Especially when you have nightmares.... You've... Been through a lot with Joey and Rose and... Having Barbara run tests on you. It's perfectly reasonable for it to start affecting your psyche.. And.. You're a fighter. A mercenary... I'm not a doctor but I imagine you have PTSD. Nightmares initiate that fight or flight response, I don't fault you for it."

 

"I ... Appreciate that but, it doesn't mean you should have to deal with the fall out." Slade explained, letting out a short sigh. "You're always such a hero, especially at your own goddamn risk." 

 

Slade wasn’t speaking with malice, this was just who Dick was, there wasn't any changing it. 

 

"If your wrists had been your throat I could have killed you." He warned seriously, but also realized that Dick was strong and had gotten out from under Slade in a real fight before. He could defend himself, but that didn't mean Slade had to like the fact he hurt him. "Besides when we play I'm in control. This ... Definitely isn't that." 

 

"Babe... I can take care of myself... I wouldn't let you get away with doing permanent damage." 

 

Slade stayed quiet for a period of time, watching Dick's hands move up his arms, trying to shake away the tendrils of his nightmare which were still knocking around in his mind. It wouldn't go away though and his anxiety only seemed to be increasing. Dick said he could talk to him. Dick was here for him right now so, fuck, he needed to let him in even in every part of him was screaming not to.

 

"What I went through in those military experiments was something that changed me. Not just physically but ... Mentally I've just ... Never been the same afterward. Before it I thought people were good and just did bad things. I trusted people to do the right thing and be moral,  _ believed  _ they would. I was naive and ... I didn't believe those things once I walked out of that facility." 

 

Slade covered his eye with his hand. "But before I realized that things were so much easier. I was happier believing those things." He felt his anxiety spike again. "I was cut open, flayed alive, had every part of me removed and replaced over and over again until the smell of my own blood didn't even phase me. I experienced humanity at its pique of cruelty through curiosity ... And these people weren't the Joker or Crane. They were  _ doctors _ , people who are  _ supposed  _ to heal." 

 

Slade dropped his head onto Dick's shoulder as if the weight of his own mind was too much for him.

 

 "I never wanted my kids to grow up as naive as I did. I wanted them to know how cruel the world was without having to experience it. I was wrong in the implementation of it but ... It was because I never wanted them to have to suffer the way I did. I never wanted them to have to experience pain the way I had." 

 

Slade took a shaky breath and paused, gripping Dick's leg. The young hero didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the older male and hold him close. Fingers running up Slade’s spine and into his hair where they began twirling and playing with the white locks. Slade’s experience in the lab was something that hurt Dick’s heart in ways he never thought it could hurt. It was sickening to think about how cruel and heartless some people were and that wasn’t even to mention how these people caused Slade to lose his faith in humanity. 

 

"That's what they are doing to Rose. They are torturing her and I'm letting them do it because I'm not strong enough to stop it. They've  _ violated _ her and I can't imagine what else they've done and I ... I  _ promised  _ to protect her. I told her I would be there, that no one would  _ ever _ touch my little girl." 

 

Slade lifted his head from Dick's shoulder and looked him in the eye, nothing but pain and grief reflecting in his own. 

 

"I've failed her."

 

"Slade..." Dick spoke in barely a whisper before putting a hand on his cheek, he didn't even know where to start. "You didn't fail her... If you had more control here I know you would switch places with her in a heartbeat... You'd let yourself get flayed and abused just so you could know she's safe. We're going to find her and we're going to save her." 

 

He then paused and pushed Slade's hair out of his face, "You're doing everything you can... The reality isn't that you're  _ failing _ her... You're keeping her  _ alive _ . It has nothing to do with how strong you are, Slade, because you and I both know they'll kill her or worse if you charge in. You're  _ strong _ because you're having to do the selfless thing and let her suffer even though you want to kill every single person in that room.... It doesn't look like it right now, Slade, but when we get her... You'll see what I mean."

 

Slade knew Dick was right. Slade was doing everything he could to get Rose out of this whole thing alive. She could recover from this and Slade would help her every step of the way if she wanted him to. He had to remember that there was no perfect outcome available in this situation. It was hard to admit and even harder to swallow. Slade loved his daughter and he was feeling so much pain knowing that she was suffering ... But that didn't mean it was his fault. Not everything was. Even if it usually was. 

 

"I hope you're right about that." Slade finally replied, leaning his head against Dick's hand and closing his eyes. "I know I won't be able to find any peace until she's home. Just accepting that's the reality is ..." 

 

He didn't need to finish the statement, Dick understood how he felt. He just sighed and sat himself up from Dick's hand and gave the hero a tired look. "Let's get back to bed." Slade just wanted to hold Dick and feel him breathing, feel the acceptance and love there.

 

Dick smiled and pushed his finger through Slade's hair once more before pecking Slade's lips. From there he moved to lay down with the other, cuddling close whilst listening to his heartbeat. One hand moved to rest against Slade's stomach as he rubbed soft soothing circles against the others skin. Dick could've drifted back into a light sleep but the sound of the doorbell shook him of his thoughts.

 

Briefly, he had wondered who the hell would be at the door. Then? He remembered that Alea said she'd see Slade in a week to check on Constantine. A jolt of anxiety flew through the hero as he sat up and touched the missing bruise on his cheek. 

 

"Alea.... Slade, I don't have time to put that bruise back on my face... You'll have to convince her that you talked Constantine into using his magic to heal me.. As some kind of demonstration of his abilities or some shit." He brainstormed quickly before his eyes moved to the still healing cut on Slade's hand, "And keep that hidden." 

 

"I'll come up with something." Slade promised, pulling on the base of his suit so he could look like he'd been exercising.

 

 It would give him an excuse to wrap his hands and knuckles without raising suspicions. "Sorry in advance, Kid." Slade said as Dick went to leave. He was going to have to play this tough if they wanted to make it believable.

 

Dick got up and headed out to prepare some breakfast like the good slave he was, however, he paused as the doorway and looked at his wrists. It wasn't enough but after how upset Slade had been for marking him he couldn't ask the other to hit him and so he bit down on his own lip hard enough to make it bleed before continuing on.

 

Damian was up at the sound of the door, pattering out to the kitchen when he heard noise there. "Someone's at the door." He muttered, standing next to Dick before just laying his head against Dick's side, eyes closing as he yawned. 

 

He had no idea who had just shown up and the danger it posed, he just was uncharacteristically sleepy and cuddly this morning. Still, despite everything, Dick welcomed his company and wrapped an arm around him before whispering into his hair what was going on.

 

Slade emerged from the bedroom still blinking sleep from his eye. Usually he didn't feel this tired in the morning, nor did his body ache like this. God he wanted his powers back. Before long, he opened the door and gave the woman a flat look. Accompanying her was Adam, she seemed to drag him around everywhere as though he were her pet. Honestly, despite the lack of collar, Dick would've been surprised if she didn't see him that way. Adam on the other hand, took full advantage of the trust she placed in him

 

"Alea, I wasn't expecting company this morning." Slade answered honestly, standing to the side anyway. "Come in ... Richard." Slade turned, snapping his fingers and pointing to the man's bedroom. "Get Constantine. Now."

 

While Dick moved to retrieve John, Adam had moved from Aleas side to reorganize Slade's bookshelf which only earned a quirked brow from the old mercenary. Here he thought his bookshelf was organized, but then again, this was Adam they were talking about. Half of him wanted to just leave the man to his work, but Slade knew it wasn't healthy for a person with OCD to act on their compulsions.    
  
"They are already organized." He mentioned in passing, taking a book from Adam's hands and slipping it back into its place. "Each shelf has a theme... And I like it that way." 

 

Adam shot a short glare at Slade, before he let out a breath and shifted away from the shelf to accompany Alea once more, watching as Slade went into the kitchen. Damian was expertly finishing up breakfast while glaring at Alea the entire time. He was wearing one of Dick's shirts and a pair of cat themed pajama bottoms. For the first time since Slade carried his tiny body to the ship in Hungry, Damian actually looked like a little kid. 

  
  


 Within minutes, Dick and Constantine emerged from the bedroom where the Brit pushed his hand through his hair. 

 

"You couldn't have waited until after breakfast? I planned on taking a dump in the next few minutes." Constantine grumbled which made Dick internally scream. 

 

Alea's approached them and grabbed Dicks chin, looking at the lack of the large bruise he carried a week ago. "You heal quickly." She commented, a layer of skepticism in her voice. 

 

"Yeah, the old dog went a little too far and almost killed him." Constantine piped in as he popped a cigarette into his mouth, "He mentioned that you lied about killing Zee.. Said he'd finish the job if I didn't help. I was skeptical but finding out you bastards used some head game to make me cooperative wasn't out of the question... Not to mention, I haven't seen her ghost lying about."

 

"Sometimes the most basic of solutions can create a submissive pet." Slade mentioned, returning from the kitchen to take the cigarette out of Constantine's mouth, along with his pack of cigarettes. 

 

They were both crushed in his strong hands and deposited into the trash. "He's been difficult, mouthy ... Caused a riot in my household, but I think you'll find he's much more palatable than previously." 

 

Barely so, but even if this was an  _ actual _ job, there was only so much that Alea could expect him to accomplish in a short period of time. Which, fortunately, Alea seemed to understand. Her eyes returned to Dick’s face as she turned it in her hand.    
  
“You’ve gotten him to use his magic, that’s progress.”   
  
“Even still, disobedience isn’t sworn to dissipate even in the most loyal of pets.”

 

Damian, was looking ready to blow at Alea touching Dick. His face was red, jaw set angry. "Stop touching him." He all but growled out, and Slade wanted to just sink into the ground and disappear.

 

"See what I mean?" Slade commented, remaining calm as he looked to Dick. "Take care of him ... Make sure he understands what his position is. If you fail to do so ... I'll deal out the punishment myself. Have I made myself clear?"  His tone was cold and serious.

 

Alea released Dick allowing him to escort Damian out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. Her gaze soon returning to Slade, "I will leave him with you longer so you can continue working on him. As we agreed, I will take you to see your daughter. After you eat and get dressed Doctor Foster will escort you and Constantine to the jet. From there we will head off to England."

 

"Ah, I see I'll finally face the sweet relief of death." Constantine smirked.

 

"Yeah, no. Bad idea. John, here, has a curse. If he goes to England than the city will try to kill him." Adam explained.

 

"I don't follow." Alea looked at Adam.

 

"Well it starts with internal hemorrhaging as my soul gets ripped out of my body and is followed by the worst of luck."

 

"Last time I went to England with Constantine it was hell." Adam added.

 

"So you suggest we leave Constantine with Wayne and Grayson?" Alea hummed.

 

"Yes… Well… Not exactly… You see, Grayson is compliant because Slade threatens his brother and vise versa. If you were to leave them alone together I suspect they'd try to escape"

 

" I see… Though… Wilson has left them together before."

 

Adams stance shifted, "Has he?"

 

For a contract." Alea confirmed 

 

"Can he confirm he was on the other side of the globe, away from them?" Adam asked looking  to Slade.   
  


"I was. At the time I was keeping a close eye on them with the technology Luthor injected Damian with before handing him over. Unfortunately, the effectiveness has worn off as of recent." Good enough an excuse as any.

 

 "Damian, while prone to outbursts, is capable and willing to hold Constantine here by force. Especially if I have his brother with me." Slade let his eyes slide over to the bedroom door. 

 

"Besides, I've grown accustomed to having a pet around. Now that Richard has become much more obedient he's, dare I say, been a pleasure to have around." 

 

The tone of Slade's voice sounded like that of a predator talking about their next meal, a king speaking about his conquest and victories. A tone that Alea has heard many owners use when speaking of their pets. He made one hell of an actor. Especially because all he could think about was seeing Rose ... They were going to take him to see his daughter.

 

"Interesting." Alea stated, "Yet two weeks ago he disobeyed and ran away." She pointed out, her first hint of distrust towards Slade. "You must've done a lot in the last couple of weeks to shape him up." 

 

"An emotional fluke." Slade interjected, looking entirely unphased by the tone and intentions of Alea's words. 

 

Humans were complicated creatures that did lots of things that made no sense on a superficial level. Even the most loyal soldiers could become disorderly. It wasn't about the circumstances of the disobedience, it was all about how you handled it. These were all things he could bring up and explain when the time came. He wouldn't let Alea smell his blood in the water. 

 

"Hm.” Alea seemed to let the subject drop as she turned to face Constantine, “You will need to stay here and behave. You will be unmonitored. If you do anything disorderly, we will follow through with killing Zatanna. After we figure out how to strip her of her powers... For now? We'll keep her comfortable,  _ so long _ as you behave." She emphasised, earning an eye roll from Constantine. 

 

Dick returned silently and stood beside Slade, he could feel the tension in the air which made every muscle in his body tense.

 

"Now, I must go. Foster’s dragged out a few rats." Hearing Alea say this instantly had Dick glaring at Adam. "I need to handle this before I meet you in England. He'll escort you whenever you're ready." With that, Alea turned and headed out of the house. The air in the room becoming lighter instantly.

 

"What did you do?" Dick asked Adam after hitting his arm.

 

"Ow, what is this? Shoot first ask questions later? Relax, I didn't out your friends."

 

'Adam? Not screwing people over? Surprise.'

 

"You should punch him harder." Slade commented unnecessarily, going to the stove and deciding every one should at least have breakfast before they headed out. 

 

He got out plates and began serving up food, making a separate plate for Damian and a tiny bowl of nuts and fruit from the fridge for the rodent currently living in his house. Like every pet his kids ever brought home ... Slade was taking care of them. Though, admittedly, Damian was doing most of the work himself. 

 

"I'm sure you've heard of Azrah?"

 

"He took down Superman." Dick noted.

 

"Yeah, turns out he lied and Alea doesn't take too kindly to that. He's been holding Mr. tights in a bunker and has been trying to steal his power for his armies. Alea oversees all of that and is pissed that he went behind her back. So, now, their army is without a commander, which means their focus is no longer on hunting down meta’s."

 

Both Dick and Constantine seemed to be in awe for a moment. 

 

"Brilliant." John smirked, “Just as manipulative and awful as ever.”   
  


'I know that look, Constantine.  _ Don't  _ go down that road again.'

 

"I don't know, Chas, playing with fire is fun."

 

"Chas is dead?" Adam inquired.

 

"Yeah... The court got him in an attempt to get to me." The magician muttered, a hint of pain evident in his tone.

 

Slade listened to what was being said as he ate from his plate, just leaning over the counter to do so. After thinking over the situation at hand, he decided to contribute to what was being said.    
  
"No commander and their natural supports are crumbling." He tapped his finger against his fork deciding if he wanted to relay this information or not. "I've heard through reliable sources that Ra's Al Ghul has died." He paused,  "Benjamin has taken over the running of Nanda Parbat ... I would guess Timothy had something to do with that swift and clean transition of power."

 

"Ra's died?" Dick asked in surprise but otherwise let the conversation shift, his eyes shifting to stare at breakfast rather than eat it. "So this all means we have an advantage." 

 

Adam somewhat shrugged, "Not exactly, they're strategists. Fighters. They know they have a weak point so they're not going to just leave it open... They're using their prisoners and pets as a fail safe. An attack on them now could result in the deaths of hundreds." He explained as Constantine moved to the counter and took a seat, starting to eat. 

 

"Tim's transition of power is something we should discuss later. I need Dick to be emotionally functional while we see Rose."

 

"What is that supposed to mean?"

 

"Don't worry about it. Tim is fine and healthy." Adam said before shifting to lean against a wall. 

 

"So aside from disarming their hunting squad, what was the point in taking down their commander if it doesn't open them to an attack?" Constantine asked.

 

"It means people don't know who to take orders from."

 

"Which makes you more qualified to give them… This is why I’ve missed you." Constantine sighed earning a jealous glare from Dick.

 

'Dont. Do. It.'

 

"Do you really think that taking charge is the best plan?" Slade interjected. "I mean  _ you  _ specifically, Adam. This has nothing to do with how I feel about you personally, but you aren't exactly trustworthy to the heroic community as a whole. Deciding to front this without bringing in additional support isn't what you want to do." Slade explained, simply stating facts. 

 

"People will suspect you have something to gain in all this, no one will trust you unless you can prove that less impressionable sources-" He nodded his head over to Dick, "Are willing to trust you. The resistance is a good start, but you need better communication, more leadership at the top that  _ isn't _ you. So once we release captive prisoners and gain numbers we don't have a factional break down." 

 

Slade listened to Adeline strategize troops in the thousands for  _ years _ and often helped. He'd seen this exact scenario go badly before. They (the American military) would go in to release rebel groups, large amounts of political prisoners, begin tearing down tyrannical leaders and just as things would be looking in their favor people would begin questioning them. Ethnocentrism and group bias applied to everyone. If you aren't a part of the group, you aren't trustworthy. Period. No matter how good you've been in the past.

 

"Before this begins rolling into the end game, I suggest you put those people in place. Personally? I'd start with Barbara Gordon and Timothy Drake. It'll cover your initial bases."

 

"You say all this as though it hasn't crossed my mind, Wilson." Adam stated bluntly, "I don't intend on taking over and barking out orders to everyone. We're dealing with too much variety, from people as put together as Barbara Gordon to people who will flip like a switch like Duela Dent. The fact of the matter is, as much as I hate admitting it, I can't do this on my own. But that doesn't mean I can't oversee it and manage the people who will give the orders."

 

"Barbara Gordon, despite questioning everything, has been listening to me and I know she's respected among the hero community, as is Timothy. While they're a good start, the bigger picture won't listen to them. They're still kids."

 

"Barbara isn't a kid." Dick interjected.

 

"And she's not exactly in the tights and flights club. With Batman out of the picture, we need someone that the people have always relied on." Adam explained.

 

"You shouldn't underestimate these 'kids'. Superman and Wonder Woman wouldn't. They hold a lot of respect for the Batchildren. Don't let Bruce's attitude fool you." Slade offered. 

 

Bruce had a way of making his children seem like ... Well children. If you looked at the facts though? Dick, Barbara, and Tim had all run successful teams, were amazing leaders, and had better working relationships with the Justice League members than Bruce ever did. There wasn't a single member of the Justice League that didn't love Dick to pieces. 

 

“That may be so, and they aren’t…” Adam paused as he tried to think of the best way to put it, “They can’t manage everyone I need them to manage. Not necessarily based off respect but in numbers. Especially if we’re wanting to spread people out. Gordon and Drake are good starts, but I need more… Batwoman, Wonder Woman.. Strong individuals who won’t have a hard time making tough calls.”   
  
“Like Helena.” As much as Dick hated it, Helena was absolutely  _ ruthless _ .

 

"Mm, she’d need a very particular team."

 

"And what about the crazies?" Constantine interjected, sipping out of one of Slade's bottles of vodka. "Who's going to make sure they don't go sideways?"

 

"Thats my area of expertise. I can handle the wild cards, as for those who are more stable than others? Croc and Luthor's going to help navigate them."

 

"You're trusting Lex?" Dick asked.

 

"Trust is a strong word, but if the crazy people die it's not sweat off my brow. Not to mention he hasn't given me any reason not to use him."

 

"But he's not exactly  _ respected  _ among the villains." Dick said with a sigh.

 

"No one is. They all stab each other in the back one way or another. Luthor's the smarter of most of them. My plan is to break everyone down into groups. Each group will have their own team leader that I will personally meet with."

 

"You just have to figure out what you want each group to do and who goes where." Dick concluded.

 

"Precisely, which I can't do until I know how the Courts going to arrange their pieces with Azrah now gone... From what I know, plans of attack have ceased with few patrol sessions while making sure their bases are secure. I haven’t met with the head so I don’t know how he plans on replacing his commander."

 

Slade's mind switched back to Rose. "I understand the world is at stake ... But, I plan on securing my daughter in the near future. I'll only wait for a while longer, based on what I see today ... That time period could be shortened." 

 

He began picking up dishes and cleaning up breakfast like the house husband he was trained to be. "I know that'll cause problems for you so ... I'll give you an opportunity to arrange your preparations before I make my move."

 

"I suspected as much..." Adam answered honestly.

 

 He was surprised Slade made it this long without blowing things. Fortunately? Adam didn't have ties to Slade, the only thing that'll affect him is Alea reprimanding him for not seeing the signs. 

 

"I'm sure Adam will be able to lie through his teeth and pull some shit." Constantine said around a cigarette that Dick plucked out of his mouth. 

 

"Not in the house, how many of these things do you even have?"

 

"What I'm thinking is that we have to wait until they lower their defenses... Her base is the most secure I've seen. They have high hopes for the child she's carrying. There's not a single place unguarded, unmonitored, or unprotected. It's also significantly smaller than the other bases giving less wriggle room."

 

"And what's your plan exactly?" Dick asked.

 

"Catastrophe... I need something that'll get their attention away from Rose. Then I have means to get her out.... Step one is making them feel safe enough to pass over some guards elsewhere.. Step two is finding the perfect diversion, something big they'll want to get their hands on."

 

"Like?" Constantine asked before standing and approaching the other.

 

"That's the tricky part... It's not for lack of resources. They're interested in magic, powerful beings, healing factors... The list goes on... The challenge is finding the thing that not only grabs their attention but correlates with wanting the freedom of Rose. For instance, I wouldn't be able to draw them out with magic and demons and justify them wanting Rose."

 

"So... It would have to be a Titan." Dick frowned, "Which could get them killed or worse."

 

"Which is why I need time. Especially with Alea growing suspicious..."

 

"Hm, it's weird seeing you try to play the hero.." Constantine huffed before smirking, "I'll see what I can contribute... May the better man live." He said before grabbing Adam's tie and pulling him into a kiss, "Good luck." He said heading out to smoke. 

 

Dick frowned and looked at Damian, "You're going to have to stay here with Constantine, please make sure he doesn't smoke in the house." He said before looking back at Slade, "We should talk about this on the jet."

 

Slade nodded to Dick's suggestion and finished loading the dishwasher before heading to the bedroom. He had tried not to notice Dick's frown at Adam being kissed by someone else. Tried not to let it bother him. Slade was feeling a little hyper aware and raw, thinking about seeing Rose was bringing it out in him. He needed to keep a level head. If not for himself then for her.

 

Slade got dressed in his Deathstroke garb, minus most the weapons. He gave Dick the same older version of his suit to put on, letting it keep the same steel blue color and made sure it fit tight on his partner. Dick needed to start looking like he belonged by Slade's side. 

 

Slade hadn't said more than five words by the time they made it to the jet. He set up the flight controls and had them in the air headed for London. On a commercial flight? 6 hours. At a normal cruising speed on his jet they'd be there in 3 or 4. Slade was pushing his tech to top continuous speeds to bring them down to two hours at most. 

 

Dick sat in the common area chatting with Adam. Really he was laying down some ground rules about their relationship staying strictly platonic. It had a lot of back and forths between Dick blaming his lack of restraint on Adam and Adam pointing out that Dick was strong enough to resist on his own. Regardless of the debate, Adam agreed to keep the touching and flirting to a minimum.

 

Slade stayed seated in the pilot's chair, going over the controls and mechanics ... Mostly just trying to waste time. Part of him wanted to reach out to Dick and get some of this nervous energy off his chest, but he wouldn't do that in front of Adam. Maybe some liquor? No … He couldn't risk being inebriated to see Rose, he had to be present and focused. Fuck ... His hand hurt. 

 

"Dick ... Can you grab some pain killers from the med room?"

 

Dick had just wrapped up the conversation and approached the front cabin when Slade made his request. "Of course baby." 

 

He kissed the others cheek, a hand softly running down the others chest before gently giving it a pat. As quickly as it happened, Dick was gone and getting medicine for Slade before plopping in the co pilot's chair. 

 

"How far is the base?" Dick asked Adam who was pulled from whatever thoughts he was having.

 

 "About three hours or so... It's in the small town of Bakewell." Adam spoke with a frown before letting out a sigh, "It's a tiny little hole, smaller now that half the population has been wiped out. Maybe a couple hundred people left there. The small town offers the illusion of the facility being unimportant."   
  


Dick listened and let silence spill over before he took Slade's hand and gently massaged it, "Will we be able to see Rose without everyone listening in?"   
  


"We'll have to see... More than likely not but I'll get you as much privacy as I can."

 

Dick looked up at Slade and let out a sigh, "If... You decide to pull her out, I'll support you.. Just... Let me know before anything happens."   
  


Adam didn't like hearing that, however, was prepared for things to go South, he always thought ahead. Always considered every possibility. It would endanger Slade and Dick more than anyone but the chances of Rose surviving were low as well.    
  
"I'd advise against it... It could put Rose's life in danger.. Including the baby, despite it being their plan for conquest."

 

"I'm not worried about the science experiment they are growing inside of her." Slade said without hesitating which made Dicks stomach tense. "No fetus is worth the life of my daughter." What Rose wanted to do with her pregnancy was her own choice once she was in his care. However, she needed to be in his care first. 

 

"I don't plan on doing anything rash, so you can relax." Slade shot back with a little more irritation than he meant. This wasn't Adam's fault, he was actually just trying to help.

 

"Babe.." Dick soothed being the natural mediator of the situation. 

 

He let out a sigh and kissed the top of Slade's hand before speaking in Romani, just as Slade did after Roman... When he wanted to keep things private. Adam knew a lot of different languages, Dick frankly never kept track of them all but he imagined Adam didn't know this one. 

 

<Everything will be okay. I know you're worried about Rose. I know this is hard for you but .. We're going to bring her home. I swear it.> It was a big promise but Dick didn't care. 

 

His eyes shifted to Adam and he let out a heavy sigh, "You said there was a step three or whatever to your plan? Getting Rose out... What was that?"   
  


"Using Raven. She can get in and out without any issues so long as the Court’s attention is on an external attack... If they get Raven then we mine as well dig our own graves." Adam said before tapping his forehead which nearly made Dick pale. 

 

"You don't think they'd release Trigon.."

 

"They might... Unintentionally if not purposely... Regardless, I can't send her in unless I know she'll come out safe."

 

"So we need bait... Send the remaining Titans to fight... Have someone strong enough to keep the Court interested.." Dick thought aloud as his mind ran through options. After several quiet minutes he spoke up, "Alright... Of everyone remaining I have a vampire Batman, The Specter, Midnighter and Apollo."    
  


"Which don't correlate with Rose's freedom."

 

"Unless they attack other bases seeking to free prisoners." Dick offered.

 

"Hm... Maybe.. Then we wouldn't want the Titans to get involved. Give me a rundown of these four and why they're of use."

 

"Well... M has a supercomputer in his brain that tells him everymove someone is going to make, superhuman abilities and healing-"

 

"Too risky. The court doesn't need tech like that." Adam interjected.

 

"Apollo is like superman is solar abilities. The Specter is a powerful magical.. God entity thing. And Vladimir is like... Batman but.. A vampire which we could use since the Court doesn't think Bruce is dead."   
  


"That's because he's not.. And they still don't know whos under the mask..."   
  


"I never said he was alive." Dick said crossing his arms.

 

Adam closed his eyes, "You don't have to, it's obvious... You're not nearly as upset as you would be if he was... Those are my only options?"   
  


"Unless Slade has a secret badass friend we don't know about." Dick said looking to the other.

 

"I can make a few phone calls." Slade offered as if it was no big deal. "I have some favors owed to me." He ran his own teams of highly powered individuals, people who would fight for him or would fight for Rose. 

 

He felt a cold rush through his chest, for a solid moment, the jets electronics went out. His head turned back to the panel planning for the worst, but they flashed back on before he could even react. It was enough to distract him from the cold sensation fading from him.    
  
"Anyway ... Don't shake off Apollo, he's extremely powerful. Midnighter? Well the pair goes together."

 

Dicks eyes were fixated on the electronics for a moment, his grip having tightened around Slade's hand. He wondered what the hell could've caused that but as Slade continued the conversation he let it slide. 

 

"I mean between the two of them I think the Court will have a run for its money." Dick said with a shrug, "I can give them a call later. I'm not worried about the Court capturing them with M's doors."

 

"Very well, I'll consider it." Adam said before letting himself go silent as the rest of the trip was. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  
  


Constantine was lounging on the couch, half way through one of the bottles already. He knew better than to fight against the Court, it'd get him killed. Laying here and drinking? It'll kill him a lot slower.

 

'John...' There was a breeze through the house. 'It is John isn't it?' Blonde hair appeared, piercing blue eyes looking into the Brit's. 'I need your help ... Think we could talk?"

 

 "You looking for your mommy or something? Cuz I'm fresh out of the connecting-the-dead-

to-their-parents business….. Well go on then, sod off."

 

'My name is Joseph. I'm Slade Wilson's youngest son.' Jerricho stated firmly, moving over to a picture on a nearby bookshelf and all but throwing it at John.

 

 The proof was in the photo, one of Rose and himself taken by Slade. It was the most recent one the old man had in his home. Constantines eyes went to the photo looking it over, shit... This was going to be tough to break to Slade. 

 

‘Guess you’re back in business.’ Chas commented.

 

Jerricho moved over to Chaz and pressed a hand to his face, a small light emitting. 'Shut up for a while. Noisy.' He pulled his hand back but the small light stayed over Chaz mouth like duct tape. 

 

"You'll have to teach me how to use that one." 

 

 'I want to help save my sister and I need to get back to my body. You're the only one who I can talk to without taking them over .'

 

John sat up more fully, placing the bottle on the table, "So you're astral projecting now, yeah? Any idea where your body is? What happened? I can't help you much without the details." John said as he lit a cigarette.

 

'Sort of. I'm able to possess other people's bodies and control their behaviors, read their thoughts. The works.' Jerricho explained, sitting down on the couch out of pure habit. 'I'm not currently connected to my body ... In all reality I'm dead. Clinically anyway.' 

 

He looked over to John. 'I found out the last time I died that I can transfer my consciousness to bodies I've taken over before. I've been taking residence in my Father's for the last ... Well, while. Rose was too weak to sustain me anymore. They are really putting her through the wringer.' His face looked solemn when he said that. He was clearly worried about her. 

 

'My body is in a holding facility in Bludhaven. They've been keeping me on ice, fascinated I haven't decomposed yet.' Jerricho put a hand on Constantine's knee and leaned a little in his personal space. 'So what do you say? Think you can help me out? It'll be our little secret.'

 

Constantine listened carefully as he puffed on his cigarette. He didn't know too much about the bloke but clearly he was a metahuman, one that would be beneficial to have on the team. He could be a missing puzzle piece in this destroying of the Court. Not that John cared… Except for the fact these bastards made things personal by killing Zee.

 

 "Your father's been very worried about your sister... From what I've been hearing if that baby is born there's no beating them.... They win.." Constantine groaned and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes briefly going to the hand on his knee, "Alright... Alright, fine. I'll help you." John said before standing up. 

 

"I'm assuming you need to do more than just get to your body, you could've done that on your own. So what are we looking at here? Necromancy? Dragging your soul from another plain of existence? A binding spell?" Sure he could figure it out himself but there was no point in that if Jericho already knew how to get his body back.

 

'I'm... not entirely sure. Last time I had help getting back into my own body. I don't remember much of it.' Jerricho admitted, 'I've never really had fantastic success with magic in my own body, when I separate like this there is a ... String of sorts that I can use to pull myself back into ... Well myself.'   
  
The more of Jerricho's powers he had to use, the more he had to project, the closer he came to snapping the cord. This time he'd done it on purpose ... But he'd need help re-anchoring himself. 'Zatanna helped me last time this happened-'  He looked down at John's knee where his hand had been moments before. 'She's close to you, isn't she?'

 

Constantine fell silent for a moment, "Yeah... She was... An old flame you could say."

 

 He could still see her. Tied up in a chair across him. The High Court mutilating her every time he said 'no' to using magic. She died because of him. Because he was selfish. Because he'd rather watch her die than give into the High Court. He shook his head and took a long drag of his cigarette before putting it out.

 

 "Lets go get your body..." He said before clearing his throat. "Hey kid!" He shouted for Damian. "We're going on a road trip!" Why was he bringing Damian? Cuz, Dick would kill him if he left the brat. 

 

"A road trip is against the rules!" Damian shouted back from his bedroom, moving out of it to glare at John, Sophia on his shoulder. She looked around curiously, then right at Jericho.

 

'Aww, he's still so tiny.' Jerricho cooed, smiling a little. 'He's going to think you're absolutely insane though. You know that right?' 

 

"I think he already thinks I'm insane." John muttered.

 

Damian looked around the room and narrowed his eyes. The atmosphere felt weird. "Where are we going and why?"

 

"We're going to contribute to stopping this madness. I can tell you're getting antsy just sitting here being as useful as a pile of shit in the corner. So we're going to break mommies little rule and do  _ something _ that may or may not be impossibly stupid."

 

"That's accurate." Damian answered without even needing to hear the other side of the story. "... I'll come with. If you die Grayson will be cross with me. I need to suit up first. Gotham has a dress code." Was that a joke from Damian? Who knew. 

 

Constantine moved through the house and began digging through various drawers, dumping them out onto the floor. It wasn't until the fifth one that he found they keys to Slade's car. 

 

"If you want to stay here and play tea party with your rat than go for it, but you better be a good liar and tell Dickhead I'm taking a nap or something."

 

Joey moved over to Chaz and removed his spell from the other's mouth. 'Just behave, okay?'

 

'You must be really desperate to be asking him for help.' Chas said looking at Jericho.

 

'Don't be cruel ... John is one of  _ the _ best magic users on Earth. Zatanna always spoke fondly of him ... When she wasn't complaining about him.'   
  
The statement was said with humor. He could always tell Zatanna cared about John by the way she complained. Frustration out of love he supposed.

 

'Oh trust me, I've known the git since kindergarten. He's good at what he does but he's an arsehole.' Chas replied with a soft smile.

 

Even though he missed his wife and daughter... He had to admit he missed spending so much time with John. It reminded him of the old times. Before things went bad.

 

"If you are planning on taking a car that'll take too long. Besides, I can think of much better things to do than listen to you talk to yourself in a car for three hours." Damian spoke with a cross of his arms.

 

'Is it weird I find the sassiness kind of cute? God I just want to pinch his baby cheeks.' 

 

'He is in his own way. You should see when he wants to cuddle with his brother. He puts on this whole show about how he's soooo tired and convinces Dick to lay with him. It pisses Slade off sometimes.' Chas chuckled. 

 

'I still can't believe Dick and my father are  _ dating _ . I mean ... They've had chemistry sure but ... I never expected it.' Jericho stopped to think. 'I don't know I feel about calling Dick Dad ...'

 

'What gets me is the age.' Chas remarked, 'I mean... No offense but your dad is  _ old _ . Good looking, but old.' 

 

'My Dad has just always been attractive. Like ... He's a slut ... But don't tell him I told you that.' Joey said with a small laugh. 'Dick is just one of those people who are drawn to him.' He shrugged.

 

Constantine looked less than amused by Damian's sassy attitude, he wondered how the hell Jon put up with it.... Then again? He had a handful of people who put up with himself and Damian wasn't nearly as bad. 

 

"Believe it or not, this time I'm not talking to myself." Constantine then looked seemingly nowhere, "Which really is a shock cuz I do that a lot for no benounced reason. Maybe I like the sound of my voice, maybe I am secretly narrating my own story for some poor boy or girl fixing for some entertainment while they lie in bed and scratch their junk." 

 

Chas couldn't help but to quirk a brow at that one.

 

 "... How proficient are you at summoning beasts of the underworld? I may have a faster, more comfortable ride. Plus ... This way I can drive."

 

"I'm very proficient and unless you tell me what the hell you want me to conjure, it's not happening." Briefly Constantine’s expression showed sorrow. 

 

A memory of a young girl, slaughtered by the very demon he summoned. His biggest mistake. He could still hear her screams as her soul was dragged to hell. 

Chas frowned and moved to put a hand on John's shoulder, he was there. He knew by Constantine’s face what he was thinking about. Even Jerricho was giving John a sympathetic look. He'd seen most of John's memories and recalled the same event.

 

"My pet." Damian said with confidence despite the solemn atmosphere. He still wasn't great at reading social cues. 

 

"His name is Goliath. He's a dragon bat from Bialya. I've raised him since he was a pup. I have a whistle I use to call him but I've hidden it for safekeeping. I can't have the high court getting their hands on him. He's much too timid to deal with them."  

 

Damian commented before pulling off a necklace and handing it to John. "This is one of his baby teeth, maybe you can use it ... Frankly, I don't have much magical experience."

 

Constantine looked at the tooth before sighing and taking it, "Yeah this'll work. Just give me a minute." 

 

He headed into the kitchen and grabbed some salt. From there he dug around the fridge until he pulled out a raw steak. Walking passed Damian, John plucked a hair off his head and made his way outside. Constantine looked around until he found a way to get on the roof which he climbed less than gracefully. Chas sighed and manifested himself up there and crossed his arms as he watched his friend use the steak blood to draw a blood sigil that he then covered in salt. He set Damian's hair and the tooth in the center before standing over the items. 

"Trianu atar vritana skatar."  Constantine began muttering the phrase over and over, each time a little louder as his eyes began glowing white. 

 

The energy made the lights flicker and Chas felt his form growing weak before it slowly began dissipating. The blood boiled around Constantine and his words began to echo before a high pitched whistle pierced the air in a deafening screech. Constantines talking ceased as did the noise as he stood and placed his hands in his pockets. Everything quiet.

 

'Bloody hell.' Chas groaned, his form less solid than before. 

 

"Sorry." John said as his friend looked around.

 

 'It didn't even bloody do anythin' you wanker! What if you killed killed me?'

 

"You're fine." John said, lighting a cigarette as a loud roar filled the air. 

 

His blue eyes shifted above at the large red figure that was heading towards them at full speed, releasing another roar. John didn’t flinch as Goliath showed no sign of slowing down, even as he crashed into a forcefield the sigil seemed to have formed around the magician before it collapsed onto the roof letting out a whimper. 

 

"Good dog." Constantine muttered, blowing out smoke.

 

Damian had just come out of the home when Goliath moved onto the roof and ... Collapsing part of it. Well, Grayson was going to know they broke the rules now, so there was no point in holding back. 

 

He was a little more ruthless as of late. All the time spent with his Mother and her guard exposed him to murder and killing all over again. Then when it came time to protect his Mom he ... He didn't hesitate  to do what needed to be done to save her life. In death it seemed he had let down both of his parents. So, when it seemed as though John had hurt his pet? He might as well have assaulted Damian himself. 

 

He threw two sharp batarangs right at John's head. "Watch your magic you awlarse!" Yes, Damian did insult John in a language closer to home. It only seemed appropriate. 

 

"Watch it, brat. It’s his own damn fault for flying face first into the forcefield." John mumbled before crossing his arms.

 

Damian stood next to Goliath and rubbed the blood red fur just above his black nose. "He wouldn't have hurt you ... Not unless I told him too." Goliath almost started purring at the attention from Damian.

 

Earlier, the boy had pulled together a functional suit with Slade's equipment storage, after he hacked the lock code, and a few of Dick's suits and equipment. Slade had walls of beautiful blades ranging from small throwing knives to a long sword that  _ had _ to just be a keepsake. All of Slade's priceless, specially made katanas were much too long for him. This made Damian  _ very _ disappointed to have to settle for two short blades. 

 

Jericho moved and touched John on the back, 'If you don't mind...' His form slid into John's from behind.

 

'Is it strange hearing me from inside your head? Or are you familiar with that sort of thing by now?' Jericho asked a smile in his voice.

 

'It's happened a time or two, still a tad discombobulating.' John thought back to the other, figuring it would make him appear less crazy to the boy in their midst. 

 

"You better be a good driver if we're flying that thing or so help me." The Brit continued aloud to the boy before working to climb onto Goliaths back. 

 

He definitely felt uneasy up there but for the most part kept it hidden, even as he pulled a small bottle of booze from his jacket and downed it in one go to steady the nerves.

 

 'Oh, wow that buzz is already coming on.'

 

"I am the best Dragon Bat flyer there has ever been." Damian said confidently. "Then again ..." 

 

Goliath took off from the roof at an incredibly high speed straight up into the air. 

 

 "... I'm the only one to ever fly one."

 

John clenched the red fur tightly, his stomach spinning before he leaned to the side and threw up. He felt bad for the poor boys and girls below. Letting out a soft groan, he put his spinning head on Damian. He was starting to get tunnel vision and a nasty fear of heights on this unstable beast. 

 

 Goliath evened out, making sure John was seated firmly on his back before starting toward Gotham. John straightened himself, blinking his eyes to try and keep his head from spinning.

 

 "We'll land outside of Gotham and walk into the city, I don't want any of these High Court cocks seeing us and taking us in." 

 

"Walk?" Damian didn't sound pleased by that answer at all. "If we are going to Gotham we will drive the batmobile. I refuse to walk unguarded through those streets. Better to be caught in an armored vehicle than on foot."

 

"We are not taking your dads cockmobile. Nothing screams come and get us more. If Alea finds out we escaped we will be confiscated, and I've been prodded enough by the cunt. When we land, we get a cab. You let me do the talking. Clear?" 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


The plane finally landed and Dick already looked jet lagged. Luckily renting a car took hardly any time and with old and older up front, Dick got to lounge in the back. 15 minutes into the drive he was asking Adam to pull over so he could pee. 20 minutes after that he had fallen asleep in the back. Near the third hour, Adam had pulled off somewhere to get gas and some food for Dick knowing fully he'd be hungry. By the time they made it to the lab, Dick was awake, sitting in silence as he watched the scene pass them by.

 

As Adam had described, the base was small and incredibly fortified. They were let in through three gates before they could even park the car. After that it was through another heavily armed gate with the top lined with razor wire. Adam lead the two up a small set of stairs, showed a badge and was let into the front door that held a small lobby area and front desk. Behind the desk sat a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and glasses.

 

 "Greetings. Alea mentioned you would be arriving. Unfortunately, she had business to attend to, so you are to be on your own today. I will page the lab and inform them of your arrival." 

 

Dick furrowed his brows as he studied the woman, her movements slightly robotic. 

 

She pressed the pager and informed the doctors of their arrival only to be met with, "The patient is not ready to be seen."

 

The receptionist looked up, a smile still on her face, "Perhaps you can sit and wait."

 

"That's not right." Adam said as he approached the desk, the two large guards growing tense. "Alea called ahead, yes?"

 

"That information is correct."

 

"Which means under protocol 325 we are welcome to go down to the lab regardless of the doctors say so."

 

"That information is correct, however Anna-"

 

"Anna's on duty?" Adam interrupted, "Damn it." 

 

He growled under his breath before moving to head to the lab, a guard putting their hand on his chest to stop him only to have it swat away. "If you don't let me down there and that child dies, it's on you."

 

The guard was frozen for a moment before letting Adam go. Dick moved to follow, however the guard quickly stopped him, "He has access from the commanders.  _ You  _ don't. You two will wait."

 

Slade nearly growled, stepping next to Dick and staring the guard down. "What makes you think you have the ability to stop me?"  

 

He had threatened before noticing how the guards position shifted to offensive, he was nearly shaking with anger. He needed to turn away though and cool off or ... He needed to see Rose. But what Adam said about this Anna person? His daughter could be in trouble and he had to trust  _ Adam _ to take care of things. With his hands clenched hard enough to turn the knuckles under his gloves white, he let out a quiet sigh of defeat. 

 

"Come." 

 

Slade ordered to Dick, moving to the small sitting area. Finding an appropriate chair, the merc snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground next to him. 

 

"Sit." He wanted Dick close, but also knew that they needed to stay in character too.

  
  


They waited for what felt like  _ hours  _ but was only 45 minutes. Even Dick was getting antsy and it was beginning to show in the way he shifted around on the floor, he wanted to pace. Finally, a voice came over the coms. 

 

"Send Wilson and the pet to the lab." The voice belonged to a female, she sounded angry to say the least which was almost unnatural sounding coming from a High Court person.

 

"You two may go to the lab." The receptionist gestured. 

 

Dick got up and followed Slade as they were escorted by a guard. It only took one small flight of stairs to get to the lab, which Adam and a dark skinned woman, presumably Anna, stood in front of. 

 

"Just because Alea is the commander's daughter doesn't mean she controls this operation."

 

"Tell  _ her _ that when you foolishly kill her project." Adam shot back.

 

"I'll tell her the day you tell her  _ you're  _ a liar." Anna turned and walked passed Slade, "You have twenty minutes, then I want you gone."

 

"Alea gave us an hour. I don't take orders from you." Adam countered.

 

"You will someday,  _ pet _ ." She said as she made her way up the stairs.

 

Dick didn't miss the glare Adam shot her, the way his hand nearly twitched into a fist. As they neared Dick noticed some blood on Adams white undershirt, worry starting to coil around his stomach. 

 

"Rose is fine... For now." Adam began to update, there being a slight quiver in his voice. Dick had never really seen him angry before. 

 

Slade had reached out and put a single hand on Dick's shoulder, letting it rest there for some kind of connection. He stared forward at the doors and nothing else. 

 

" _ For now? _ " He asked, about ready to explode at this point. Was that  _ Rose's  _ blood on his shirt?

 

"Apparently they ran some- hmm" Adam paused with a little growl, was that a little lisp? 

 

He was silent as he gathered himself before speaking more solidly than before, the tremor and lisp gone, "They ran some uncondoned tests on her that her body reacted negatively to. There was some internal hemorrhaging and she had a mild seizure... She's stable now and I've cleared the room of doctors. I'm going to put in a call to Alea to have her control her daft employees while you two meet with her."

 

Slade swore he could hear ringing in his ears, his cheeks losing all color. His little girl ... God this couldn't be happening .. Adam noticed the way Slade's body reacted to everything, quite honestly? Slade looked like he was going to pass out. Dick saw it too and Adam could see him moving to cling to the other. 

 

Before things could progress, Adam took the two into a small room with one way glass. Peering into Rose’s ‘cell’ they could see that it was nicely organized with white padded walls, doctors monitors and equipment, followed by a fancy queen sized bed with white blankets and pillows save for the fresh blood stains. Under the covers laid one pale, tired looking Rose who still had some blood  in her hair.

 

"I think Slade should go in alone first so she isn't overwhelmed." He said as he looked into the room.

 

Slade stepped up to the door and took the handle, opening it and ... Everything he was feeling just dissipated at the threshold. He pulled it together entirely and moved toward his daughter. With an arm blocking Dick’s path, the two watched Slade enter the room. Dick shifted to watch through the glass however, Adam pulled Dick out of the room to make good on his promise of privacy. The two deserved it.

  
  
  


"Rose." Slade said, squatting down next to her bed so he could be at face level with hers. "God, sweetheart ..." 

 

He wanted to hug her but he didn't know the extent of her injuries and didn't want to hurt her. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, a hand resting on the back of her head even after he'd moved back to look at her again. 

 

"I'm so sorry."

 

Her tired eyes flickered open and nearly went wide, "Daddy?" She asked before tears slowly began streaming. 

 

Just like that, Rose sat up, her knees curling beneath her as she shifted to sit on them before wrapping her arms around Slade's shoulders tightly. She buried her face into him as she began sobbing.

 

"Careful kiddo." Slade didn't stop her though and put his arms around her as well, squeezing Rose closer, but restraining himself from too much pressure around her midsection.  

 

"I thought they got you." 

 

No thanks to the Court. All the visions they've sent her. The lies they've told her. She didn't know what to believe except for the fact that there was no use waiting for her father to come save her.

 

"I'm here ... I never stopped looking for you." He sounded so relieved to see her, even if she was in bad shape, it was confirmation she was alive and that Slade could still get her out of here. 

 

"I'm not going to ask you if you're okay, I know the answer to that." 

 

Slade moved the both of them with fluid movements. He sat halfway on the bed. One leg was folded in front of him while the other hung off the bed. Slade pulled Rose halfway into his lap, a pillow for her head and let her rest. This was a familiar sitting arrangement, where Slade would brush Rose's hair before bed or comfort her when she was sick or scared.

 

 "Tell me everything."

 

It didn't take long for her tears to start flowing again as she closed her eyes tighter. "Joey and I were.. On the run. I tried to protect him, daddy.. I fought so hard but I wasn't strong enough. I watched them kill him and then I blacked out.. I woke up in a weird room with nothing. No weapons. No clothes. I was tied to a metal table and they started taking my blood.. Injecting things in me... Everything got so fuzzy and then I started seeing things... Horrible things. I relieved Joey dying and he kept saying it was my fault. You were there too. You left me because of it..." Rose slowly opened her eyes. "I thought... Maybe I died and went to hell."

 

Joey would never blame you for what happened, Rose ... You know he loved you and wanted to protect you ... He always did."

 

 Slade combed his fingers through her hair, having taken off his gloves, and used a magically appearing tissue to help wipe away her tears, giving it over for her to use after, if she wanted it.

 

 "You know he used to tell me all the time when you were kids that you were his best friend. Remember when you started kindergarten and he cried every morning because he couldn't go with you?"

 

 The memories were meant to remember Joey in a positive light. Even in his death ... Remembering him for being the ray of blonde light in their family couldn't be more true.

 

Rose couldn't help but to softly chuckle, "I remember that... Joey was always so sweet... Even when everything crumbled around us he never gave up or let go of himself." She said as she began playing with the tissue in her hands.

 

“What else happened?”

 

"One day, I woke up.. I had a mask over my face and I was in a hospital gown." Like she was now, "And I felt this intense pain." 

 

She moved her hands over her stomach, breaking eye contact from Slade. "There was a woman here telling me that I was destined to bring them their perfect soldier. That I was going to give birth to it. After the first few days I tried to escape.. I hurt a few guards but then they chained me to the bed.. Started injecting me with things. Things that made my body hurt.. My veins burn." 

 

Roses hand moved to take Slade's into her own, "I don't remember the last time I felt normal... I feel sick all the time and.. Before Doctor Foster, every day they were doing something to hurt me... They still do sometimes but not as often. Sometimes I wish they'd kill me and get it over with."

 

"I need you to stay strong, Rose ... I know how hard things are. I haven't been through this, so I can't possibly know what you are feeling exactly but ... I do know what it's like to be a test subject." Slade wanted nothing more than to wrap his daughter up in a blanket and take her home to safety. 

 

"Adam and I are working on getting you out of here. I  _ promise,  _ I  _ will  _ get you out of here. Just hold out a little longer for me, this will get better, honey." Slade swore to her and brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm so sorry I can't take you now ... God knows I would if I could."

 

"I know... I remember when Ra's took us... How angry you were. It was when I realized that you  _ do _ care... That your weren't as selfish as I thought you were. I understood all your choices, why you were the way you were....." Rose pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

 

Rose had no idea how much it meant to Slade to hear her say that. He had made some horribly selfish decisions and he wasn't a perfect father, he knew that ... But he loved his kids more than  _ anything _ . He'd go to hell and back for them without so much as a second thought. If he could trade places with Rose right now he would do that too. 

 

"You trained me to be a fighter... I'm not going to give up. I'll make it until you can get me out of here and then we'll destroy them together." Rose offered a small smile, her eyes looking more tired now. 

 

"You're stronger than I've ever been, Rose ... I'm so proud of you and this will get better. I promise." Slade wouldn't stop promising Rose her freedom, because unless Slade was killed ... He would do it. 

 

"Will... You lay with me until I fall asleep? Sing me a lullaby?" It was childish at best but right now, Rose just wanted to be Slade's little girl. She didn't have the energy to be anything more.

 

Slade smiled a little and nodded. "One second." 

 

He lifted her out of his lap and worked off his boots and anything else that would poke or prod like his utility belt. Slade moved to a cabinet next to the bed, locked, but he just ended up breaking the handle off and getting inside. Down at the bottom was what he was looking for, fresh sheets and a woven blanket. He returned and removed the blood stained items before covering Rose with the fresh ones, tucking her in around her back and legs. Once that was done Slade moved under the covers with her, an arm under her head, his other hand coming up to rub his thumb over her temple. 

 

Slade closed his eye and began singing ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’ by Jerry and the Pacemakers. It wasn't exactly a lullaby, but it was a song that always reminded him of his Grandfather. He sung in a deep baritone, loud enough to surround Rose in the sound, but soft enough it wouldn't carry outside the room. 

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


Adam looked down at his watch, "The hours up... Why don't you go retrieve him?"

 

Dick sighed and gave a nod before he got up and headed back into the room. He paused when he saw the two through the one way glass, his heart aching at the sight. As adorable and precious as it was, Dick hurt knowing he had to pull Slade away.. Slade would be back to worrying about his daughter and Rose would be a lab rat. With a shake of his head, Dick moved through the doors and into the room. 

 

"Hey." He spoke gently before approaching the bed, crouching and speaking softly as he rubbed Slade’s arm. "It's... Time for us to go." He said before looking at Rose. Poor thing.

 

Slade was in a state somewhere between sleep and waking when Dick slowly pulled him from it. The words weren't what he wanted to hear though. God how did the time go by so fast? 

 

He nodded and slowly moved himself out from around Rose without stirring her, a technique he'd mastered as a father. He began moving the blankets up around Rose, making sure she was comfortable. Slade leaned down one last time and kissed the crown of her head, whispering against her hair.

 

 "I'll be back for you, baby girl." 

 

He moved up enough to take off his eye patch, opening Rose's hand and putting it on her palm before closing her fingers around it. He wanted her to have something tangible to know that he had actually been there, that it hadn't been another hallucination.

 

Dick watched Slade with nothing but love, sympathy and compassion. He began to realize just how strong the other was. If roles were reversed and Damian was there... Dick couldn't say he'd just leave him. He'd sacrifice himself.. Everything to get that boy to safety, unless it put more people in danger. A hand moved to rest over his own chest as Slade slipped a spare eyepatch out of his belt and secured it in place before fully facing Dick. He approached the younger, his head falling down on Dick's shoulder. 

 

"Get me out of here before I do something stupid."

 

Dick wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly, "You're doing good... I'm proud of you, Slade.. Rose would be too." He whispered. 

 

Slade appreciated Dick more than he was able to communicate at the moment. Without him this situation would have spiraled out of control and beyond. Even if Dick was the more emotional one, he provided the grounding Slade needed. After all this was over? Slade was taking him on a month long vacation, no if, ands or buts. 

 

With a kiss on the cheek, Dick lead Slade out of the room and into the hall with Adam. From there they followed Adam outside and back to the car. Anna glaring them down as she passed. 

 

"Will Rose be safe?" Dick asked from the backseat as Adam began driving.

 

"Yes... I'll make sure they stop pushing her limits.. Alea's already working on transferring doctors."

 

Dick nodded and moved to hug Slade from behind his seat. He stayed like that for the hour it took for them to get to a more woodsy area. Adam then parked the car in front of a small condo. Dick got out and helped unload their clothes and the few groceries they brought before heading inside. The space held a living room with a connecting rest area equipped with a bed and nightstand that sat across from a bumped out window seat. The space was practically in the living room with no doors separating it but it was cozy. To the left was a small kitchenette and a bathroom just beyond it.

 

Dick removed his shoes and set his things down before walking behind the couch, softly touching it with a small and fond smile on his face before looking out.

 

"It's exactly the same."

 

"I don't come here much." Adam responded from the kitchen where he worked on putting things away very neatly and symmetrically. 

 

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" Dick asked as he approached Slade, his hands moving to rest on his sides. "We can talk if you want to.... Or... We can just get settled."

 

Slade was still looking around at the pristine conditions, thinking about how far away from  _ home _ he was. If not for Dick, he’d feel completely alone.

 

"A walk might clear my head." Slade admitted. "Let me strip out of my gear before we go." 

 

He leaned down and placed a soft kiss against Dick's lips, letting his forehead rest against the shorters. It was like a silent ‘thank you’ he couldn't accurately express.

 

Few people knew this, but it was one of Dick's favorite things. Truly, the act was intimate and nothing short of connecting. Their heads brought together as they shared air between them, it always made Dick’s heart race and made his stomach grow warm. 

 

"I know the perfect spot." Dick said after appreciating the others presence. He didn't even realize that he had started softly rubbing the others arms. 

 

Dick pulled away and softly kissed Slade's lips again before moving to hand him his clothes, that welcoming and loving smile on the others lips. He could use a change too. Dick grabbed his own clothes and gently took Slade's hand before leading him back into the bathroom where he set them down on the counter. He then turned towards Slade and worked on getting the suit off of him, starting by loosening it with the switch on the back of the neck that Slade showed him on his 'own' suit. Dick then began working the suit off of Slade's upper body, his hands softly rubbing against the others skin as he did so to help soothe and relax him.

 

Slade nearly melted against the personalized attention Dick was giving him. Not to mention submissive. He didn't need to be ‘in charge' necessarily, but feeling dominant was something he deeply enjoyed. It soothed him by letting his body and mind know that he could relax.

 

Slade positioned and lightly rotated his body to allow Dick to access the different portions of his suit. The bare hands against his skin sending tingles through his upper body at first contact. Dick's gentle warmth often brought on this relaxing and comfortable atmosphere that simultaneously allowed Slade to feel the stress of worrying for his daughter and the acceptance and peace to know everything would be okay. 

 

He stayed still for a few moments, letting himself sink down into  _ this _ moment rather than continue to worry about his daughter. At this point it was bound to drive him crazy. Slade raised his gaze to Dick's face, his hands finding either side of Dick's face, moving back into his hairline and rubbing his thumb across Dick's cheekbones. He let out a short, tired breath, closing his eye. 

 

"I want you to know that I'd be lost in this without you." Slade told him a low voice that was for Dick only. "I would have tried to break her out of there, it would have killed her, but you've kept me grounded and I ..." Slade opened his eye again. "... I've never had someone stand by me like this in my life. That means more to me than you know." Slade leaned in and kissed Dick again, this time more intimately, longer. "I love you."

 

Everytime the other said that it took over Dick’s senses completely. His eyes fluttered closed a moment before he moved closer to not only lean against the other, but to hold him. "I love you too, Slade.... We're  _ partners _ , you don't have to do any of this alone and I'm glad that... You know that." 

 

His voice was soft as he moved his hand to rest against the others cheek, "I will  _ always  _ be here to help ground you... To help keep you focused.. You don't have to try and be strong with me because you show your strength by letting me in." Dick paused a moment and broke eye contact briefly. "Which... I know isn't easy and I don't expect it.. But.." He sighed, "I just want you to know you can always count on me." 

 

Dick smiled once more and stood on his toes to plant one final kiss to the others lips before helping them both change their clothes, he wasn't worried about clean up at the moment and took Slade's hand before leading him out of the condo. 

 

"There's a place we can lay down and... Either enjoy eachothers company or talk... Whatever it is you need." 

 

Dick had explained as he headed down a small hill and onto a set of train tracks he began walking along, balancing on the beam. Slade smiled lightly at his nearly child like antics on the tracks, and  held his hand to lead him. It was cute, distractingly peaceful. After about ten minutes they came across a clearing with a large lush grassy field. Dick pulled the other to the field before finding a spot to sit under the stars. Slade sat down after Dick, his head resting down onto the hero's toned stomach, one hand reaching out to grab Dick's lower calf to massage it lightly and lazily. 

 

Dick couldn't stop the small smile that formed on his lips, he wondered if the other could hear his pulse increase or hear the sound of the butterflies fluttering through his organ fields. His hand moved down to play with Slade's hair, softly twirling it between his fingers before gently pulling it to cause a massage like sensation on the other’s scalp. Dick’s weakness was definitely playing with someone's hair, especially when it was as soft as Slade's or as long as Kori's. Slade let out a deep rumbling sound of appreciation. Letting his shoulders drop down so he was putting the full weight of his head on Dick's stomach.

 

"It's a beautiful spot." Slade mentioned, looking up at the sparkling sky. "Reminds me of the sky at the farm." He reminisced in nights he spent outside with his first lovers, talking until the early hours. "Relaxing almost ..." 

 

"You were so young when you lost your family ... Yet, you stay so positive ... It baffles me sometimes." Slade admitted. "You're strong, kid, stronger than me, than most. I appreciate you allowing me to lean on you this heavily ... Even if it is just for a little bit."

 

"I don't know if I'd call it strength…” Dick countered, “Honestly, I've never been the kind to dwell... I remember when I was Robin, sitting in the cave and watching Batman on the city computers.. His motivation for what he was doing was his parents. Giving them Justice.. Making sure  _ no one _ suffered the way he had... That's how it started for me but.. It started to hurt less when I thought about them.. I thought about them less.. I felt  _ guilty _ . I thought that maybe I didn't love them or was a bad son but... Alfred told me I was  _ healing _ . That he wished Bruce would do the same.. I healed and I moved on because.. I don't know. I guess I don’t like getting stuck." Dick said with a soft laugh.

 

"I think that makes you strong, even stronger than Bruce. You recognize the value of letting things go even when it’s hard. Bruce doesn't see that, he thinks it makes him stronger. The pain, the suffering, the anguishing self punishment. He believes that if he did let go, he'd lose Batman forever." Slade let out a huff of a laugh. "I've been there ... It's a hard way to live life, sure, but it takes true strength to be something more than your grief, trauma, and mistakes." Slade said.

 

"I don't... Always confront my problems or my past though... I just... Run from it.. Keep it behind me and hope I can move far enough away from it. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't..... But I hold onto things getting better because... What would the point be to all of this if it's not? Why are we here if we're only going to suffer?" Dick asked before falling silent again, "I let myself abandon that once and it nearly cost me my life. And I realized that if my selfish and stupid decision fell through that I'd leave behind more pain than the good I could do."

 

"I love being the safety net... The one who catches people when they fall... The one who helps them swing across the trapeze until they can get back on their feet. It's how I show my love. My love for  _ you _ ... For  _ humanity _ ... It means a lot to me that you're letting me take some of the weight off of you because.. We weren't made to carry all this pain and troubles alone. And I know we’ve already had our problems.. Bottom line is, I love you."

 

"You don't know it, or maybe you do ... But you bring humanity to others." Slade turned his head to the side, looking up at Dick and shifting the hand in his hair.  "I haven't trusted anyone to handle that weight with me. Too close, too dangerous, too  _ intimate  _ ... But you're different, Kid ... Because when you tell me you love me, that you  _ want  _ to be there, I believe you."

 

Slade reached down and grabbed the hand closest to him and firmly kissed against Dick's knuckles as he wound his fingers between them.

 

Dick couldn't help but smile as he looked down at Slade, studying how the starlight beautifully reflected off of the other as he took in all his words. Personally? He wouldn't call it strength but... If that's what it represented to people like Slade? His brothers? Then he was willing to be that for them. To show them there was value in letting go of the past. In moving forward. 

 

He let out a blissful sigh before softly tugging on Slade's hair. "You know... It's... Been a while since I've felt.. Needed. Not.. Like you can't support yourself without me but that I'm making a difference for you in your life. That you don't feel alone. It means the world to me, Slade and... I want you to know you've been that for me too."

  
  
  
  
  
  


Dick laid outside with Slade for another 40 minutes before he finally guided him up and began heading back to the condo. For the whole walk he didn't hesitate to hold Slade's hand, talking about the last time he was here how he and Adam used to walk up and down the train tracks. Dick had a habit of doing little handstands and flips treating the rails like his own personal jungle gym. He had fond memories here but he didn't seem stuck on them, he expressed excitement over sharing them with his new modern love. 

 

Once they made it back to the condo, Dick entered and removed his shoes. Adam must've been cooking while they were gone because the air was filled with the savory smell of herbs and chicken. Adam of course had changed and was neatly setting the plates with diced chicken atop of rice and a salad on the side. Slade and Dick’s plates had considerably more meat and food in general. 

 

The Brit then set the plates down at the small table before adjusting them until they were perfect to his eye. He then moved to pour Slade some scotch, "I'm assuming you just want juice." He said to Dick as he entered the kitchen space.

 

 "Actually, I'll take it mixed."

 

"Oo, being defiant are we?" Adam asked as he poured some cranberry juice into a glass before adding liquor.

 

"Maybe, maybe not.... Hey, that's enough."

 

"I had to make it even with the other glasses."

 

"You could've done that with the juice." Dick said before tilting the bottle to cause more liquor to dump in the glass.

 

"... You're an asshole." Adam sighed before adding to the other glasses. “Defeats your whole ‘more juice’ thing.”

  
  
Dick shrugged, “Worth it.” He smirked.

  
  


Dick helped move the glasses to the table before he and Slade sat down with Adam who let out a soft sigh, twiddling his fork with his left hand. 

 

"So... I said I'd reveal more details about Ra's Al Ghul’s death...."

  
“Yeah..” Dick said giving Adam a nod.

 

"He was murdered.. By Timothy Drake."

  
  



	25. Hero

Tim had arrived at the private hospital with Benjamin exactly one hour ago. Despite both of them holding a great deal of hatred towards Ra's, they knew visiting him would be a necessity unless they wanted to tip the High Court off about how they felt. So, after a brief vacation and dropping Connor off to Luthor, they decided to stay in town long enough to visit the old Demon himself. However, what Tim told Ben they would do and what would occur were two separate things entirely. 

 

Upon arrival Tim told Ben he didn't want to go inside. Ben understood this all too well and had offered to just take Tim home. Naturally, Tim urged Benjamin to go inside so the Court would believe they were concerned for their ‘leader’. It took ten minutes for Tim to convince him before the tiger finally just went in alone. Another ten were spent sliding out different gadgets and tools from under his seat that he had stashed last night. He went over the plan one more time, a roll going through his stomach as he did. Tim took out his phone and recorded a verbal log update before exiting the car.

 

Now, here he was in the vent system.

 

It would seem that even the High Court hadn't thought to gate the vents. They were a little cramped, even for Tim's small body. Frankly, if he was in pique physical condition his muscle mass alone would have probably made this impossible. Which meant that no one else, not even Ra's men, would think to keep an eye on it.

 

It was a short distance through the duct system to the hallway outside Ra's room. He was at ground level and peering through could see three guards there. Two on either side of Ra's door, plus a third that seemed to be 'supervising'.

 

As if on cue Ben left from inside Ra's room, telling them to go inside and tend to Ra's. They did. Ben pulled out and planted small bugs they'd crafted around the doorframe before swiftly exiting. With the hall clear, Tim pulled out an electrical pulse device. He used it to target the security feed being sent back to the guards via wifi. The pulse would be just long enough for Tim to slip out of the vent, quickly replace it, place a loop on the security camera and for the guards inside Ra's room.

 

Tim moved with absolute efficiency, quietly moving the gate, removing and replacing the video input, all before tucking himself as close to the wall as he possibly could by the door way,  _ barely _ hiding behind a large fake plant.

 

"BOYS SOMEONE BROUGHT PIZZA." Tim yelled, using an almost too convincing deep man's voice to lure the men out. It worked like a charm. 

 

“Do you think it'll have any meat on it?”

 

“I miss meat.”

 

“And cheese.”

 

“I forgot about the cheese.”

 

These men, who were highly trained assassins, taught to be ever vigilant, walked right past Tim and out the other set of doors. He was shocked and a little disappointed … He kind of wanted to punch someone in the face today.

 

Tim slipped into Ra's room, absolutely silent until he saw Ra's on the bed. He was on a ventilator and unable to speak, but his eyes were open, starting at Tim. He began trying to vocalize, muffled sounds the only thing leaving him. The man reached up to try and mess with the tubing. Tim's hand came down hard on the man's wrist, pinning it between it and the raised metal side bar of the bed.

 

"I can't have you doing something to kill yourself…" A look of relief momentarily graced Ra's face. "Not until I've said my final words anyway." 

 

Quickly, Ra's tried to raise his other hand, but failed to do so. When he looked back, Tim was pushing something into his IV line. "I've given you a little muscle relaxer, something to keep you forcibly submissive, trapped in your own body … Sound familiar?"

 

"I've had fantasies about killing you longer than any other villain I can think of. Of course they were  _ only  _ fantasies … What would Batman do if Robin killed? Throw him away? Bench him? Be disappointed? … Funny thing is, all of those things require Bruce being alive, which is no longer the case. Unfortunately for you …"

 

Tim paused and took out another needle. "Bruce told me there was going to be times that tested my will, would push my morals and make me question things. He was right. However, he also said it was important that I remember what the right thing to do was, to not give in to temptation." 

 

He tapped the needle a few times on his knee. "I always thought that I could do just that, be strong enough and then … You broke me."

 

"I know that's what you wanted. I'm sure you sat down and hatched your devilish plans in your lair, getting a kick out of thinking about destroying my innocence and tearing me down. I prepared for you to get more cruel, I prepared for every eventuality. Yes, even the one where you'd rape me. But," Tim let out a small non-humorous laugh, "Believe it or not, I thought you actually had too much  _ honor _ to do what you did to Connor … What you made him  _ do to me _ ."

 

Tim's tone changed to something darker.

 

"Ever since that night, I've been planning your funeral. Fortunately Connor got to you first … I had things set up for you at Nanda Parbat that would truly make you suffer. But as always, a plan B." Tim took the needle cap off and squirted a little of the fluid on Ra's face.

 

"Smell that? Bleach." He watched Ra's eyes trying to examine the circumstances. "Half of this amount would be sufficient to kill you, trust me, I did the math twice, but … I like to be thorough." Tim slid the needle into Ra's port, watching Ra's trying to struggle in his mind, eyes frantic, pupils dilating.

 

"I hope you’re proud of me. I've become the man you have always wanted. Ruthless, calculating, someone willing to kill …" He began to slowly push the plunger down. "Hell is too good for you Ra's, but, I hope you enjoy it."

 

A few seconds passed before Ra's began going into cardiac arrest, his monitor alerting the nurses to his condition. Tim could hear them running towards the room as he slowly packed up his things. He needed to see it. Needed to see Ra's die. A few more moments and the nurses came bursting through the door with a crash cart but … The line was flat and Ra's Al Ghul was very much dead. 

 

The window to his room was open, curtains fluttering from the breeze … It was a beautiful day outside. There was the honk of a car horn as Tim came back towards the car. Ben was already inside and telling him to get his ass back in the car with pure body language alone.

 

Tim slipped inside and put on his seat belt. 

 

"Where the hell did you go?" Ben asked, eyes narrowing.

 

"It was a nice day outside. I thought I'd go for a walk." Tim responded, drawing a long sigh from Benjamin as he turned on the car.

 

"Damn child giving me a fucking heart attack." Ben growled. 

 

"Wow, language." Tim quipped back, a little perturbed by how easy it was to act normal right now. 

 

They listened to about five rock songs on a hair band station before Ben's phone began ringing off the hook. Text messages and three separate people all trying to call him at once. Tim knew what it was about, but as Ben answered the phone Tim watched his face, waiting for his reaction.

 

There was shock, disbelief, then a brief moment of thought before the car began slowing, his eyes turning to Tim with a look of relation and … Something he couldn't quite identify. 

 

"So … He's dead. How long after I left? … I … I'll call you back."

 

Tim didn't even wait for Ben to talk, and barely waited for him to get off the phone. "I need to go back to Metropolis." It wasn't a request, it was a demand … Tim was done asking.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  
  


Dick was speechless, his heart in his stomach as he listened to Adam explain everything that had happened, or more so what Ben had said happened.

 

 "What?! Oh my god.... We have to pull him out. If he's slipping down this path then... We  _ need _ to get him out."

 

"We can’t do that... He's..Effective." Adam sighed, "And quite frankly? If he wants to kill people, it's his choice."

 

"He's a kid!"

 

"Dick, Tim hasn't been a child for a while. He's capable of making his own choices ... However, I do think this choice was out of character. He's never killed before, never even came close. Even Jason was reckless as Robin ... There were signs of him having that urge. Tim is more ... Loyal to Batman's teachings." Slade reached out and put a hand on Dick's back. 

 

"I don't think Tim did this because he  _ wanted  _ to Dick ... He probably felt like he needed to. Ra's raped him, tortured him, threatened his family, and used Connor like his own personal slave ... Anyone in that situation would feel trapped. A caged dog is more likely to bite ... A smart one goes for the throat. Tim was trying to protect himself and the people he loves." 

 

Slade knew all of this wouldn't stop Dick from worrying, nor would it fix what happened. However, he knew two things: One, Tim really couldn't be pulled out now. Two, if Slade didn't turn this around Dick was going to blame himself for not saving Tim sooner. Blame himself for Ra's death too.

 

"I've talked to Benjamin ... Understand that Tim is in good hands. Ben won't let anyone hurt him and ... If he had known what Tim was planning he would have stopped him. I'd trust Ben with my life, with my kid's lives ... We can trust him to keep Tim safe." Slade looked up to Adam. "Besides ... Adam is right. He's too valuable. In the period of a month he toppled Ra's empire and turned the High Court against Luthor. They trust him for some reason. We can't throw that away."

 

"Safe?” Clearly nothing else Slade said mattered to Dick, “If Ben was  _ really  _ trying to keep Tim safe, Tim wouldn't have even had the opportunity to cross the line. I clearly  _ can’t _ trust him with Tim." Dick snapped before letting out a heavy sigh.

 

 "We're not going to leave Tim just so we can use him as a chess piece."

 

"We're not leaving him solely because he's beneficial to us." Adam tried to interject. 

 

"Really? Cuz you actually care about what state of mind he's in? Whether or not he's okay? The only person,  _ Adam _ , you've ever cared about is yourself."

 

Adam tapped his finger against the table, silent a moment. He knew that Dick was speaking out of frustration, that his temper was getting to him. That he was trying to articulate his emotions by blaming the only person who had any 'power' in the situation. 

 

"Say we pulled Tim out now.. What do you suppose that would mean for Benjamin? If he can't control his own pet then how is he supposed to control an entire League? The Court would confiscate control. Then, more likely than not, send Benjamin into some lab if not kill him. If they found out you were involved you'd either be taken from Slade or they'd suspect you were in on it together putting Rose in danger. It may not seem like it because they practically worship her baby, but they wouldn't hesitate to slowly tear her apart to get to Slade."

 

"I hear that you're upset, luv, and that's alright. Tim shouldn't have to be in these situations and the fact of the matter is that... It’s the state of the world at the moment. If we jeopardize this then not only will the people in your inner circle suffer, but thousands, millions more will."

 

Dick sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment just going silent. "Okay... You're right... I'm... I’m sorry... Tim just..... He's the only one who hasn't.. Had to deal with anything this dark. His parents were murdered, sure, but he didn't have to deal with getting raped or molested..." 

 

Adam didn't know about those but Dick was too focused on everything else to care.

 

 "He didn't have to deal with watching his family fall apart because of drugs and abuse and then die after... He didn't grow up in a home where emotions were wronged so he could be bred into the perfect weapon... Tim was the only one of us that still had his  _ innocence  _ and... With each day he's in Nanda Parbet the more he loses it." Dick had begun getting choked up before getting half way through. Finally he downed his drink and looked at Slade, "I want weekly reports from Ben.. Detailed.. I want to know how Tim's doing."

 

Slade's eye showed sympathy as he moved his hand from Dick's back to around his waist, pulling him to his side. It was a silent show of support. 

 

"Absolutely." Rubbing Dick's side. "I'll speak with Ben ... Maybe you can talk to Tim too ... Once the situation has calmed down a little." 

 

Slade couldn't see that situation going well right now. It would be screaming and tears by the end. "Ben only has Tim's best interest at heart. He's been there for him through all of this, took care of Tim every time Ra's hurt him. Trust me, he would rather die than let Tim get hurt again."

 

"I know... I know... I just... He's not family. I feel like we should be there for him." Dick said before looking down.

 

Slade wanted to say that Ben was part of  _ his _ family ... That  it was reason enough to trust him. Ben wasn't blood, but that should hardly matter to Dick. Benjamin was around for his kids, Adeline had loved him like a son, Slade like a brother.  

 

"Can we talk about something else?" The hero asked as Adam opened his mouth to respond however, quickly closed it and held a curved finger over it. 

 

Bringing up the rape and molestation was only going to make things spiral out and while it felt like a compulsive itch needing to get out, Adam settled for adjusting his cup instead. 

 

"On a lighter note... Barbara and her team cleared out three facilities holding children. Few were injured. They were there for... Building trust among people. A younger generation the Court intended on raising to trust them."

 

"Where are they now?" Dick asked seeming to have relaxed enough to start eating despite his worrying about Tim.

 

"The Nethers."

 

"That's good... They should be safe there."

 

".... So you mentioned rape?"

 

Dick nearly choked, "Boundaries."

 

"Right... Sorry..... Does Bruce know?"

 

" _ Boundaries _ " Dick repeated more firmly. 

 

Slade resisted the urge to reach across the table and smack Adam across the face. They'd moved on from this conversation and Dick's tone the  _ first _ time was signal enough for Adam to drop it. 

 

"Let's take a break." The merc offered, pulling Dick away from the table and over to the sitting area in the living room. They could just relax with each other for a while. 

 

Dick found it funny how quickly the script changed. How it went from Dick carrying Slade to Slade providing stability for Dick. He appreciated that in a partner. In  _ Slade _ . He apologized for discrediting Benjamin and for being snappy, he knew everyone was doing what they could and he shouldn't have let his upset get the best of him. He was worried, Slade knew that and understood it. He’s had to deal with it every day surrounding his daughter and reminded Dick that everything would be okay. Including Tim.

 

An hour later Slade received a call from the High Court asking him to return to the laboratory to provide blood. It wasn't an option, not just because the Court demanded it, but because the transfusion was for Rose. She was weak, frail, and Slade was a perfect match. The experimental serum was still being produced inside his body even if it wasn't  'active'. So, hopefully, it would help provide some comfort for his daughter. 

 

Slade decided to go alone. Dick wasn't in a state of mind to be acting as a pet. Tim's actions were still fresh, as was everything else. It would either be emotionally overwhelming or Dick would break character. It was about protecting Dick and everyone else.

 

After the other left, Dick finished eating and helped Adam clean the kitchen. They talked some little things, memories of the last time they were at this place. It was certainly an easier time. After a couple hours, Dick moved over to the bed and plopped down on it, letting out a groan as Adam leaned against the arm of the couch facing the bed.

 

 "For the record.... There are people I care about."

 

Dick snort, "I'd love to see that list."

 

"It's not the longest, a resounding two."

 

"Let me guess... Me.. And.. You?" 

 

"Hardy, har, har. My grandmother." Adam said nonchalantly.

 

"I've never heard you talk about her." Dick said as he sat up some.

 

"She took care of me when I was little... Taught me to play piano... Mum didn't want me because... She was raped and had me as the end result. My father was... Even less thrilled... But ma told them they weren't to rid themselves of me... Insisted it wasn't my fault, which.. Obviously it wasn't."

 

"What happened?" Dick asked curiously.

 

"Boundaries.... Anyways... My point is.. I'm not as selfish as people think I am... My relationship with people is complicated."

 

"Can't live with them, can't live without them."

 

"Exactly."

 

Dick rolled his eyes and laid back down. "I don't remember this bed being so rigety."

 

"I guess we loosened a few screws back in the day."

 

"Adam!" Dick shot up, his face red.

 

"Sorry, that was compulsive of me."

 

"Everything is compulsive of you."

 

"What I should've said was, as long as you and Slade go easy on it-" Adam didn't get to finish his sentence before Dick got up and grabbed at his sides, tickling him.

 

"No that's cheating!" Adam protested and squirmed before grabbing Dicks hands and pushing against them.    
  
“It made you stop.” Dick smirked.

 

"Hrng." 

 

He grunted as he pushed against Dick barely getting him to budge, "You're.. A lot stronger... Than I remember." Adam grunted through clenched teeth.

 

Dick laughed, "Thank Bruce for that one." He said pushing back. 

 

"It puts me at a disadvantage.... Here." Adam chuckled pushing back, he was strong but not vigilante-running-through-the-city strong. 

 

Finally, Adam stopped resisting causing Dick to fall forward and onto the couch with him before Adam rolled off the couch and pinned him to the floor.

 

"Ha!"

  
  
  
  


The trip didn't take long and Slade made sure of that. Without his healing factor he was exhausted from today's activities and the loss of blood made the ride back nauseating and left him light headed. He shouldn't have had just scotch before leaving. Walking in the front door of Adam's dwelling he almost forgot to take off his shoes, having to pause before his boot touched the carpet.

 

 "Fucking shit..." He groaned, unlacing them and kicking him off to the side. He wasn't  _ that _ concerned about it.

 

Slade sauntered towards the living room, mostly inside his head rather than paying attention to his surroundings. Well, until he heard the laughing. At first, he didn't think much of it. Dick and Adam were close at one point and probably had a lot to talk about, joke about. 

 

"What are you going to do now tough guy?"

 

Adam paused and bit his lip, "Hnnn that's not fair."

 

"Life's not fair." Dick smirked.

 

Slade's eyes narrowed, turning the corner and seeing the scene before him. Dick was on the ground beneath Adam's hands, holding him down. Both of them seemed breathless, in the midst of something that  _ shouldn't _   be happening. 

 

"Didn't get enough of it last time?" Slade announced himself, stepping forward like an approach predator. Strength, anger, danger. "Do I have to break your jaw this time for you to get the message?" He asked Adam directly, not even acknowledging Dick.

 

Dick instantly tensed, not because he was guilty but because he realized he was going too far. What if Slade didn't come home? Would Adam have just stopped? Would  _ Dick _ had stopped? He had little restraint and on top of that was a bit tipsy. This wasn't looking good and Dick was instantly kicking himself for it.

 

Adam moved off of Dick and took to the talking being ever so diligent with his words, "Its not what it looks like." 

 

Dick face palmed, that was the worst thing he could've said and grossly cliche. 

 

"Babe." Dick said as he rolled off his back and looked at the other, "I'm not cheating on you." 

 

His voice almost broke at the reminder that Slade had to worry about such a thing. Still, Dick stayed calm. "We were joking and... I took it too far but it wouldn't have lead anywhere because Adam is  _ very clear _ that I am with  _ you _ and that I am not going to jeopardize that."

 

"And quite frankly I'd rather have you not break my nose this time..." Adam said as he stood, "I apologize. I didn't deter Dick from... " He sighed, he didn't want Dick to take full responsibility. "I didn't do my part to make sure things didn’t escalate. We didn't do anything sexual."

 

"Don't defend him." It wasn't exactly clear who he was talking to, though he did look in Adam's direction when he said it. "I don't have time for these games. Nor do I have the patience. Frankly, it doesn't matter what you two were doing or planning to do. However, one of you must have had an inkling about how this would look, how I would react if I saw it." Slade sounded almost too calm, one hand clenched at his side though, knuckles nearly white.

 

"Whether you're telling the truth or not ... This is the second time I've caught both of you in a compromising position and fed me excuses." Slade finally looked at Dick. "Adam may be adamant that we are together ... But you seem to still be confused about what that means." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I'll go ... I have a safe house nearby. Dick ... Don't run away this time."

 

Dick felt himself crumbling but otherwise remained silent, Slade had the right to be upset. He gave Dick his trust and here he was... Abusing it. Treating it as though it meant nothing. 

 

"I... Don't think I should stay here.... You can.. Go to your safe house or whatever but this is... Too much." Dick said with a sigh before pushing his hand through his hair and heading outside. 

 

"Dick-" Slade watched the door shut and let out a sound of frustration. He was going to get himself in trouble again and Slade could only imagine the repercussions of that.

 

Adam sighed and looked at Slade, "Cut him some slack... He's... Scared. His self sabotaging behavior is due to the fact he doesn't know if he can  _ really _ let you in. He hesitates because he's afraid you'll find something that'll give you an excuse to leave him. So he pushes you away so the fall out doesn't hurt so much. He's done things he hasn't forgiven himself for and... You love his humanity. I don't. Which makes it easier for him to reach for me because what do I care if he's a monster?"

 

"I don't need you to tell me about our relationship." Slade told Adam, his voice biting and pointed. "Nor do I need you to tell me about Dick. You  _ used _ to know him, but apparently not well enough to know he was raped." He had a bad habit of saying upsetting things while angry. He always felt like dragging down others to his own misery in those moments.

 

"Understand the only reason you get my respect is because of how you've helped protect my daughter.  That's something I can't repay you for, something I'm deeply grateful for in ways I can't express ... But," And it was a big but. "It's the  _ only  _ reason you're standing and breathing right now." 

 

Slade was stuck between going after Dick and just leaving altogether. Dick didn't just get to walk away from every situation he felt uncomfortable in. That's not how relationships worked. They took time, dedication, respect and love. That meant not running away from your partner when they were upset. But then again..  The only reason Dick left was because Slade threatened to. 

 

"Go get him. Make sure he gets home. You know the city better than I do." Slade admitted before moving past Adam to sit down on the couch. 

 

He felt physically ill from blood loss and absolutely physically exhausted. It showed the moment his back hit the cushions, his eye closing, head resting back. 

 

"... If he can't let me in after everything we've been through then maybe this whole thing really won't work after all."

 

Adam gave a deep and heavy sigh, he understood where Slade was coming from entirely. While he was in love with Dick, he didn't want to pursue a romantic relationship with him. But if he did? He didn’t know how he'd handle his partner being in love with someone else. Sure, he didn't care if his partner saw other people but the potential of being left for someone 'better' was just.... Painful. 

 

"He's either going to an abandoned train cart up the tracks or to an old tree in the woods... I doubt he'd head back into the city with the Court sniffing around." Adam said honestly. 

 

Dick was impulsive and reckless but that didn't mean he was going to get himself caught. Still, Adam didn't wait for Slade. He moved through the room, got his shoes on and went outside before making his way up the tracks. He figured it was a better start considering the fact a train car actually provided shelter. 

 

Sure enough, upon arrival he found the young hero inside and frankly? He looked pathetically crushed. 

 

"Stop feeling bad for yourself."

 

"Leave me alone." Dick bit back.

 

Adam sighed and crawled inside of the car before sitting by the other, "I'm going to help you get through this because you two having this much drama is going to ruin everything."

 

"I'm the one ruining things."

 

"I've noticed... So.. I want you to stop and think. Why the hell do you keep drifting back to me when you have  _ him _ ?"

 

Dick shook his head, "I don't know..."

 

"What are you thinking?"

 

"It's... Not like a have a thought, Adam... It's more of a feeling... Like.. There's this tether between us and it’s hard as steel and nothing I can do will break it."

 

Adam sighed, "Remember... How everytime you told me you loved me-"

 

"You told me it was limerance... Adam.. I know what I'm feeling."

 

"Limerance, the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced  _ involuntarily.. _ Sound familiar?"

 

".... I...." Dick sighed and pulled at his hair, "How do you stop it then?"

 

".... By my being really clear with you. Dick.. I  _ love _ you. You're the only person I've felt that way for... And I have  _ no _ intention of pursuing a relationship with you. I have  _ no  _ desire to let you in and be vulnerable with you. To give you  _ any _ control or say so around us. I  _ like _ being alone and I'm going to remain alone because I don't do the whole love and eternal happiness bullshit."

 

Dick was silent for a while as he sat holding his knees, "I... I know that..."

 

"Then what is it? You don't want to be with Slade?"

 

"It's not that... I... I think maybe I'm not.. Good enough? I don't deserve him and so I keep.. Coming back to you because.. You're addictive and when things go wrong, I can always just blame you? Then I don't have to deal with him leaving me because he realized he can do better...... Or.. Maybe I'm just a whore, I  _ don't  _ know."    
  
“The only other time I cheated was because Mirage disguised herself as Kori… I’m… Not typically a cheater and.. The only times I ‘leave my partners for someone else’ is when I don’t love them but.. I love Slade. I don’t know what’s  _ wrong _ with me.”

 

"Kid... You're too hard on yourself. You're your own worst enemy and you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for." Adam said before there was silence between them.

 

 Finally he sighed and got up moving out of the train. "It's supposed to rain. Do come back before the storm, yeah?" Dick gave a nod in response before Adam walked away back to the condo.  

  
  
  


Slade heard the storm picking up from his place on the couch. Despite being entirely over this nonsense with Adam and Dick's refusal to deal with it, he was still worried about the kid. Worried he might get soaked, hurt, or worse ... Caught by the High Court. Even though Adam assured him that Dick was safe in the train car.

 

He began kicking himself for not going with Adam to look for Dick. Damn it Dick was his responsibility as the Court saw it but more importantly ... He still loved him. Fuck he hated his heart today.

 

Slade had stood up, leaning against the wall, watching the storm roll in. Lighting jumping through the clouds and illuminating them for brief seconds before darkness took over once again. Dick felt like that to him. A flash of light in his life that he didn't expect to stay. Maybe it was too much to ask ... He wasn't sure. 

 

The door opened and Slade watched Dick take off his shoes. Once Dick looked up,  Slade spoke, "Come here and sit down ... We need to talk." He motioned toward the couch nearby, but didn't move to sit on the furniture himself.

 

Dick felt a pit in his stomach, he knew where this was going it’s why he took his time. He had one chance. One. Last. Chance. And he blew it two weeks in. He let out a soft sigh and moved to the couch before sitting down, his eyes low on the ground for a moment before he looked back up. Adam was in the dining area which was as much privacy as they were going to get in this tiny place.

 

 "I didn't mean to hurt you.." Dick said barely able to keep his eyes on Slade. 

 

"I know." Slade couldn't look anywhere else.

 

"It's ironic that everyone tells me to watch out for you and I'm the one ruining our shot, huh?" He gave a humorless laugh and shook his head. "I don't expect you to... Forgive me... Or to give me another chance... I'm still going to help you with Rose and play the part of the pet so that we can defeat the Court or... Whatever." Dick said breaking eye contact and looking at the floor. 

 

Adam rolled his eyes in the other room, God Dick was so dramatic.

 

"So that's it then?" Slade said seriously, arms crossed over his torso. "You're giving up? Just like that?" He pushed his back off the wall, approaching the couch where Dick sat. "You don't want to hear what I have to say, don't care enough to tell me why you did it?" 

 

Slade took the last couple steps to close the space between them. He grabbed Dick's chin and forced Dick to look up at him. "Look at me and face your mistakes. I'm not going to let you run away from them anymore." He looked directly into Dick's eyes, his stare intense and holding. "Unless you want to tell me you don't want this anymore ... Fight for it. You  _ aren't  _ a victim, Dick, you're a  _ fighter _ . Show it."

 

Slade's words hit Dick at his very core, it was as though he was completely shaken from some kind of cloud and clarity hit his eyes. He has been a victim about this, hasn't he? His entire life. 'Adam made me..' Or 'I had no choice.' Or 'I love him.' He was drowning in his excuses. Letting himself get dragged further and further down because he couldn't admit that he had control. It was easy to succumb to his emotions because part of him  _ wanted _ it... He had to hang onto the part that didn't. The part that only had eyes for Slade. 

 

"You're right.... I... Haven't been handling this the way I should have.." He said keeping his eyes locked on Slade, "No more excuses... No more blame... No more justification... I'm... Letting my feelings for him overwhelm me because... Part of me wants that.. To just drop everything and be with him.” That confession stung Dick’s heart in a way he forgot was possible.    
  
“The other part is scared to love you.... You're  _ everything _ I want in a partner...  _ Everything _ . I could write you a list but it'd take all night." Dick said as he reached to take Slade’s hand into his own, "But... I don’t know if I'm that for you... I.. I know I offer you a lot that your former partners dbut... I'm scared you'll... Find something... Something that'll make you change your mind about me…"

 

Dick paused a moment and shook his head, "I don't know if I'd be able to come back from losing you so.. I push you away so it doesn't hurt as much.... But it does." 

 

His brows furrowed and his eyes closed before he took a deep breath to steady himself, "I keep kicking myself because... The idea of losing you hurts so much and I keep.. Pushing and it just hurts more. And.. I know I keep doing it because.." This was hard to admit, so hard Dick couldn't look at Slade, "You love me more than I could ever possibly love myself.. I don't..  _ Hate _ myself but there's things I'm not proud of. And you look passed all of it when I can't"

 

Slade waited for Dick to finish before he sighed and sat down next to him, letting his fingers shift around Dick's so the hold was still comfortable.

 

"I've been in the same place before kid." Slade admitted, laying his head back on the sofa. "When I was your age I got married to Adeline, had Grant. I was freaked out. I couldn't stop thinking about how serious a commitment I was in, if I made the right choice. I let my head spin out of control and I didn't let Adeline in, didn't tell her what was going on." 

 

He rolled his head over so he could look at Dick once again. "So I cheated on her. Dozens of times. I lost count. It was just easier than facing my feelings, realizing I was close enough to someone that they  _ could _ hurt me."

 

"All I did was hurt her though. We both tried to pretend it wasn't happening until Rose was born and I gained custody over her. Adeline wanted to be her mother ... But she was so hurt that she no longer wanted to be my wife. We were together only long enough to have Joey and then ... Things really started to fall apart. All because of the choices I made. I didn't realize until Kori killed her how much she meant to me, how cruel we were to each other. I regret every day having to put my kids through that." 

 

Slade squeezed Dick's hand,  "This doesn't have to be a serious commitment, Dick. If you aren't ready that's  _ okay _ . You're young, I get it. But let's not continue pretending this is something it isn't if that's how you feel."

 

Dick’s stomach dropped. His hand instantly tightened around the others as he shook his head and looked at him, "I  _ want _ this, Slade... I don't just.. Fool around or do friends with benefits…” Even though he had before, it wasn’t something he enjoyed.   
  
“I love you. I know I'm... Confused and I'm sorry you've been facing the consequences of that but I don't... Want to move away from or change what we have." He shifted his body to face Slade, a hand moving down to massage the other’s thigh. 

 

"I.. Want to show you how good I can be to you... I want to prove everyone wrong about you.. I want to defeat the Court and start a life with you, Slade.." Dick squeezed a little bit harder, "I got my reality check.... I'll keep it together for  _ us _ ... I'll hold my boundaries. I know I've said this before and all there is for me to do now is to do it."

 

"It's okay to be confused." Slade reaffirmed, not wanting Dick to feel as though he needed to figure out everything right now.

 

 Generally, in situations like this, once things calm down there is a different perspective that arose from it. Bad or good. Slade just didn't want Dick making promises he would beat himself up over later.

 

"Listen, kid, relationships aren't perfect. There are going to be fights, misunderstandings, times I lose my temper, and times you make mistakes. Just because you toed the line with Adam doesn't make you a bad person ... It's just something we need to talk about. You can't keep running away from me ... Besides, we both know if I wanted to, I could catch you." Slade added with a smirk on his face.

 

"You aren't bad though, Dick. You  _ are _ good to me. I'm not unhappy or suffering you ...  I meant it when I said I love you. Thick or thin we can do this if you just  _ trust  _ me." Slade brought a hand up to the side of Dick's face and kissed him. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

 

Dick smiled softly at Slade before letting out a chuckle, "If I had a quarter for every time someone said that to me I'd have about two fifty." He joked before shifting to rest his head on Slade's shoulder. "I want you to know that... I wouldn't have done anything if you didn't come home... I know I'm flirty and I know it's not appropriate with Adam considering my feelings.. But.. I also know I wouldn't sleep with him behind your back." 

 

He let out a soft sigh and moved to hold Slade's hand fiddling with it again, "You know... Part of.. Me getting lost in my feelings is.." Dick paused and looked at Slade, "Before I tell you this, I want you to know it's not an excuse it's just... It's had a shift on me since we've gotten here..."

 

 His eyes shifted down for a moment before he looked back up at the other speaking more lowly, with the heavy rainfall it should be enough to keep the conversation more private. "12 years ago, today.. I lost my virginity... Here.... This day has always been significant to me and.. Honestly, so has this place. It's... Stupid but... Its special and being here is reminding me of all those old feelings and sensations and.. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to explore that but... I don't know how to without crossing that line.. I don't want to cross the line, I just want to enjoy the space and the memories and.. Feel like everything isn't falling apart."

 

"You should have stayed and told me that." Slade said with surprising understanding. "How you define Adam and your own relationship is up to you. I get ... Jealous at times, reactive. I didn't like seeing him on top of you, touching you ... But you're friends. Or acquaintances. Regardless, I'm not going to tell you to abandon that because of me. I just don't want him taking advantage of your past nor you playing into it. You need to be appropriate and redefine your relationship with him in a way that doesn't cross the line." Slade explained in length, finding it wordy, but illustrating his point. 

 

Dick gave a soft sigh and nodded, "I'm... Glad you... Are so open about this. You know, earlier you kept talking about how strong I am and yet... Here you are. Sticking it out with me... Talking to me about my feelings for someone else... It's not easy." 

 

He leaned in and kissed Slade's cheek before there was a loud crackle of thunder followed by more heavy downpour. 

 

"I told you this last time but ... Come and talk to me next time. I won't shame you for having feelings or thoughts. That way we can work through them together." Slade put an arm around Dick and pulled him closer. "Come on love, let's get you to bed. We can talk more about this there."

  
  
  


Throughout the night Dick talked with Slade, sorting out his feelings, sharing memories, talking about this or that. Perhaps it was just him wanting to connect with Slade or perhaps it was this place making his brain associate the situation with late night conversations. Either way, Dick kept it going until at least 3am even when Slade's responses grew to be tired grunts or faint nods. After a while he turned to face the bumped out window to watch the storm, his arms wrapping around Slade's before holding his hand as he gave more quiet mumbles to the other. It was then he realized that Slade had fallen asleep.

 

He was quiet for a while, staring off at the silhouettes of trees that occasionally lit up by flashes of lightning, it was unusual to see a storm like this so early in August. 

  
  
  
  


The next morning Dick woke up around 7am. He  groaned at the sun before rolling on his side and burying his face into Slade’s chest just below his chin. The young hero tried to drift back to sleep but he was unable to, so, with a sigh and another groan he sat up. Letting out a big yawn and stretching, he figured he could try to make breakfast.     
Dick crawled out of bed and sauntered into the kitchen area. After a quick stop to the restroom he got started on making some eggs and a bowl of fruit since Adam didn't buy any breakfast meat. Once breakfast was done, Dick set the plate on the nightstand beside the bed and straddled Slade's hip. He gave the other a shake before resting his head on the others shoulder.

 

“Babe.." He whispered, prodding his mouth with some pain killers for his hand. "Wake up or your foods going to get cold."

 

Slade groaned a little, feeling foggy and tired as his consciousness came back to him. At first, he didn't fully recognize who was speaking. He turned onto his back as a hand came up to the body over his own, touching his thighs and ass. Definitely Dick. 

 

"Morning." Slade said without opening his eye, but gratefully taking the painkillers. "You made breakfast?" 

 

The question was obvious. Able to smell the plate of food next to him, he opened his eye finally to look at it, then back to Dick. His arms wound around Dick’s torso as he placed a sleepy kiss on the other's neck. 

 

"Thank you, sugar."

 

Dick smiled as he played with the other’s hair. "I know I kept you up late.... But... I wanted to remind you how much I appreciate you." He nuzzled into the other. "If you need a minute to wake up.. I think I can help with that." 

 

Nightwing smirked as he sat up, his hands running down Slade's torso before his hands came to rest on the others hips. Dick didn’t hold the position long before he slowly slid down Slade’s body.

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  
  


'I haven't been to Gotham in so long.' 

 

Jerricho was outside of John's body once again, sitting in the empty seat between Damian and Constantine in the back. His form was more wispy than it had been before.

 

 'Feels strange not being here with the Titans. When we get to our destination, you need to tell the kid what's going on. He'll believe you ... Bats have dealt with much stranger things than this.' 

 

He then started to look pensively down at the cab floor. 'You need to watch his back ... if something happens to Damian ... Dick will kill us both.'

 

"Fair enough."

 

The magician stayed quiet for the rest of the ride, smoking a cigarette to keep himself occupied until they stopped a few blocks away from Joseph's body. From there, John walked through the city letting the cities magic pull him along. He could sense Joey, feel the difference in him as they grew closer. Finally, he could see the facility ahead. Two armed guards posted in front of the doors and one circling around. 

 

"I've got something to tell you kid..." John said looking at Damian, "We're here for Joseph Wilson.... He's been separated from his body and we need to put him back... We can’t go in attacking these guys and causing a scene so I need you to listen closely... I'm going to disguise us and we're going to walk right in... You let  _ me _ do the talking."

 

Damian didn't even blink at the explanation. "If any of this magic nonsense backfires on my person you will regret it." 

 

Joey just smiled. 'Told you ... Bats.'

 

"What exactly is your plan if our disguises backfire? Surely your magic can't be infallible." 

 

He'd question every step of this process. Damian knew near nothing about Constantine other than he chain smoked and was chronically drunk. Also he liked to hit on Richard which always put Damian in a sour mood, no matter who the perpetrator was. 

 

 "If things backfire.... Then we run." John shrugged.

 

'I can help a little. Without my body I can't pull a full possession but I can distract them.' 

 

Jericho used unpleasant memories to force focus to other areas. It was effective on humans, but with the Court? Emotional manipulation wasn't as easy. 

 

'Also, I can give you a view inside.' 

 

Joey wasn't conscious when they were dragged into this facility. However, Rose was. Jericho had accessed her memories while camping out. He showed John the facility through her eyes. 

 

When coming inside there was an intake room where new arrivals were quickly checked over and assigned to different areas based on their abilities or status. Rose was assigned as a class III meta, Joey was simply to be taken down to the morgue for an autopsy.

 

Through a double set of doors and to the right was an elevator shaft that took them both down to the basement. After a lengthy walk, Joey's body was brought through another set of double doors into what appeared to be the morgue. Rose moved on.

 

Constantine took in each and every detail of the memory that Joseph shared. Knowing where he was going was going to help him with his lie. He muttered an incantation that caused his and Damian's form to start to shift and change. Damian’s form brought on a young woman in her mid twenties with sharp features and glasses while John's form took on a black haired 30 year old man. Both of them wearing lab coats. 

 

Damian immediately looked down at himself ... Herself? Whatever. "Is this anatomically accurate?" He asked with a nearly horrified look on his face. 

 

Joey laughed. 

 

“Each and every detail, mate. You’d have learned one way or another.”

 

Constantine then began making his way to the front doors where they were promptly stopped by one of the guards. 

 

"What do you think you're doing?"

 

Mimicking a perfect Irish accent, Constantine said, "I'm here with the science unit. Brennan Colfer. I was told you had a body that's not decomposing. I was asked to look it over. I was here a while ago."

 

"Were you now?" The guard asked before pulling up a transparent tablet where he began clicking around. 

 

He searched the name and sure enough... John saw him briefly in Rose's memories. Talking to one of the Court people. 

 

"This is my assistant. She's here to write down notes."

 

"Of course." The guard said and opened the doors. 

 

John gave him a nod and headed in. He went through the hallways around the intake area that staff would typically use and made his way through double doors before moving to the elevator. Finally, after walking down the hall and passing some other Court people they made it to Joey's body. 

 

"Alright, I need the doors sealed." 

 

Damian immediately reached down and threw his shoes off before he began trying to 'adjust' his breasts. "Miss Gordon was correct these things are entirely impractical. They are in the way constantly!" He sighed and gave up, holding one of the heels in his hand. "This would make an excellent improvised weapon."

 

John gave a snort towards Damian, "And Huntress says  _ I'm  _ a whiner." He said before he shed the jacket and worked on gathering the needed supplies to make a sigil.

 

Damian promptly worked on sealing the doors before he opened up the fridge, pulling Joey’s body out. His skin was pale and void of color, cold to the touch, yet not a single scratch or sign of decay marked any part of him despite the months that had passed since his 'death'. Jericho looked at himself, his hair had grown out ... That would be the first thing to go. Constantine worked on getting him onto the autopsy table, noticing how the corpse hadn’t even gone into rigor mortis. It was odd considering that usually occurred within the first few  _ hours _ of death.

 

John soon spottinged a camera. "Jo, I need you to tell me who's watching us."

 

'Will do captain.' Joey said with a salute before disappearing. Suddenly a deep male voice came over the PA system in the morgue.

 

"Just this one guy, I'll lock him inside the broom closet. Or I guess he's really locking himself in the closet..."

 

"Enough babbling let's get this over with ... I'm entirely off balance for combat." Damian said while motioning to his chest.

 

'Okay, back.' Jericho appeared next to John. 'So ... I assume you know what you are doing, but just in case ...' He took John's hand. 'I'm really sorry about this in advance.'

  
  


This time the memory was from Jericho's perspective. It was fuzzy at first, light and black flowing together. It cleared up and showed a concerned looking Zatanna.  

 

"Don't worry, Jericho, you're safe. I'm working on re-establishing the bond with your body."

 

'What happened?'

 

"You were trying to short circuit Brainiac ... It worked but the resulting wave cut your connection." 

 

'It ... Hurts somehow...'

 

"That's normal. Even if it's a wound you cannot see, it's a wound nonetheless." She was working on setting up a sigil around Joseph's body with different incantations. 

 

Finally, she stood on the edge in the summoner's circle. "Alright kiddo, hang on. I'll have you fixed up in no time." 

 

Zatanna began speaking in a language that Joey didn't personally know, but hopefully John did. There was a brief feeling of Joey's essence being sucked into a bright void then the memory ended. 

 

Watching the memory, Constantine lost his concentration and the spell holding their disguises together began to dissipate. Before he knew it they were both back to their former states. 

 

"Oh thank the gods..." Damian announced thankfully, having returned to his normal form. "I am now absolutely certain I never want to become a woman."

 

Joey gave John a sympathetic look. 'After all this is over ... I want to help you find her. And we  _ will _ find her.'

 

Constantine’s eyes went cold before he pulled his hand away, "She's  _ dead _ . There's no point in wasting anyone's time looking for her." 

 

Jericho looked like he was going to say something but shut his mouth instead. He needed to let Constantine work, not continue to hurt him by talking about Zatanna. Joey could  _ feel _ that John loved her, missed her in his core. It was tragic and unfair that this man had to suffer so much in his life. So, even if he needed to go into the afterlife and get Zatanna himself ... He was going to. Wilson's always paid back their debts and this was a huge one. 

 

John moved quickly to set up the same sigil as Zatanna had done and worked on duplicating the spell perfectly. He spoke the same language, repeated the same chant, and conjured all the dark magic in Gotham to fuel the spell needed to reunite Joey with his body. He just hoped it worked and didn't tear the others soul apart in the process.

 

As the spell began to manifest the lights flickered, all sound ceased into deafening silence so that all that could be heard was one's own heart beat. Suddenly the lights flared back on, a few bulbs bursting above them. Joey's body suddenly sat up from the table as he took a sharp breath in, eyes wide and shocked looking. 

 

Damian looked at John and make a 'pf' sound. "Show off."

 

Joseph began to feel his arms, legs, head, torso ... His entire body ringing to life. His head hurt, his joints ached but ... He was alive and damn it felt good. 

 

Jericho looked toward John with a ridiculous smile and signed, [Thank you.] Hoping the other understood.

 

 His phone was gone, so using that to speak for himself wasn't an option and he barely had enough energy to stand, let alone project his thoughts into John's head. 

 

[IWe need to get out of here... I ... Might need help.]

 

"We don't have much time." John said after reading Joey's signing. 

 

He knew some but was a bit rusty on it. His eyes moved to the camera, he knew it would've cut out during the spell but had no doubt that it caught everything else. He was going to have to alter that before they left. 

 

"Come on.." Constantine moved and helped Joseph get on his feet, "This is going to be less than graceful." 

 

He then placed a small bomb against the floor, he knew Gotham well enough to know that this building was just above an old set of railroad tracks. Once the bomb was set, Constantine stood up straight and turned his attention to Damian.

 

 "Get Joey out of here... I'm going to get rid of the footage. I'll meet you guys behind the Gotham pub on maple street... You'll have to move quickly." 

 

'I'm glad Chas came and got me cuz there’s no way in hell you woulda pulled this off.' A voice spoke behind John with a thick Boston accent. 

 

"Deadman."

 

'I handled the footage, the guards are comin' you should go.'

 

"Right." John detonated the bomb and shielded himself as it exploded before he jumped down the tunnel, catching Joey as he do so before he worked on getting moving. "Boston, you have more energy."

 

'Right. Sorry, mate.' Boston said before pushing himself into Joey's body, 'Just give me control, we'll get right on outta here.' He opened his mouth to speak but sighed instead, 'You're stiffer than John's John is when someone is insulting him.’ 

 

He remarked before he got moving, running through the tunnels with everyone, using the energy he had to help Joey keep pace. Constantine could hear the voices behind them and abruptly skid to a stop before grabbing onto a side door, pulling the others in. He muttered an incantation giving the door the illusion of behind gone before sinking down, they were in an old maintenance closet. 

 

"Boston, go scout us an exit."

 

'On it.' Boston said as he left Joey's body and moved through the wall. 

 

"Once we get out we get a cab, get Goliath, and go..... Then? I'm going to purge through your daddy's liquor supply."

 

Joey looked a bit shocked when Deadman left him, breathless, a bit confused. [Wow, that's really uncomfortable from another perspective.] He signed. [Violating, definitely.]

 

"You should try being forced to have breasts." Damian replied, looking back toward Constantine. "This entire thing is an utter mess. We cannot simply walk out of here and hair a cab. He looks like an escaped patient, I'm a  _ very _ familiar face in Gotham and you ... Look dirty and guilty." 

 

Damian looked above them and smiled. "That vent leads outside. I can crawl through and ... Well you just have to wait for me to come pick you up." Without asking again Damian climbed the shelf next to the wall and worked on prying off the vent grate before disappearing inside.

 

'Damian be careful.' Joey sent him through a mental link. 

 

"I'm always careful ... Get out of my head." Damian already sounded like he was a few yards down the vent. Like a spider monkey. 

 

'He's going to get Goliath and break through to do a rescue. The beast is basically invincible but ... I have a bad feeling about all this.'

 

John couldn't help but to let out a heavy sigh, he liked no part of this. If any of them were spotted it would fall back on Damian. 

 

"Bloody hell." He muttered before tugging at his head soon letting out a heavy sigh, "We need to meet him outside before he does anything to draw attention to the fact we're in Gotham." He said as he leaned against the wall and listened. It didn't sound like anyone else was in the tunnels. 

 

"Come on." He said before pushing the door open and reentering the tunnels, Deadman soon returning. 

 

'There’s nothin' up ahead, I cleared it and drew the attention back towards the front of the buildin’... You may or may not owe Blithe.'

 

"As long as she's keeping them busy that's all I need. Go find the demon brat and tell him to meet us under Gotham Bridge." 

 

Deadman nodded and hurried upwards searching for Damian. 

 

Constantine moved quickly until he arrived at the abandoned train station. He climbed onto the platform and made his way towards the exit until he heard voices ahead. 

 

"Damn it." He whispered and performed the disguise spell once more, giving Joey and himself the appearance of maintenance men. 

 

"There a problem?" John asked as he made his way halfway up the stairs, staring face to face with a court guard.

 

"Have you seen anyone in these tunnels?"

 

"Other than myself and Jim? No. These tunnels have been closed for years, we were just making sure the power lines were still in tact... Could cause problems in a storm. Anywho.. Hope you find what you're looking for." John said dismissively as he headed up the stairs and into the streets.

 

Jericho was feeling overwhelmed. There was a lot going on and everything was happening so quickly. John's magic mixing with his own meta abilities, all these new people coming around him, the old subway tunnels. Every inch held history that tried to force memories into his head. He could hear wisps of thoughts coming from the men in the tunnels in front of them. Even John's mental processes pushed their way into his mind. Holding himself together enough to get past these Court guards was difficult. He was like a balloon ready to burst. 

 

'John ...' Joey tried to push into the other's head through the noise. 'John I c-'

 

It was too late. Once they were on street level a shattered pulse of energy left Joey's body and into the surrounding area in a growing dome. John felt the wave of energy go through him. It was a rush that nearly made his head spin but rather than focusing on the disarrayment he felt in his body, his eyes moved to the surrounding area. Every light in a two block radius went out, the concrete under him was cracked out in different directions. Immediately, warning sirens went off. This was bad. Really bad. 

 

The High Court guards came out of the tunnels, began emerging from the side streets and even pulled up in a modified police cruiser. Their disguises had held up, but they wouldn't in captivity. 

 

“Don’t move.” The so called officer spoke sternly.

 

Then, a large roar was heard from above. Two tons of red fluff and claws came barreling down on the group. High Court officials were batted around like ping pong balls by Goliath's massive feet and swatting tail. The police cruiser was crushed between his sharp teeth and spat out across the Gotham street. 

 

Suddenly Goliath turned to John and Joey. Without warning he opened his mouth and ate them. Well ... Pretended to eat them. Neither of them were amused. Especially not when they felt them jerk and begin moving ... Flying perhaps. 

 

After a short while both Joey and John were spat out onto the grass like a nasty scone and Goliath began whipping off his tongue on a nearby tree. Damian stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head. 

 

"I knew you two idiots would need rescuing." Damian said as if it was an inevitability. "Good boy Goliath. I'll make sure you get a treat when we get back." 

 

The beast made a purring sound at the idea. 

 

"You could've told him to not eat us, you cunt!"

 

'Ay! He's a kid! Ya can't call him that!'

 

"Oh shove it, Boston! I don't get paid enough to become upchuck!"

 

'Ya don't get paid at all.'

 

"Lets just say I call dibs of half of the liquor cabinet." John bitched before looking at Joey, "And if you're wanting to help with the end of the world you've gotta get your shit together. Maybe blow up heads instead of lightbulbs."

 

He then moved to climb onto Goliath, holding on firmly to the fur while Joey and Damian joining him while Boston went to provide aid elsewhere in Gotham. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


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The rest of the time in England went smoothly. After Adam had returned from his run, they cleaned the condo and headed back to the airport. Dick serenaded Slade to Billy Joel's 'You're my home' and enjoyed a few more songs before they made it on the flight. 

Adam didn't plan on staying at Slade's once they arrived, in fact before they even landed he arranged for a cab to pick him up. The next one wouldn't be there for a few hours. 

 

It didn’t take them very long to notice the rough shape of the house, the collapsed roof being seen on the outside caused Slade's mouth to fall open. 

 

"I don't ..." 

 

He started, looking over to the lake and saw what he could only describe as the demon version of Clifford the Big Red Dog. Goliath was just laying in the water up to his chin and happily snoozing. This stunk of Constantine.

 

Slade marched into house ready to draw blood. John walked out of the bedroom wearing an open robe and boxers, a bottle of booze in his hand and a cigarette in his mouth. He looked drunk. 

 

 "I'm going to kill you." Slade growled.

 

 "So.." He belched, "I did a bad thing... But you're gonna love me, sugar plum."

 

"What possibly could you have done-"

 

The door to master bedroom swung open nearly off its hinges. Joey emerged with the biggest smile on his face. He didn't hesitate to close the distance between himself and Slade. Dick was speechless, a small smile on his face as his eyelids fluttered. Excitement and shock filled every ounce of his being not only because his friend was  _ alive _ but because he knew how much this meant to Slade. He held back from charging in for a hug, letting Slade and Joseph have their moment. 

 

"Joey-" His kid hit him like a freight train. Damp blonde hair wetting the shoulder of his shirt as Joseph hugged him. 

 

'Dad. I'm so sorry I-'

 

Slade pulled Joey from his chest and looked him over. He touched his shoulders, examined his face, pushed back his hair so he could see it better.

 

 "I thought you were dead." Slade nearly whispered before bringing his son back into a hug like he was never letting him go again. "How did you ..."

 

[Later. Long story.] Joey signed as he took a step back still smiling like an idiot. [Do you have my communicator?] 

 

"Yeah ... Yeah, kiddo, hang out for a moment." Slade was still in shock, but moved into his work room.

 

Joey turned to Dick next, [Damian is fine, I promise. We took good care of him.]

 

Dick closed the space and pulled Joey into a tight, warm hug. "You have no idea how torn up your dad was when he lost you."

 

[He made me cry ... I was ... There ... In a way.] Joey tried to explain, but unless someone had extensive experience with ghosts and the like, it was hard to. [By the way...] Joey smacked Dick's arm playfully. [Congrats on your new relationship.] 

 

He honestly couldn't be happier about it. Dick was an amazing person and his father needed someone like Dick in his life. 

 

Dick couldn't help but smile and shake his head, "Well... Thank you. It's nice having someone who's not down my throat about being with him.... I think we balance each other out..." His eyes shifted shifted towards where Slade had gone before be looked back to Joey.

 

[I'm not going to call you Dad though.] 

 

"Oh no, no, no.. I would never ask you to call me that. I adore you but hearing someone my age call me dad has a whole different meaning." 

 

After having scolded John for this whole crazy stunt that brought Joey back, Adam moved to stand beside Dick. It was mostly an attempt to keep himself distracted from the state of the home, he wanted nothing more than to correct the chaos.

 

[Dick can you translate?] Joey asked, not sure if the man before him knew sign language. God, he was handsome.

 

Dick saw that Joey asked him to translate but he just waved his hand knowing that Adam knew sign language at the very least. Adam actually had a couple of patients who were deaf back in the day. 

 

 [Hi, I'm Joseph Wilson, Slade's youngest son.] Joey offered his hand to shake. 

 

Adam opened his mouth to respond to Joey as his hand connected with the others. He felt pressure in his head as memories began flooding in.

  
  
  


_ "I'm hungry." _

 

_ "You're speaking out of turn." A woman turned away from the counter, a deep scowl on her face, looking down at the child standing just behind her. _

 

_ "Sorry..." _

 

_ "What have you done today that would you permit you to eat?" The woman was back to looking through mail on the counter, as if disinterested in the conversation. _

 

Joseph felt immense hunger clawing at his insides, tears stinging at the corner of his eyes, a raw sense of guilt sinking into his gut. These were the types of feelings no child should have to experience. 

 

_ "I've been quiet. I completed my chores and cleaned the closet."  _

 

_ The woman's nails tapped on the counter. "A closet that  _ **_you_ ** _ soiled." _

  
  


Joseph received another flash of memory. _  
_Every inch of his body was filled with an intense pain, particular areas screaming from fresh bruises. He could sense they were made by some sort of wooden stick. A man was grabbing his arm and shoving him harshly into a small closet. There wasn't enough room to lie down or even stretch out ones legs ... Even for a seven year old. The only option was to curl up in a ball or to hug one's knees. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks as the door slammed.

 

Hours passed, the need to move and go to the bathroom increased with each passing moment. As the sun rose for the next day, a fresh set of tears fell over the dried one as he lost control over his body entirely. 

  
  


_ "I know." Eyes down cast toward the floor. "It's been three days..." _

 

_ "Are you questioning my ability to parent you, Ethan?" The woman asked turning toward him.  _

 

_ "No ... No ... I'm well cared for."  _

 

_ "Then don't you think I would feed you when I deemed appropriate? When you deserved it?"  _

 

There was no response that would satisfy her, Joseph could sense that. Staying quiet was just better. 

 

_ "If you are so hungry then you can eat what scraps you find in the trash."  _

 

_ Somehow, he felt relieved to be allowed at least something for his aching stomach, even if it were scraps of rotten meat.  _

  
  
  


_"You're worth_ **nothing** _to us, to_ ** _anybody_** _. You should be grateful we even let you sleep in the house." A wicked smile. "In fact, maybe you'd enjoy a night out in the garden."_

 

A male’s voice filled Joseph’s ears followed by the sensation of a sharp and dull pain shooting through his forearm. Freezing cold wind. Snow surrounding him. He couldn't feel his fingers or toes. The only warmth felt was the blood dripping down his arm from the nail keeping him pinned to the wooden stump.

  
  
  


_ "Drink it." _

 

_ "I ... I don't want to." _

 

_ "This is a treat, you should be grateful!" A milkshake sat in front of him, chocolate ...  _

_ but the sweet flavor did nothing to cover the unmistakable scent of bleach that was mixed in.  _

 

_ His stomach cramped, he vomited.  _

 

Joey heard a kind, older woman's voice. __

 

_ "Don't you worry, Ethan ... I'm going to get you to the hospital. Sweet thing I'm so sorry."  _

  
  
  


 The flashbacks were overwhelming, intoxicating. Adam felt like he was reliving each and every little thing. The pain, misery, heartache. Dick watched the scene play out, watched the color drain from Adams face. He noticed the quickening pulse and breathing. It all happened so fast Dick hardly had time to move before tears were streaming down Adam’s face.

Joey snapped back into reality and was staring into intense green eyes, his hand still touching Adam's. Once he touched someone physically a link always opened. Sometimes Joey only experienced the memories, however sometimes he ended up dragging people with him down memory lane. It was unintentional. 

 

What he just experienced though left him with absolute chills, unbounded sorrow and pain. This man before him had gone through things that would have killed or stunted anyone else. 

 

He noticed he was crying, a free hand went to wipe at his cheeks. 'I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry.' Joey profusely apologized, using the link he now had with Adam to communicate telepathically. At the initial contact Adam tensed and slightly pulled away. After a moment of hesitation he stepped back gaining space from the other. 

 

"It's... Fine.." Adam said before removing his glasses and cleaning up the rest of the tears. He hadn't cried like that in a while... Really he hadn't  _ cried  _ in a while. "I forget you're a meta, your powers are interesting." He spoke, changing the subject altogether. 

 

He shifted to clean up some of the debris from the ground and reorganize some things that had fallen from the shelves. Dick gave a sympathetic look before he worked on helping. He didn't know what Joey saw but he knew he went through some of Adams memories... He never knew much about Adam’s past, just that it was extremely painful.

 

Joseph just watched Adam as he just shook off what they'd both seen. How could he? Sure, he lived through it all but ... Joey had seen so many memories from so many different people. He'd cried for others before too. Yet this was the first time he was at a loss for words. Adam was moving around as if nothing had happened, just worked on picking up the mess that, quite frankly, was not his responsibility to handle. Joey wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. So, he just started to help too.

 

Slade emerged from the back room and pulled Joey away to set up his communicator. It was a simple device that sat behind his ear against his skull, but tuning it to the device was sometimes tricky. 

 

"How does that sound?" Joey's eyes lit up when he heard his 'voice' play out of one of Slade's many extra smart phones. 

 

"I think we've got it." Slade agreed, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "You should rest instead of cleaning up this mess. We'll have to move everyone for a while ... Besides this place doesn't really have room for all of us." 

 

"I don't mind helping." Joey looked back to where Dick and Adam were working through a patch of destroyed kitchen. Half the silverware was spread across the floor amongst pieces of roof. "I have to say ... I'm surprised about you and Dick, Dad."

 

Slade shook his head, "Not as surprised as I am." 

 

Joey laughed a little. "I think it'll be good for you." He looked back over to his father with a knowing smile. "You need someone to love you unconditionally. It's about time." 

 

"Your Mother-"

 

"She didn't love you unconditionally, Dad. You don't need to keep lying to me about how 'perfect' your relationship with Mom was. I was there, I think you forget that sometimes. You and Mom loved each other, but she was  _ very _ conditional with you." 

 

Joey motioned his head toward Dick. "It's different with him.  You feel that-" Slade opened his mouth to say something, Joey cut him off. "- Before you try and tell me some sort of bs, remember I am  _ literally _ inside your head." 

 

Slade just chuckled again. "I can't believe you are giving your Father dating advice." 

 

"No advice, just an observation. Here is my advice though: don't get caught up on the dumb stuff ... He's too good for you to lose and we both know that." Joey stood up from his seat on the couch and began moving toward the kitchen to help.

 

The moment he stepped into the space anxiety hit him in waves. It was no secret who it was coming from. If Dick was this anxious? It would be all over his face. Besides, he had no reason to be. Joey had always been a deeply empathic person, though he didn't know Adam outside his memories, he wanted to help him. Even if it just eased the mood in the room. 

 

"Hey ... I think Dad is going to move us all somewhere else for ... However long it takes to fix all this." Joseph motioned up to the ceiling with the phone in his hand. "Dick, you should start packing up." 

 

"That's a good idea." 

 

Joey walked over to Adam, tapping his elbow before lightly grasping it to lead Adam away from the mess. Joey actively controlled himself so that they wouldn't have another incident. "Have you seen the lake here? It's beautiful this time of day." 

 

He spoke as if it was a completely normal thing to do, moving them towards the slider to head out onto the wrap around porch that had a walkway leading down toward the lake.

  
  
  


Slade was already in the bedroom packing his half of things, quickly letting all his attention be pulled away from that task as Dick placed a hand against his stomach.

 

 "Joey said we're gonna move for a bit.." He fell silent a moment before slowly wrapping his arms around Slade's abdomen, "Will it be safe for him to stay with us with how involved Alea's been getting?"

 

 Seeing Joey was like a dream, but he was worrying about the same things Dick was now bringing up. "I ... Don't know." Slade admitted, "My gut is telling me that he's safest in my care but ... I've made that mistake before. Keeping my family too close makes them a target, it doesn't keep them safe." 

 

"We can't send him to Bruce. He'll drive Joseph insane. We could try to get Ben to house him ... But that means no or little contact ... I don't think we have any more options." 

 

"Well... Maybe we'll hold onto him for a couple nights.. Take some time to figure out what's best for him.. Look at all the angles. Not to mention it'll give you some time to be with him since you just got him back." Slade getting personal time with Joey was important to Dick, especially with everything going on. 

 

"I'd... Like that." Slade responded, finishing up with  packing up their clothes. 

 

He had spare suits at nearly all his homes, spare outfits, everything. Packing wasn't necessary. However, he only had a few homes and apartments that were set up for his family. The farm was one of them but ... It might be too risky. Especially with Constantine still being around. Then again, it was rural, off the map, and no one knew about Slade's connection with the place. It would be the perfect place to hide out. Plus, there was enough space for everyone to be comfortable and out of each other's way. 

 

"So.. Where are we going?"

 

"I was thinking the farm." Slade zipped up the duffle bag. "Enough room, good cover ... It'll give everyone a moment to calm down. We can plan things from there. What do you think?" 

 

Slade didn't usually ask Dick for his opinion, he just made a decision. However, he was quickly realizing that when it came to his kids he needed a second perspective to stay somewhat objective. 

 

Dick listened to Slade's thoughts and played them over in his own head for a bit. Damian would love the farm and being able to tend to the animals. Joey would get to enjoy the nostalgia and John... Could have more open spaces to smoke... The only drawback? Slade worked for the Court and clearly Alea's gotten comfortable with dropping by unannounced. They needed not only an excuse for why there was a hole in the ceiling, but cover in case Alea decided to drop by.  

 

"Everything sounds good but.... What would you tell the court? You don't owe them an answer but because you have someone else's pet in your care, Alea will want to know where he is and what not..." Dick explained. "I don't want them to ruin that place for you."

 

"I'll keep them thinking we are on the move while I fulfill contracts as long as possible but ... Dick? ... We can't play pretend with the Court much longer. We can't leave Rose in her condition and my family, your family, doesn't deserve to keep up with this any longer." Slade threw the duffle bag over his  shoulders. "The war is going to start soon, because that will be what it is. This is something on a scale we've never had to handle before. I can't afford to continue to avoid all risks. Vigilante work is about taking chances, right?" 

 

Dick sighed and nodded, "I know... I just want to make sure that.. When we walk away from this, when they know we're not with them... We have somewhere safe to be." He approached Slade and placed his hands on the others chest, "Especially because... Now that you don't have your powers... I just don't want to lose you."

 

Slade looked down at his hand and back at Dick. "I'm just as vulnerable as you now. Thing is I can still kick your ass regardless." He teased a little, kissing Dick's forehead. "The farm will stay safe, and you don't have to worry so much." 

 

Slade placed a hand on the side of Dick's neck and brushed his thumb along his jawline. "Whatever the outcome things will work themselves out."

 

Slade wasn't afraid to die. Funny enough, before he became a meta it terrified him. Watching his Grandfather suffer through cancer painted it as painful and horrific. Now? It was just an inevitability. Even as a nearly indestructible meta it would eventually happen. Slade wanted to be around for Dick and his kids but he wouldn't walk on eggshells to insure that. 

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Listen... Everything you saw was.. Part of a life I've left behind me. I'm aware that it still has effects on my life but only within the limitations I've set for it." Adam stopped and looked at Joey, "I'd appreciate it if you kept everything between us."

 

"I didn't mean to invade your mind. It was a mistake to touch you when I wasn't in control, and I take ownership of that. I wouldn't divulge a word of something you involuntarily showed me." Joey admitted honestly as a prelude to what he was about to say. "You know how you felt those memories? How they were a little clearer, less of a foggy concept and more like a vivid dream? I felt that too. Every sensation of it. I always do." 

 

Joseph explained wanting Adam to understand the depth in which Joey knew about his experience. It wasn't like a story told by one person to another, it was like experiencing it  _ as _ them. Joey knew not only what happened, but how the person sensed their world, the emotions they had, pain,  pleasure, love as if it was his own for a brief period of time. The kind of knowledge no amount of words would ever truly be able to convey exactly right. 

 

"People don't just leave pain like that behind. It lives with them every day. People just deal with it in different ways. You know all this, you're the psychiatrist of course." Joey paused and made eye contact with Adam. "You can't control something that has been trying to control every part of you for decades. Your anxiety is ... Painful, suffocating, and it hasn't stopped since I touched you. Are ... You having a panic attack?" 

 

They looked different for everyone, but Joey was almost  _ sure _ he knew what he felt coming off of Adam in waves. Joey, unfortunately, could be blunt himself when given the space to speak freely. These situations almost always required he did anyway.

 

Adam studied the other as though he were trying to analyse his intentions, from what he saw through Joeys microexpressions he could tell the reaction was authentic. That this kid was concerned. It was almost humorous. The idea of caring for someone one hardly knew was a concept that escaped Adam. He knew it was because he was cut off from his emotions and felt a lack of compassion and empathy. It's why he hardly flinched when watching someone die. It's why it was so easy for him to create a virus that killed hundreds though... Somewhere between then and now he's forgotten why he did it. Something about wanting control? Maybe wanting to make others feel his pain? Create a better world where people appreciate each other? 

 

Nevertheless, having someone care for him when they didn't have a reason to just about made his skin crawl. 

 

"I'm fine..." He repeated his earlier sentiment. 

 

He didn't like outright lying, more so twisting the truth... But that wasn't his intention here. The way he saw it? He was still breathing. Still standing tall. It didn't matter that the air felt thin or that his fingers were numb. It didn't matter that he had the urge to fix every little thing in Slade's house until it was  _ perfect _ or that he wanted to chew on his fingernails until they were down to the nub.. All things he was avoiding by counting his breaths, focusing on the way the water rippled across the lake. 

 

"I know what I've experienced is.. A lot for someone to take in but I've taught myself to survive. To control my emotions. It's hard remembering it and reliving it but it's not as though you being in my head is the only time I've felt this... I have PTSD. I've worked through a lot of it but occasionally I still deal with it like.. When I'm in tight dark places or when people call me by my first name." 

 

His heart rate was already slowing down. He leaned against the railing and brought his attention back to the lake, "I know controlling emotions instead of feeling them isn't healthy but I'm so detached it.. Doesn't make a difference. I could give you a run down on all my psychological issues but I don't think you have the time for that." That was a joke at his own expense.

 

Joey's mind stayed absolutely silent as Adam spoke, listening almost astutely to what he had to say. He smirked a little at Adam's comment and shrugged his shoulders, "When you are mute you spend a  _ lot _ of time listening to people. Even more when you can read their minds ... So I've never minded listening." 

 

Joey looked out to the water. Goliath was rolling over in the lake, causing waves to lap up on shore. It made Joey's smile grow a little more despite the almost somber conversation. 

 

"You said you taught yourself how to survive ..." Joey repeated as if Adam saying that really hit the target. "That's ... Harrowing."   

 

"Well it happens when you have a family that treats a stray dog better." 

 

He meant that in every dynamic of the word. He taught himself how to go days without eating. Forced himself to consume things he would have never dreamt of. Fought for the right to sleep. He learned to control his emotions and his perspective to stop his mind from completely losing control to the harsh reality he lived. For him? It was as simple as breathing now. 

 

"So you've had these panic attacks before?" Joseph asked, picking apart what information Adam had given him to get the answer to the question he originally posed. 

 

'I'm fine' was not it. Joey wouldn't call this fine. "Why do you hide them?" He asked genuinely, expecting an answer to such a personal question.

 

"Honestly, what I'm feeling is no one else's business.." That was the defensive answer and Adam knew it. He gave an almost irritated groan, "Objectively? It's related to receiving punishment for the expression of emotions. The idea of it triggers a fight or flight response because I've been conditioned to think that 'it's not safe'. Of course, consciously I am well aware of this but it goes deeper. Throughout life there are different occurrences that affect a person's perspective and identity.”   
  
He explained, “These show through strong suits, weaknesses, the way we avoid or get out of situations... Trama can intensify the effects because it’s not just about surviving uncomfortable or embarrassing situations, it's about  _ literal  _ survival. I've learned to grow detached, to distant intimate relationships which then reduces emotions such as empathy and compassion. It… Reduced the pain of knowing I wasn’t loved as a child.”    
  
“I'm not the kind of person that wants to go around doing good things and turning people's lives around because I don't see a point to it. If someone's miserable it makes no difference to me... Because of this, it's incredibly hard for me to sympathize and understand people who  _ do _ care about complete strangers. I  _ can't _ open myself up or ask someone for help because I don't see how im worth that person's time.."

 

"It doesn't come from a place of not being good enough or any of that bs.. It's just.. Why would I let someone do something for me without conditions when I wouldn't be willing to do the same?"

 

Joey listened but quickly realized what Adam was doing. "Do you always talk about yourself so clinically? Does that make it easier to distance yourself from the parts of you that you deem problematic?" He then put a hand up. "Never mind. Don't answer that question." They both already knew what the answer was. 

 

"Have you talked to Ma about this?" Joey  _ knew _ he was pushing into personal territory now. "I know you still love and care for her dearly. She feels the same about you I'm sure ... She'd want you to reach out probably. Let her know when things get bad so she can support you. Ma doesn't seem like the kind of lady to shy away from tough emotions."

 

Adam couldn't help but chuckle but it wasn't of joy. He was wondering how far Joey had pushed into his head.

 

 "Listen... I'm not a child. I don't need someone to take care of me and I'm not struggling." That wasn't even it though, "Ma... Is old... She's not going to be around long and I'm not going to grow dependant of her just for her to.." 

 

"I'm well aware of everything Im dealing with, what I've gone through... It's all in the past and it's a waste of time dwelling on it. My problems are not going away. There isn't a cure for OCD. Anxiety and depression are just a state of mind. I mean this in the kindest way possible, Joseph, I don't need you to try and fix me. I'm not broken. Damaged, maybe, but I'm a fighter and I'm not going to lie down and roll over no matter what the circumstances are."

He stopped and shook his head before pushing off the railing and making his way back up towards the house. 

 

"I never suggested you were broken or needed to 'fix' anything." Joey said back flatly. "It's normal to feel attacked and project that towards me, though.” Of course, Adam already knew this, “ It wouldn't be the first time. This experience isn't pleasant ... For either of us." Joseph wished he had more control, that these things didn't keep happening. 

 

"You seem to be feeling better though." Joey smiled a little mischievously. "Angry maybe, but not as anxious."

 

Adam wasn't quite used to having someone call him out on things. Sure Dick did it but that was years ago. Long enough for Adam to forget what it feels like to be on the receiving end. He couldn't help but to crack a small smirk, he liked this kid. Liked his honesty, the way he held people accountable. 

 

There was a pause as Joey turned to walk toward the beach. Damian needed to be wrangled in along with Goliath. 

 

'You know ... You brought up the memories and ... Funny enough I just wanted to take you down to the lake and flirt with you. Maybe next time.' His Dad might kill him, but ... Adam was  _ very _ attractive and ... He did have a thing for older men. So, why not?


	26. New Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week I'm starting school so the rate at which I produce chapters may be slower. I apologize for the future waits!

It was mid morning in Nanda Parbat, the colder air beginning to give way to a rather warm afternoon. Many of the men and women were in meditation in and around the grounds. It made it much easier to think when things were so peaceful and quiet. 

 

Benjamin was looking over some papers that the Court had assigned him. They were all targets. Even though he had taken charge of the League, the Court still used him as a mercenary. That was all thanks to Alea.... Benjamin still remembered how that meeting went, it was the first time he saw Adam showing signs of regret. He had explained that the Court held some kind of tournament to find a new army commander. They gathered four of their strongest fighters, two of which were responsible for the annihilation of Paradise island. The way Adam explained it? Alea completely and entirely annihilated  _ all  _ of them. Sure, a couple of them went at each other before she could get to them but they didn't get the chance to kill each other before she made the kill shot. Apparently, Doctor Anna spoke against her. As the new commander, Alea drove a spear through her head and said that anyone who opposed her would be killed. 

 

Since she had taken charge, the flow around the mountains had changed. Before there was a commander in place, Benjamin got to carry things on as though the end times weren’t even approaching. The ninja’s carried out their normal routines and all was quiet. But now? Now she had Tim and Ben under a microscope. Guards posted around Nanda Parbat to look for behavior that was out of character. 

  
  


Tim walked the halls, having gone back to his more normal attire since Ben came to power. He still wore the collar of a pet, but he hadn't been acting like one since Ra's death. His ownership was transferred to Ben by request. In fact ... The High Court seemed almost too willing to let them do ... Well pretty much anything prior to Alea’s shift in power. Even still, she allowed for Tim to hold charge in the decision making next to Ben. 

 

He opened the door to what was now Ben's office and quietly shut it behind him. "I think it's time I put some pressure on Luthor." Tim started without prelude. 

 

He had said hi this morning at breakfast but ... Talking about things outside of plans to save the world and what not was difficult for Tim at the moment. Work was always easier to focus on, besides, it was for the greater good.

 

 "He's on uneven ground with the High Court and he should have switched sides by now. His continued indecision is becoming a nuisance plus ..." Tim made a slightly frustrated sound. "Dr. Foster has made it impossible for us to move forward into the High Court with Alea in charge. She doesn't trust us. The general did. If we are going for a power grab it has to be Luthor." 

 

Ben noticed that Tim didn't make any mention of Connor which ... May have been influencing his decision too. They hadn't seen each other since the meeting in Gotham.  Tim had woken up on Connor's chest, walked downstairs with him and just like that Luthor had showed up and carted him away. Just when he could finally have a moment with Connor, not the brainwashed one Ra's had created, but  _ his _ Connor. The relief at knowing he was free of Ra's forever, that both of them were, was immense. Part of him still wondered what Connor might say but, he'd have to understand. Right?

"What do you suggest we do? Out Luthor for working against the Court? Get brownie points with Alea? She wants more than that." 

 

Ben stood up and grabbed a file that Adam personally gave to him after the meeting. He moved around the front of the desk and leaned against it before opening it up and presenting a photo of a small town littered with bodies.

 

 "Alea asked them if they stood for the Court. Someone in the crowd called her a bitch... She gave them one look and ordered her guards to wipe them out... One person lived and she told them that they either side with the court or die." Ben then crossed his arms, "If we bring Luthor down... We have to make it sound like we're completely with the Court... And.. In doing so? She's going to make us prove it." 

 

Adam showed up to their last meeting with blood on his hands and suit, he didn't say what from but if he had to guess? Alea made him kill someone to show he was loyal to her before she made him her second.

 

 "The way they see it? Destroy the imperfections then make a better world. We need to show them we believe this.." He paused, "I need to show them... And I pray they won't make you do something that'll jeopardise you.. Because I don’t want you to give something up for some 'mission'"

 

"I am willing to do what it takes." Tim replied without hesitation. "This is so much bigger than us, than me. I'll do what needs to be done to bring all this tumbling down. I want to make a power move. Something that will make her sit up and pay attention." 

 

He pulled a flash drive out from his pocket and spun the chain attached around his finger. "This ... Is going to be my attention getter." Tim caught it and tapped it on the side. “I'm staging a mutiny within Luthor's men. I've offered them more money, better conditions, to stop cutting corners if they cooperate. They agreed ... Luthor has to go."

 

"Once I have control over Luthor's tech I'll run this virus into the High Courts network. Everything will shut down, it'll be chaos. But, I'll offer to fix it for a chance to talk to Alea about conditions. It'll irritate her, but, I have to show her I'm worth more as an ally than a threat." 

 

Tim sat down in the seat by the front of Ben's desk. "I understand what I've gotten myself into, Ben ... I know what we need to do. I'll be fine. I ... Honestly feel better. I can think more clearly, I feel ... Satisfied." 

 

Benjamin listened to Tim carefully and let out a sigh. He trusted Tim, he was smarter than just about everyone the tiger knew. The only thing that concerned him was the fact that Tim was still in fact a kid... Sure he was 18 now but.. He shouldn't literally have the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

 

"Alright... Then what is it we need to do?" Ben paused and looked at a notification on his watch, "It's time for the routine call with your brother. It's up to you if you want to talk to him."

 

Tim wasn't sure if he could talk to Dick but ... He'd been putting it off for weeks. He didn't know how to face Dick after killing Ra's. Tim had broken Bruce's one rule. It wasn't an accident, a fury fueled mistake ... Tim methodically and purposefully killed Ra's. He made  _ sure _ the man was dead before he left. There was no other intention.

 

"I can't put it off much longer can I?" Tim asked pushing a hand through his hair. It was starting to grow back, it felt freeing. "Dick doesn't deserve to worry ... Though with Slade around I'm sure his mind is distracted with other things."

 

Like it had been on his birthday, when he needed him. Tim didn't want to be bitter, didn't want to blame Dick for acting bad in a bad situation. It happened to all of them but ... It was just a small part of what ended up being the worst twenty-four hours of his life. 

 

Benjamin let out a soft sigh, "I'm not going to make you talk to him... We both know how that conversation is going to go. If you're not interested then I'll let Slade know you don't want to talk and ask him to drop it... I can't promise he won't try and bombard you at the next meeting if you attend." Dick and Slade weren't there last time. They were busy handling other things, namely, Alea had hired Slade for some contracts that were far from Gotham. 

 

 "I need to focus on planning. Having Dick in my head isn't going to help anything. I already know he's disappointed in me, probably angry, then of course worried ... I just ... I don't know." Tim admitted truthfully. "I don't feel like my family would understand me anymore. They haven't been through what I have and it's not my job to explain it to them ... And I won't." 

 

Dick knew the most. He knew about how Ra's was treating him, that he had been raped, tortured, humiliated. Jason and Barbara had squeezed a few details out of him, but he gave it up unwillingly. He felt his eyes sting with tears a little bit suddenly as he thought about Steph. How he would have broke down and told her everything. She would have held him in a tight hug, forced him to be the little spoon in the bed while Tim poured his soul out for her. Tim missed her every day, thought about her constantly. Bruce too. Tim ... Could only concentrate on what he lost. How he couldn't stand to lose more?

 

"If it wasn't for you, Shiva, Connor ... Even Koda ... I know I wouldn't have made it. Ra's would have killed me, by accident or maybe for fun. I didn't understand how dangerous it was until it was too late and ... Where were they? Dick, Jason, Barbara ... My 'older siblings' that should have been there. Kate was the only one who cared ... But look what that got her." Tim was still emotional about it and Ben was his only outlet. "I don't want to talk to him. I don't need to be shamed by him. I ... Don't need him." 

 

But Tim, of course, still wanted his family. He wanted to forget all this and go back but it seemed to be too late for all that. "Tell him to stop wasting his energy on me and find something productive to do with his time."

 

Ben nodded, "Alright… As for everything else? Make me a list of what you need."

 

"The first thing on my list is securing Connor. I need a small group to infiltrate. I want Shiva and her guard if possible. I want to retrieve him tonight."

 

"Securing Connor will draw attention to us." Ben pointed out. 

 

It wasn't exactly safe to go around stealing other people's pets with Alea being more blood thirsty than the Red Queen. Especially if she still believed that Luthor was loyal to her, it could be seen as an act against the Court. 

 

"I think we need to make Luthor's disloyalty known first, then request a transfer... She may be interested in pulling Connor apart but now that she has access to Superman, I doubt it."

 

"That's why I'm removing him from Luthor's care. I do believe that Alea or whoever else may want to do exactly that. Azrah knew about Connor's telepathy, his abilities outside of what Superman is capable of." Tim had no doubt that the Court was made aware of these factors, they documented everything. 

 

"Once Luthor is thrown from power he will instantly become a target. I've been in their databases. Connor is a strict no contact on orders of Luthor. If he isn't here then I can't protect him and anything else isn't an option." Tim wouldn't back down on this one, he was going to get Connor tonight, whether Ben approved or not. Whether he had backup or not. 

 

"Neither of them know I'm coming. No one at Lex Corp knows. It's a perfect opportunity to undercut Luthor. I'll take Connor out from under his nose, cut his loyal forces in half, and set the stage for our take over. Best of all, if we can do it without him noticing? He won't say a thing to the High Court. He's too prideful to admit he was beat ... Especially by me."

 

 Tim had hacked Luthor's systems more times than he could count. Why didn't Luthor ever come confront him about it? Because he was embarrassed a teenager could hack into his billion dollar security systems. This would, hopefully, be no different.

 

"I have this planned, just trust me." 

 

"Tim..." Ben started softly before letting out a sigh, it was clear the other was juggling a lot. 

 

"If we steal Connor that  _ doesn't  _ protect him... Alea can take him at any time she deems fit. She could even take him from Luthor if she  _ really  _ wanted to... What we need to do is find a way to prove to her he'll make a better soldier than lab rat. That... They can't just pick at his brain and take his powers." Couldn't they? He didn't know.

 

 "Maybe we could get him from Lex without issues but then what? Lex dies? Alea goes on a hunt for her perfect clone? Sees us as a threat for hiding him from her... I know you want to save your partner, but you need to look at the big picture." Ben didn't want to make it sound as though Tim wasn't but he needed an objective opinion. 

 

"If we get him tonight then along with dragging Luthor down, we need to share that we have Connor... I can conduct a battle plan to justify our motives and hopefully convince her to let us keep him."

 

Tim knew that Ben was right ... He just didn't like it. If Tim was watching someone else risk everything to go save their loved one, he would have told them to reconsider. He would have told them that their love was likely alright, that it was okay to wait and make a plan first. Tim agreed with Ben on every account. Waiting and planning was the most logical and beneficial solution to keeping Alea on their goodside. 

 

So why didn't he care?

 

He had been planning and plotting to throw Luthor out. He told himself it was because the reward would be high for them. Yet that wasn't exactly the case. Luthor had shown signs of turning his back on the Court. Genuinely. If they waited ... Luthor would likely come to them. But Tim wanted to tear him down. He didn't want Luthor anywhere near this ... But maybe he just didn't want him anywhere near Connor.

 

Tim gripped his hands, open and closed over and over. He wasn't thinking rationally, he was just thinking about Connor. Wanting to be around him, to be held by him, to talk like they used to ... God, to kiss him and touch him like he'd been dreaming about for years.

 

Tim realized he was being selfish and where this road had led down before. Dangerous territory ... Maybe ... Maybe being with Connor was ... Bad. It felt right, perfect actually. However, he was willing to sacrifice almost everything just to be near him and that was not ideal. God, he needed to talk to him. Tim needed to see him. 

 

He looked off to the old symbols of the Al Ghul's around the compound. "I think it's time we redecorate. The place is under new management..." It was easier to change the subject than it was to admit to being wrong.

 

Benjamin’s brown eyes shifted to the walls before he let out a chuckle and looked back at Tim, "That's a possibility.. As soon as I get through all this." He said tapping his pile of papers, "Send Amir in and I'll talk to him about redecorating.."

 

Benjamin pushed himself off of his desk and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll go talk to Shiva... If you need anything, Tim... Let me know."

 

That, right now, would be enough. Tim sat in silence for several minutes before he pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text message to Ben. 

 

[I'm going to Metropolis by myself. I just want to see him. No funny business. I swear.]

 

Tim turned off the screen and pocketed the device before he started walking toward the small aircraft bay off the back of the mountain. If he took the jet it would still take him eight hours to get there. Putting his arrival somewhere at 2 AM ... Perfect time to sneak into one's bedroom.

  
  
  
  


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Tim arrived in Metropolis on time. He landed in a private strip that, you guessed it, Wayne industries owned. He took a sleek black Audi from the selection of Bruce's toys in the hanger. Inside he tried not to think about how it faintly smelled of Bruce's cologne and the air fresheners Alfred always put in their cars.

 

Once he arrived at Luthors, he easily bypassed what little security Luthor had on his home. Now, he was just parked in front of the house like he wasn't showing up completely unannounced.

With car shut off, Tim leaned his head back, eyes closed and tried to get Bruce out of his head. The smell wasn't helping, his heart was pounding hard as he felt guilt for the first time since Ra's had died. 

 

Tim didn't want to make this sad. That wasn't what he was there for. He slid out of the car and along the side of the house. He memorized the blue prints before coming and from Luthor's security team, he knew which one was Connor's room. He was on the second floor, so Tim used an old maple tree by the garage to swing down silently onto the roof. From there he moved to the edge of the roof tiles. He hung upside down with his feet hooked onto the roof and steadied himself. Then, using tools and a small flashlight in his mouth he deactivated the lock. Slowly, he slid the window open until there was enough room for him to fit through. Tim locked his fingers onto the frame of the window and let his legs fall behind him. He adjusted his hold on the window so he could turn himself over and through the window feet first. The carpet was plush and quiet under his feet. 

 Connor was asleep in bed, looking ... Cute. He always looked so innocent somehow, too comfortable almost. It made him smile immediately upon seeing it. Despite all of his superpowers and the torment Connor had gone through in the lab... He was a heavy sleeper. Maybe not as heavy as some people, but heavy enough for Tim to approach his bed without him hearing it.

 

Tim leaned over so his lips were next to Connor's ear. "Superboy~" he whispered before blowing into his ear.

 

Suddenly, Connor sat up, flailing ungracefully before hitting the floor. Next he used his TK to push the bed back to pin this intruder to the wall. Then he got up and readied his fists with a hard expression.. That was until he saw Tim… Who was laughing behind two hands which covered his mouth. The clones entire body language changed and he quickly approached the other, pulling the bed away from him before hugging him tightly.

 

 "Tim." He spoke in a steady voice, squeezing the other. "What are you doing here?" He asked less quietly than he should have. 

 

"I thought it was pretty obvious..." Tim managed to get a hand out from between them so he could touch Connor's neck,. "... I can't allow you to slack off on your awareness training ... Even for the end of the world." It was a joke, but that was clear. 

 

Connor chuckled and shook his head, "You and that stupid training." He said with a fond smile, "I was hoping to at least get a good night's rest."

 

Tim moved his hand to the back of Connor's head and grasped the shorter length at the base of his hair. He pulled Connor down to his lips and kissed him like he hadn't seen him in years, not just a few long weeks. As Connor eased into the kiss, Tim found himself  against the wall with two hands on his waist. 

 

Connor pulled away after a moment before looking into his eyes, "Hi..." He couldn't help but to whisper. "I missed you so much. How long are you here to stay?"

 

"I missed you too. I couldn't stop thinking about you." Tim admitted, letting his hands move off of Connor's neck so his forearms could rest on either side of the man's neck. "This wasn't exactly planned ... I just kind of took the jet and came here." Listening that it sounded pretty bad, Bruce would be mad. "I'll stay as long as I can." 

 

Connor smirked, "Wow.. Little Timmy getting impulsive?" He teased, "I must be hot sauce." 

 

Was that the phrase he was looking for? Probably not.

 

"Hot stuff, Kon." Tim corrected but smiled anyway. "You can be my hot sauce though, I like that…. Lay down with me, I need to get some things off my mind ... You've always helped with that."

 

Once they made it to the bed, Connor worked on opening the covers for Tim before he sat the other down and pulled off his shoes. From there, Connor pulled Tim to lay down with him and got situated on his back so Tim could lay his head on his chest. 

 

 "So... What's up?" He asked, hoping Tim wasn't wanting to address what happened between them. If Tim needed support, Kon would do it, it was just the last thing he wanted to talk about.

 

Tim let his head rest halfway on Connor's shoulder and chest. His fingers tracing where the Superboy symbol would usually be on his chest. 

 

"It's been weird not having you around ... I'm glad that you're back to yourself though." Tim admitted, noticing that Connor somehow still smelled like a warm summer breeze despite being away from Ma's farm for so long.

 

"I ... Did something." Maybe Luthor already told him, or he could be shielding Connor from it. Tim wasn't sure how big of a bomb he was dropping. "I killed Ra's Al Ghul. He didn't die of his injuries like the Court is reporting happened. I don't want that guilt hanging over your head ... That's not why I did it, but you have a right to know."

 

Connor just about flew out of the bed for the second time that night, propping himself up on his elbows before turning half way onto his side, "You what?" 

 

He didn't seem angry.. More surprised and... Sad? It wasn't that he was disappointed in Tim... He just.. Was worried. Tim was always one of the good ones. Pure hearted. Sweet... Connor couldn't imagine him going to a place so dark he'd actually cross the line. He couldn't help but wonder if Ra's broke him.. If something in Tim snapped and that he wouldn't be the same... That maybe he'd be gun toting like Jason.

 

 "I.." He started before shaking his head. "Are you okay?" He asked, pausing just long enough not to let Tim speak, "And don't lie to me.... I need you to be honest...  _ Are you okay _ ?" He repeated more firmly

 

Tim decided this was a conversation they couldn't have lying down, so he sat himself up and moved to lean back against Connor's headboard.

 

 "I ... Think I'm fine." Tim said honestly, neating the covers over himself. "I thought I would feel more guilt, more regret but ... I don't feel either of those things. In fact it ..." He looked to Connor for a minute, sighing when he decided there was no reason to keep anything from him. "... Felt good." 

 

"Ra's was scum. Even before the High Court came. He committed genocide, mass murder, converted others into a world wide terrorist organization to only be killed. All of that and he was still breathing long enough to hurt you ... To hurt us … I want to tell you that I killed him because he was villainous, because it was for the greater good but ... It wasn't. It was because he threatened my family. He violated you and raped me. I wished I could have made him suffer more. I wanted him to suffer like we all did. Death was too good for him."

 

"I... Wow... That's crazy." Kon said before shaking his head soon reaching to take Tim's hand. "Listen... I'm not going to make you out to be wrong for killing him or... For even enjoying it. You did what needed to be done.. Like you always do."

 

 He gently squeezed Tims hand before bringing it to his lips to softly kiss the top, "Just... Don't go changing too much on me. I know you'll change throughout your life just.. Don't forget who you are and what you stand for."

 

"I love you, Tim, and.. If you decide you want to.. Take Jason's approach on things then I want to support you."

 

'Jason doesn't enjoy killing though'. Tim almost said it, but even thinking that made him shutter. Did  _ he _ enjoy killing? He had enjoyed killing Ra's.  _ A lo _ t. Jason wouldn't have. 

 

Tim was always able to justify Jason's approach to things because of that simple fact. Jason killed because he genuinely believed it was necessary to create a society without people like the Joker. Even when Jason was executing the most vile of society he always considered the life he was taking away from the world. He weighed that inside himself. Tim didn't make that distinction with Ra's. Tim killed him for revenge, for himself and his interests. If he had done it by Jason's book ... Ra's would have died a long time ago. No. This was personal. Purely.

 

"...I love you too." Tim replied with a small nod. "I know it's selfish of me to say but ... I want you to stay by my side through all this. I don't want to be alone anymore." He leaned forward off the headboard. "I'm not sure who I am anymore. Without Bruce ... It's been hard but ... When I'm with you I remember pieces of myself. You just make me feel so ... Alive." 

 

Tim was having a hard time matching his feelings to words. How he felt about Connor didn't have an equivalent in his life. They were partners, lovers, best friends, teammates ... It was strong, yet natural. Tim wondered if other's loved this intensely, because he knew nothing stronger. 

 

"It's okay... We can figure out who you are together... Or… As together as we can be... But.. Maybe instead of focusing on that so much... You can focus on who you want to be and strive for that. Let people hold you to it." Connor said before pushing Tim's hair back.

 

 "If you wanna be.. Neutral good.. Kill occasionally then I'll make sure you don't get out of control.... If this was a one time thing? Then I'll be there to stop you next time. Things are tough right now. I've had to kill a lot of people have. No one will blame you for it." Except maybe Dick and Bruce but... He didn't need to mention it.

 

Tim leaned into Connor's space, a hand placing itself against the other's chest. "I want what we have to be real. No more hiding, no more boundaries. I want all of you."

 

Connor shifted and ran his hands down Tim's sides before softly kissing his neck before pulling away, "All of me, huh? Even right now?"

 

Tim held his breath, body heating up immediately, tingling through his abdomen and up his spine. 

 

"All of you."

 

Why was he holding back? Tim wanted Connor, maybe more than ever. Yet, it felt taboo almost ... Like somehow he should be so traumatized by what happened with Ra's that intimacy would be difficult. This wasn't the same though, not even close. Tim wanted to have sex with Connor, he could be in control, he could say no and Connor would listen. He wouldn't let what Ra's did to him ruin what he had with Connor. Tim wouldn't allow a dead man to continue having influence over him. 

 

Tim placed his hands firmly on Connor's shoulders and pushed him until his back was flat against the bed. Just like that was over top of Kon immediately, his lips finding Connor's while his tongue unapologetically pushed it's way between Connor's lips. One hand held him above Kon while the other dragged down the front of Connor's shirt until he reached his pants. The tips of his fingers just sliding under the waistband, teasing to move forward. 

 

"Right now ... Please."

 

Connors breath was shaky and his pupils were blown as he looked into Tim's eyes. He nodded slowly and ran his TK up Tims body before he sat up enough to kiss him deeply. The kiss didn't last long, however, because Connor was pulling Tim's shirt off. He froze when he saw the others beautiful form.

 

A soft sound of pleasure escaped the clone as he ran firm hands up Tims sides, pressing his hips up against him. "I have... Condoms in my nightstand." He commented though he couldn't peele his eyes off of Tim. "You're... So beautiful."

 

Tim's cheeks became stained with red. He  had gained back most of his muscle mass, but he was still skinnier than he should be. His hair wasn't the way he liked it. He was sure he still had dark circles under his eyes. But Kon still stared at him like he was a damn prince. 

 

 "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?" Tim asked, reaching down to grab Connor's shirt by both sides of the collar and just ripped the fabric down the center like it was made of paper and he was opening the  _ best _ christmas present. 

 

If Kon wasn't aroused before then he definitely was now. He bit his lip and moved his hands over Tim's hips to massage them as he continued to roll his hips against the other. 

 

"For you? ...God, Connor ..." Tim stopped whatever he was saying to smooth his hand down the most perfect chest he had seen in his life. 

 

Every muscle shaped and sculpted under smooth skin that was soft, but firm under Tim's fingertips. The way his fingers followed the shape of his abs made him shutter and nearly start to drool. Tim was clearly aroused and looking at Connor like a fascinating new piece of technology. Which, considering this was Tim, was quite a compliment. 

 

Tim rolled his hips again, feeling his own hardness rub against Connor and couldn't help the hitched gasp that escaped him. 

 

"This is going to be embarrassing ... But I have to tell you." Tim leaned down to put his hands on Connor's shoulders. "I don't know if you remember the first time we met… Batman and I showed up to the aftermath of some attack you and the Titans took care of." 

 

He closed his eyes as if he were reliving the memory in his head. He could see Connor, half covered in dirt, shirt torn, hair an absolute mess. Standing next to Dick, a serious look on his face as he surveyed the damage. Bruce made some comment about it being Connor's fault because he was unstable. Whatever it was, Tim didn't fully catch it because he was preoccupied. 

 

"Dick said something and you laughed, smiled. My whole world lit up like someone finally turned on the light." Tim opened his eyes again so he could look into the stunning blue one's under him. "You were my first crush." 

 

He moved one hand to rest against the side of Connor's face. "My first love." Tim leaned a little closer. "I've never wanted anyone like I want you. There is no one else in this world I'd rather share this moment with. I want you to be my first and my last."

 

"Tim." Connor whispered before rolling so he was on top of the other, leaning in to kiss him in a surprisingly delicate manner. "This... Might sound bad but... Sometimes with my girlfriends...." He paused, a hand on either side of Tim's head as he looked down at him. "I'd pretend they were you.... I’d fantasize... At the time I didn't understand why but... Now I do... It's because I love you."

 

 Connor moved down to kiss Tim's chest, pausing to move to his nipples where he sucked and teased them. His ex's had liked it. He wondered if Tim would... He wanted to hear the noises Tim would make. His racing heart was already getting Connor heated. 

 

His hand slowly moved along Tim's inner thigh before moving over his member where Kon gently worked to massage the flesh there. He's never been with another man so he was being extremely gentle, knowing how sensitive those areas were. 

 

"Ah-h-." Tim's breath caught in his throat, back arching up into Connor's lips.

 

His head fell to the side this time, soft moans leaving him, eyes shutting tighter, another hand reached up to grab Connor's other shoulder and dug nails into his shoulder blades. Connor was painfully hard hearing the way Tim's breath hitched and the way he let out those beautiful soft moans. He wanted to rip the others pants off, bend him over and just give it to him but... Everything he's read said that would be painful... He didn't want to hurt Tim, especially since he was his first. He just wanted to watch Tim get lost in nothing more than pleasure. Wanted to watch Tim squirm and scream. 

 

His mouth ended up next to Connor's ear as he pulled himself closer to the Super.

"I-I'm really sensitive, I-" 

 

Tim wasn't going to explain himself. He was a goddamn virgin. The only 'sexual' relationship he'd had up to this point was with his own hand. Connor's touch was a much better partner already, but that brought its own challenges. Tim's refractory period was short, but that wouldn't stop him from seeming ... Uncontrolled? Easy? Used? Tim wasn't even sure why these things mattered. Would Connor care? 

 

Fuck he was thinking too much. Why was he thinking so much? 

 

Why was he so worried about measuring up, about being a good partner rather than enjoying himself? 

 

 ' ... I need you to be honest ...  _ Are you Okay? _ '  

 

He heard those same words echo in his mind once more. 

 

"Babe-" Tim breathed out, resting his head on Connor's shoulder. "Too ... too much. I want to do this. Please I ... It's just a lot. I just need ... A second, minute." 

 

Connors movements ceased immediately and he pulled his hands away from the other, sitting up slightly so he wasn't over Tim. Despite wanting to continue and take Tim for everything he had, he wouldn't dare make him uncomfortable.

 

"Let me on top." Tim said as Connor opened his mouth to speak. 

 

"Of course." Connor responded, taking Tim's hips and rolling so Tim was on top again. 

 

A soft smile grazed Connors lips as he rubbed the others hip bones before giving them a squeeze. "I like how you feel on top of me.... It... Just feels so right."

 

 Connor used his TK to massage Tim's thighs and ass to tease him. "We can do this at your pace, Tim.... I know it's a lot... You got this." He reassured. 

 

Connor wanted Tim to feel safe and loved because.. Well? He was... He was safe to go slow... To take his time.. To even tap out if he wanted to... Connor made sure of it and Tim knew that. On top of Connor he felt in control. He was reassured that no matter what position  _ he _ was in control of his own body. Connor may have been a hundred times stronger, faster, a meta ... But he would listen to every word Tim said. Just like Superboy would always listen to Red Robin ... And  _ that's _ who he was. 

 

Tim let himself relax and feel Connor's tk running along his ass. He could do this. 

 

"Let me explore a little." Tim said moving his hands down Connor's chest again.

 

 His body positioned itself lower, mouth leaving kisses and a tongue trailing down to his pants. 

 

Connor could feel his face growing hot, his heart rate starting to pick up as his mind grew frazzled. It had been so long since he's been this turned on. The girls did it for him but... Not the way Tim did. Tim made the clone ache. Made him  _ really _ want it. 

 

Tim grabbed the hem of Connor's pants and pulled them down until Connor was released from his pants. Oh wow, it's… Big. He'd seen it before but never so up close and ... Aroused. Tim looked up at Connor before putting a hand around the base of his cock. 

 

"Can I give you a blow job? I ... Really want to."

 

He swore his cock got that much harder when Tim asked to suck it... "Gnn." 

 

Connor was barely able to articulate his words... Okay... No... That wasn't true... He had to stop himself from yelling 'Yes!' Like some perverted freakazoid who just wanted to plow him. 

 

"I-if you want to, baby, I'm not going to tell you no." Connor finally responded more clearly, propping himself up on his elbows to get a better view of Tim. 

 

God he was  _ hot _ and... Beautiful... Kon pushed a hand through Tim's hair but didnt let it stay long when he remembered what Ra's did. His hand then found its way to Tim's cheek where he rubbed Tim's cheek bone lovingly.

 

"And... I do hope you let me.. Give you one too.. I've never done it before but.. I want to make you feel good. You deserve it."

 

"Neither one of us has done any of this before." Tim said outright and just hearing himself say it brought things back into focus. 

 

So what if Tim had no experience?  Neither did connor, (at least with cocks. Connor might fumble too. Tim had prepared extensively for this moment, he knew what to do intellectually, so he might even know  _ more _ than Connor. That ... Actually made him feel a lot better.

 

Tim was exploratory at first. He experimented with his tongue and lips around, down the sides, taking a taste of precum from the tip. It was a flavor he couldn't really describe, but it made him more aroused. Just like the way Connor sucked air in through his teeth with each stroke of Tim's tongue. Tim  _ had _ to take him into his mouth. 

 

Licking around the head Tim lowered his lips over him, then pinned his tongue down as he tried to gauge how far he could get Connor in his mouth. Tim expected to gag, make a fool of himself but … He had excellent body control, so when his body attempted to lurch, he sunk it back down easily. Meaning he  _ didn't _ stop, not until Connor's cock was down his throat and his nose was touching his skin. He began to just swallow around him, getting use to the member, the placement, even bobbing his head slightly as he practiced breathing through his nose.

 

Connor couldn't stop the soft moan from escaping him.. Shit. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his back arching slightly before he laid back. Fingertips scraping against Tim's scalp as he sucked and swallowed around him. 

 

"Holy.... I.... God..." Connor couldn't even talk. 

 

None of his girlfriends did this...  _ none _ of them.. He didn't even know it was possible. 

 

"Tim." He moaned softly, hips slowly starting to roll up into Tim's mouth.

 

 If Tim did let him suck him off.. He'd have to settle for a mediocre blow job because what Tim was conducting was a masterpiece that Connor couldn't even dream of producing. 

 

"I thought... You said... You never..." His sentence was interrupted with another moan. He bit his lip so hard he nearly made it bleed.

 

Connor's reaction was the reassurance he needed, confidence restored. However, he discovered something interesting ... He r _ eally _ liked the feeling of Connor pushing himself further into his mouth, the scrape of his fingers along his scalp. That little bit of Connor letting go. Tim wanted more of that.

 

Tim came up and off Connor's cock with an absolutely vulgar sound, and licked around the tip before looking up at his boyfriend.

 

 "I never have." Tim confirmed, smiling a little, "Bat training I guess." 

 

"Ha.." Connor sighed out before looking back down at Tim with a mix of lust of love. 

 

Tim's cock was throbbing in the most exciting manner. He liked the anticipation of it, the build up. He adjusted himself a little, using his hand to pump Connor's cock while he spoke.

 

"If I make you cum, you're going to still fuck me afterward." Tim wasn't sure if that was a question or an order ... Probably an order. "I don't mind waiting."

 

 Besides, judging by the size of Connor they were going to have to spend some serious time stretching him out. 

 

Connor was absolutely lost for words. He was shocked at how... Vulgar? Tim was speaking. Tim always seemed so sweet and innocent, Connor honestly thought he would have to teach him some things however, he was learning that Tim would definitely be the teacher.  Tim began to taste Connor again, but then stopped once more. 

 

"Also I ... Don't mind things rougher so … You don't have to worry about being so careful with me." 

 

Without waiting for any answers, Tim swallowed Connor down again like it was nothing. He bobbed his head more this time so he could swallow along Connor's entire length.

 

Connor moaned and gripped the sheets beneath him as Tim swallowed him whole. Another long moan escaping him as he closed his eyes. 

 

"Fuck.."

 

 He couldn't talk, he was completely at Tim's mercy. As Tim bobbed his head, Connor found himself slowly thrusting up into his throat though it gradually grew in pace, especially as Connor felt himself growing closer. Soon enough, even Tim's name grew into an incoherent moan as Connor thrusted up into his mouth. Suddenly, he pulled Tim off of his cock and released on his face, a dark flush coming across his features. 

 

"That... Wasn't supposed to do that." Truly but.... Fuck if Tim didn't look hot.

 

"You weren't expecting anything to come out?" Tim asked with grin on his face as he teased his boyfriend. 

 

He raised his hand up, swiping a thumb through Connor's release before purposely tasting it. 

 

"Does it feel good to be the first man to cum on me?" Tim sat up and put a hand on Connor's chest, dragging his nails down to his stomach. "Watching you and feeling your cock at the same time was ... Intoxicating." 

 

Connor felt his jaw drop as he watched his partner, mind frazzled and speak rendered useless. Especially when Tim began stripping.

 

"I hope you don't mind that I brought my own." Tim held up a small bottle of lube that came from God knows where. "Did you want to do the honors or ... I can always stretch myself too. You can watch of course."

 

Connor didn't know this side of Tim existed and again was having a hard time not pinning him down and fucking him then and there. He  rolled onto his knees and cautiously reached to gently pump Tim before smirking.

 

 "Actually... I have an idea of my own. Cassie taught me." Was that okay to say? 

 

He didn't know but it was too late. He wanted to get more of his seed on Tim and hear the other noises he can make. 

 

Connor took his hips and pulled Tim onto the bed before bending him over, "If you get uncomfortable just tell me to stop." 

 

He ran his finger along Tim's entrance letting out a soft purr. It was hot, being the first man to cum on Tim... But the first one to penetrate him? Make him scream? Oh yeah... Kon was excited. He leaned down and gently bit Tim's asscheek before his mouth moved in towards the center until his tongue was softly brushing against Tim's entrance. 

 

Now, Tim had an idea about what was going to happen and wasn't expecting anything spectacular. Watching it in porn didn't really do anything for Tim and he always found the reactions over acted. 

 

However, he had never personally experienced it. At first, he felt uncomfortable with the proximity, but once Connor began he quickly realized this was something he could definitely enjoy. 

 

Tim started up on his hands and slowly sunk down to his forearms and lower. His body relaxed, head bowed, hips up to give Connor perfect access. Tim's thighs quivered after his moaning turned into heavy, hitched breaths. 

 

He tasted different than Cassie but Kon loved it. His cock was back to its full errect self as he pulled Tim's cheeks apart and pressed his tongue into him harder, just barely penetrating. He kept this up for a short while before finally inserting a finger and twisting it around in the other.

Tim was so obviously enjoying the treatment. The way Connor had worked him open with his mouth was the perfect thing to get Tim to relax. It left him wanting more, his own length pulsing for it. 

 

"K-Kon ... God-" Tim tried to find the words as he sunk further, pushing his ass up even more. "Give me more." Tim always was a little greedy. "More."

 

Connor swirled his tongue around Tim's entrance before letting it slide down to softly graze over Tim's balls before back up again. He pointed the end of his tongue to wiggle it in next to his finger before flexing it and making it roll inside of the other. He pulled his finger out, planted a kiss to Tim's  _ tight _ entrance, and came back with two fingers. A third just lightly prodding the outside to tease the other. He curled his fingers inside of Tim and spit over them to keep them lubed up before spreading them just enough to slip his tongue between them, letting out a moan of content and desire as he tasted as much of him as possible.

 

"Kon ... This feels so-" Tim let out a deeply satisfied moan. There was little need to finish his sentence. 

 

He liked the stretch, the way it made him want to push it further ... See how far he could go. Tim began to vocalize a little more, calling out Kon's name, letting out hushed curses and even encouragement. 

 

"So good." Tim squeezed out, feeling precum leaking from his member. Part of Tim wanted to just let Connor go until he came like that but he had been waiting in line for this particular ride for a  _ very _ long time.

 

"Connor," Tim unintentionally whined out. "I want you ... Fuck me. Please." 

 

He lifted his head and tried to look back at Connor. His face was flushed a deep red that faded down onto his chest and shoulders. His hair was messed up in the front from Tim resting his forehead on the bed.

 

 "I want to cum on your cock, Kon."

 

Connor was speechless at first when he heard Tim's demands, his wants. His mind running through the beautiful images of fucking Tim mercilessly, Tim cumming all over himself and him. God... It drove Connor crazy. He landed a soft smack on Tim's ass before squeezing and jiggling it in his hand before he moved it away and grabbed Tim's lube. Connor squeezed a good amount onto his fingers and spread it along Tim's entrance and inside of him before rubbing it on his own cock... He's seen videos too.

 

The clone then moved and laid on his back, pulling Tim onto his lap. "You're going to look so pretty on my cock." He said without much thought, his hands running up and down Tim's body appreciatively.

 

Tim's still felt in control despite feeling compliant and willing. He gave Connor a half lidded smile, positioning his hands down on the other's abdomen to give himself some purchase. Tim wanted to support himself but Connor clearly had things under control. This man could lift a goddamn plane. He could handle all hundred and twenty-five pounds that was Tim. 

 

He took in the sight of Kon's broad plane of his shoulders, sculpted chest, rippling stomach, arms and biceps that made Tim swoon. Then there was Kon's eyes on him, looking at Tim as if he was the most precious thing in the world to him. Tim honestly couldn't think of a single time he felt more loved and wanted than he did right now. This experience, while not over, was everything he hoped it would be and more. 

 

"I love you." Tim breathed as his eyes closed.

 

"I love you too." Connor whispered, his TK running along Tim's body to squeeze and hold him. 

 

He slowly began pushing into him letting out a soft gasp, "Fuck." He whispered out, hands tightening around Tim's hips.

 

The push into him was much larger than Kon's fingers but Tim loved every stretched inch. He was nearly silent though, head tucked down as Connor brought Tim further and further down onto him. When the other finally hilted him, Tim looked up at Connor with tears at the corner of his eyes, which may have been alarming if Tim didn't start immediately moving his own hips to grind onto Connor's cock inside him. No, Tim was nearly crying because it felt  _ that good _ .

 

 "T-Take me ... Use me. Fucking god Connor, please."

 

This appearance of Tim liking the pain was almost alarming but Tim's begging was all that was needed to take Connors mind off of it. His hands moved to firmly grip Tim's hips as he began thrusting upwards into him, each thrust adding more power than the last. He could feel Tim's muscles moving around him and let out a shaky moan at the sensation before his grip tightened on Tim's hips hard enough to bruise. 

 

"Fuck... You're so.... Tight." Connor pant out. 

 

Each thrust had Tim moaning more. They weren't boisterous, but his voice wavered as the speed increased, feeling pressure building, his body tingling with the mixture of sensations. His hips bucked and the next thing Tim knew, Connor hit a spot that sent an intense wave of pleasure coursing through his body. Tim saw stars. He moaned loudly, digging his nails into Kon’s abdomen.

 

 "O-Oh FUCK." Tim all but yelled out, thighs quivering on either side of Connor's hips. "I'm so close ... So close..."

 

 Tim began arching backward, his flexibility allowing him to nearly lay his back against Connor's knees while keeping his hips perfectly in place. 

 

"Connor ... Connor-" Suddenly, Tim collapsed the rest of the way back.

 

Following it Tim came, his hips trying to arch up despite wanting to be as far down on Connor's cock as possible. He was entirely silent, but his whole body arched, mouth open in a silent scream as Tim all but ripped through the sheets under them. His cum was on his and Connor’s stomach. Breathing was shallow, pupils blown. He had never came that hard in his life and his brain was swimming. 

 

"Finish fucking me." Tim commanded from his exhausted state, slowly trying to sit up. "I ... Want you to cum inside me."

 

Tim didn't have to tell or even beg Connor to cum inside of him because no sooner than the words leaving Tim's mouth, he did. Connor’s hips spasmed and he dug his nails into Tim's thighs hard enough to draw blood. The bed creaked beneath him and a soft grunt escaped him as he released his seed in the other. 

 

Tim was at an absolute loss for words. His body felt like puddy, his mind empty of thought but full of sensations. He felt absolutely wrecked. His hips were nearly sore, he could feel bruising on the skin surface, and deeper from the intensity of Connor's thrusts. His hole was stretched around Connor, his cock still throbbing and tingling sensations were running the length of his body. Tim loved it, every minute of it. The pain, the pleasure, dominance and submission that had all mixed and fluctuated through their experience. It was perfect. 

 

Connor’s hands slowly sunk from Tim's legs and he wiped the sweat off of his face before covering it, panting heavily. 

 

"Holy.... God... Tim that was... Amazing." He said before moving his hand to finally look at the other. 

 

Connor then shifted and sat up before moving over Tim and between his legs, kissing him and making Tim's head press into the pillow. "I... Can't believe this was your first time... You're a natural." He chuckled, pushing some hair from Tim's head. "I love you.."

 

"I love you too." Tim smiled genuinely, pulling Connor down for another kiss. "I've been thinking about this for ... A really long time." 

 

Tim reached up so he could touch either side of Connor's face, tracing fingers along his cheekbone and jawline.

 

"It's still so unreal to me that this happened. That we're together ... That you love me, want me. I ... Never thought in my wildest dreams you'd ever reciprocate my feelings. Now, I almost feel stupid for thinking you wouldn't. It was so obvious." Tim couldn't help but chuckle a little when he said it.

 

Connor listened to Tim as he ran a hand through the others hair before shifting to lay down beside him, "Of course I wanted you, Tim... You're brilliant... Charming... Cute. I'd be crazy not to." 

"I still wish we could run away together." Tim's expression faltered a little. "I've missed you like crazy."

 

An arm moved to wrap around the other as he fell silent, he seemed to be thinking over Tim's sentence. "You know.... Luthor's against the Court now... He could make up some excuse for me being gone... And.. I'm sure Ben could too... What if we  _ did  _ just run away together, Tim? We were going to.... We could still do that. Go to Jason and Roy... Live a partially normal life together."

 

Tim felt the beautiful atmosphere of naivety and bliss they'd berated start to fall apart around him. The High Court was still ruling the world, hurting people, hurting his family, friends. He had to remember why he came to get Connor, why he needed him by his side. Even if things were swallowing Tim, he had to push himself further and harder until things got better. Until he took down the High Court or died trying. That's what Bruce would have done.

 

Bruce also would have picked someone to have his back. He always worked better with a partner, even if he wouldn't admit that. In this instance? He would have picked Clark. Something this large, this important and this dangerous? Clark would have been the only person Bruce would have kept as his boy scout. 

 

Tim needed his own Super. Tim knew that if Connor could keep them standing that they would get through this. It was because Connor was stronger, faster, had exceptional senses, and the TK was something even  _ Superman _ didn't have. The High Court wouldn't have it either. Only Tim. Tim was washed away in his thoughts, truly weighing his options. Weighing what he had to give up in order to do the right thing. To restore people's freedom.

 

"Because we can't sit down and pretend everything is fine while the world crumbles." Tim said with a sad look to his eyes. "This is the most horrific single event to ever happen to humanity. There is no Justice League, no Green Lantern Corps,  _ no one _ is coming to solve this. Either we step up or ..." 

 

Tim looked back at Connor finally, the hand he had began squeezing on Connor's shoulder relaxed and slid back to the side of his neck.  "... Or live with knowing we are letting innocent people die so we can be happy. I can't justify that for myself. Who says I'm special or could be so selfish I ..." He stopped and shut his mouth.

 

"Connor I need you to come with me, but we aren't running away. We are running head first into this thing and taking it  _ all _ down."

 

Connor was disappointed that Tim didn't take his offer. He was willing to before but... Clearly that changed. Kon wasn't surprised... Honestly? He figured that if he wasn't under Ra's control.. If they did hide out... Tim would've gone crazy sitting around. He would've found some way to pick up work. Some way to help. It was frustrating but... It was why he loved Tim. 

 

Kon sighed and nodded to the other before rolling halfway onto his back, inviting the other to cuddle against him as he stared towards the ceiling. 

 

"I'm not surprised you're saying that... I know you want to fight and beat them.. And I'll support you with that. Tomorrow I'll talk to Lex about coming to Nanda Parbat... If he says no then I'll just go."

 

"I have a plan." Tim replied, getting comfortable next to Connor and laying his head against the other's bare chest. He could faintly hear his heart beat ... It was soothing. "I was going to throw Luthor under the bus but-" Tim yawned. "-If you've had a change of heart, I might reconsider. It's a computer program, virus like it ... I'll explain it later." 

 

Tim's eyelids felt like giant weights. "I'm happy you'll be with me again ... Like old times ... But better."

  
  


Tim was out like a light. He ended up half on top of Connor and stayed there. He snuggled further into the  blankets, wrapping them around him at some point, but his head still on Connor's chest. His boyfriend may have been a walking heater, but Tim loved his blankets.

 

However, Tim never intended to stay the night. He had snuck in here, left his car parked out front, and should have been gone before anyone could notice. Unfortunately, someone already had. 

 

It was around ten the next morning that the door to the room opened. Tim sat up quickly, eyes half open, looking exhausted with hair that stuck up in more directions than seemed physically possible.

 

"Good morning Connor, Tim. Did you sleep well?" Luthor asked in a calm tone as he pressed a few buttons on the wall to open the curtains and shower the room in light.

 

 Yes, it would help Connor wake up, but Tim nearly hissed like a vampire. The  clone slowly stirred and finally propped himself up on his elbows. He looked at Lex, rubbed his eyes and then looked at Tim... Fuck... _ Fuck _ . Luthor knew everything. A faint red hue spread along Connor’s cheek bones and he sat up more fully.

 

"Lex." Tim responded, sounding flat and cold.

 

"Relax, Robin, I'm not here to fight. If I was, I would have last night when you first snuck in." 

 

So he was caught. Connor made Tim do dumb things. Then again, that was always the case and not just a product if their new relationship.

 

 "Benjamin is down stairs waiting with breakfast, I suggest you two make yourselves presentable." 

 

Tim just now remembered how naked he was and snatched the blanket up closer to himself. Fuck. Benji was going to kill him.

 

"Mind leaving so we can do that?" Kon responded trying to act unphased. 

 

As soon as Luthor was gone, Kon got up and stretched before holding a hand out to Tim. He said something but Tim didn’t hear him, he was in shock, what the hell just happened? Lex Luthor was just, somehow, okay with Tim being in his home? No less visiting Connor without permission ... Naked and so obviously having ... Tim wanted to be struck by lightning. Good thing Bruce wasn't alive to see this, because this would have probably killed him to hear about. 

 

“Tim..” Connor repeated getting the other to look up at him, "Let’s go shower..." 

 

Tim nodded and went to take Connor's hand to stand. Once he was up straight the soreness shot through his hips. He nearly faltered but was able to catch himself with Connor's grip. 

 

"... Can you carry me?"

  
  
  
  
  


Tim sat on the toilet as Connor got the shower started. He just enjoyed the view. After all, this was the first time he was  _ allowed _ to stare in the showers at Connor. Only this time it was a singular shower they were sharing together. He could hear a fifteen year old version of himself screaming in the back of his mind. 

 

Soon Connor stepped in with Tim following behind him before he got some soap into his own hair. Tim watched him scrub it  in, and then turn around and rinse out his shampoo. Connor was wet, trails of water highlighting every perfect square inch of him. Tim wondered how long they would be dating before he stopped being overwhelmed by how hot Connor was. It wasn't fair for his tiny heart to bare. 

 

"You know how hard this is?" Tim said half serious. "For me to take a shower with you. To have to watch all that perfect physique just ... Do this." He motioned up and down to Connor. "And I can't touch you. I thought we were over that part of our relationship. " 

 

Tim wasn't appreciating the 'parental' interference on this. Also, he may have been somehow tired, sore, grumpy, and horny all at the same time. Love was confusing. 

 

Connor smiled and rolled his eyes some, "Hey... Do you have any idea how unfair it was staring at you in your sexy Red Robin outfit on the field knowing I couldn't touch you?" He countered with a smirk. 

 

Tim reached out to grab Connor's shampoo but next to it saw ... His own? Same brand anyway. Conditioner too. How in the hell did Luthor know that or manage to sneak it in here?

 

He didn't want to think about it too much. "Ben is going to make me come back to Nanda Parbat with him." Tim spoke as he began his own shower routine. "I ... Didn't exactly get permission to come here .... As ... Ben told me no to coming and getting you. Then did it anyway?" Tim was listening to himself and he sounded like a selfish jackass. He owed Ben an apology. 

 

"Well.. You've never liked sitting on the sidelines." Kon pointed out with a shrug.

 

"I ... Don't really know what we are walking into... Does Luthor know we are dating?"

 

 "I... Talked about you a lot... He probably figured it out but I didn't outright tell him." Connor admit before rubbing his chin, "But if he does know then... Like I said, he's against the Court.. Even if he wasn't there's nothing he can gain from it. But.. Since he is on our side maybe he'll let me come back to Nanda Parbat with you... That is if Ben doesn't ground you." He smirked.

 

"So without actually saying we are dating ... You told him we were." Luthor was way too intuitive to miss the huge hints Connor was probably dropping for him. Tim let out a short sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it doesn't matter. Our dating isn't any threat to the High Court or Luthor. We just need to be careful what we are telling him until he formally quits working for the Court. It wouldn't be the first time he's lied or betrayed us." By 'us' he meant the Titans and Connor. "We can't fully trust him yet."

 

Connor frowned slightly, "I know... He's just... He’s been a better dad lately.. It’s actually been really nice." He said thoughtfully before letting his gaze shift elsewhere briefly before he rinsed the soap from his hair.

 

"Alright. I'll ... re-examine the situation." 

 

Tim hadn't expected for Luthor and Connor to start bonding. Of all things that was not what he was suspecting. It made him suspicious of Luthor's intentions, questioning whether or not he was actually on their side. All things he told Connor who seemed ... Unconcerned. What was he missing here?

 

  "We should get this over with.. I need to walk Koda soon otherwise she pees on Luthor’s things."

 

"Koda?" Tim looked toward Connor and wore the largest smile on his face, "Let's go see my dog ... Our dog."

  
  


Tim borrowed a shirt and boxers, both were way too large,and put on his pants from the night before. Tim had Connor carry him down the expanse of stairs, but wasn't expecting Luthor to be in the main room where they landed. 

 

"The dog is an absolute menace." 

 

Luthor was in the process of trying to get Koda to stop running around the sofa with a very expensive italian loafer.

 

 "Koda drop it. Drop it ..." 

 

Koda was growling and yowling around the loafer butt up and wiggling as she chomped down on the leather harder. 

 

"Koda." Tim's voice rang through the space as his feet hit the floor at the bottom of the steps. "Come here." Tim's voice wasn't angry, just calm, yet firm. 

 

Koda's tail about wagged off her body as she went to rush Tim. 

 

"No." Koda skid to a halt in front of him. "Sit." She did. "Give that to me." Tim held out his hand expectantly. 

 

She gave a small whine, nearly pouting as she deposited the shoe in Tim's hand. 

 

"Good girl." 

 

As soon Tim put the shoe down on the staircase behind him and he dropped his shoulders Koda jumped up on his chest putting her paws on his shoulders. Tim scratched her ears and cooed different praise her way. 

 

"I know I missed you too ... Yes ... Yes I did." 

 

Tim finally let Koda down and caught Ben in the living area, he flushed a little and looked down a bit. He was ashamed for deceiving him. Ben didn't do anything for Tim to treat him like that.

 

Connor crouched down to give the pup some attention himself. The moment he went to pet her, she playfully nawed on his hand letting out grumbles before moving to lay between Tim's legs. Her tail continued wagging and she wrapped her head around Tim's ankle letting out another grumble. 

 

"Oh I see what you're doing... He's mine not-"

 

"OWOWOW!" Koda had shouted, turning around so fast Connor thought she was going to take Tim down with her.

 

 It was also in that moment that Benjamin got up and approached the two, crossing his arms as he stood before Tim.

 

"Good morning."

 

"Morning.." Ben replied  in a less than amused tone, "A word?"

 

 He asked before gesturing towards the other room. Ben didn't wait before making his way to have a private conversation with Tim. 

 

Tim wished that lightning bolt he asked for earlier hit him. If he thought he wanted to die then? Nothing compared to the insane guilt and dread he felt the moment Ben approached him.

 

 He gave only a short nod in response.

 

Tim pulled his leg from Koda's grasp and patted her head as she moved to grab his pant leg with her teeth.

 

 "No baby. I'll be back. I promise. Everything is okay." 

 

Koda whined and turned around to start to start gnawing on Connor's hand like her favorite chew toy. 

  
  


The moment they were alone he let out a sigh, "I'm not mad but.... Tim, I can't trust you if you don't talk to me... I knew you were coming to see Connor but you didn't say you'd be staying the night or making it obvious to Luthor that you were here." 

 

Tim  stared at Ben's back as he spoke, immediately looking down at the floor when he turned to look back at him before glancing around and speaking in Arabic at a lower volume.

 

 <If anything happens to him now and Connor vanishes, it'll put a target on your back... The Court has been watching everything we do which means they know about your slumber party.> 

He wasn't mad... He was worried.... He never planned on having kids but.. He loved Tim like he was his own.

 

"I made a mistake coming here. Is that what you want me to say?" Tim sounded a little irritated, but it was unclear whether it was at himself or Ben. "I know that from this point forward I can't make selfish decisions anymore. I just ..." 

 

He had crossed his own arms, hands gripping his biceps harder, creating white crescent skin under his nails. 

 

"I just wanted to be like this one last time before I had to give it up."

 

Benjamin couldn't help but to let out a heavy sigh, "Tim... You wanting to see Connor.. Wanting to be with him is perfectly fine and normal.. I think having a solid relationship is good for you. One that you can escape the pressures of this world and just focus on you for a moment. And... Given the state of everything I just need you to be careful." 

 

He let out another heavy sigh through his nose, "When you texted me saying you were going to see him it wasn't a problem... But if Lex was completely with the Court then... Things could've ended a lot differently."

 

He placed a hand on Tim's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "If and when you want to see him just talk to me... We'll figure out a way to make it happen without putting anyone in danger.." He then went silent for a moment before breaking eye contact, "I know I'm not your family, Tim, and I'm not going to expect you to think of me as such but... I do ask that you talk to me... Let me in a little bit. And I don't mean emotionally... I mean... Express your wants and needs to me... Think you can do that?"

 

There was a brief pause between them before Tim hugged Benjamin. "I'm sorry I put us in danger. I don't know why I did. I just wanted to see him."

 

 Tim began rambling, like he had broken down the wall holding it all in for Ben. "I've never been in love like this. It's so confusing. It's too much but I can't get enough. I've never had a boyfriend before, neither has Connor. So I'm trying to pretend like I know what I'm doing, but I have no idea. So I got here, he kissed my neck and-" 

 

Tim stopped himself and pressed his forehead hard against Ben's chest. Shit he was talking too much.

 

"I'll be better about communicating. It's just ... Weird to have someone around who actually listens." 

 

Ben had been the parental figure Tim never knew he needed. Someone who just wanted to care for him and remind him of his responsibilities without judgement. Tim had never had that and in a lot of ways it had crippled his ability to continue developing into his own person away from Bruce. Ben was helping him to do that.

 

"I'm sorry, Dad." Tim said finally without really thinking about it.

 

Tim saying that felt right, natural, satisfying... He could certainly get used to that. 

 

"It's alright, kiddo..." Ben replied before smiling and ruffling Tim's hair, "Why don't you eat some breakfast, then we can get some coffee and head to Nanda Parbat."


	27. Sweet Dreams

 

The yelling and fighting was something almost too safe and comfortable, something that married couples should feel not a new young couple. Dick didn't care, he liked conflict. What he didn't like? Slade telling him he couldn't see Tim. He was being entirely unreasonable considering that Slade was merely trying to respect Tim's boundaries.

 

 While Slade understood Dick's frustration, it wasn't an excuse to push Tim into doing something he didn't want to. Frankly? Slade kind of understood where Tim was coming from too. If he killed someone? Dick would be the last person he'd want to tell. Slade told Dick that too as their fight spiraled which only resulted in name calling. Dick called Slade a self centered control freak among other things which only encouraged Slade to point out how selfish he was being. 

 

Slade told Dick he wasn't considering Tim's wishes and needed to look at how his own behavior caused this. Not Slade or Ben. He defended his friend's decision to let Tim make his own choices. He also told Dick several times that even if Ben hadn’t known Tim as long as Dick, he knew where Tim's headspace was better than anyone at the moment. That Tim trusted Ben to handle this and Dick needed to let him do that and back off. That statement had gone over like a fart in church. 

 

Before he knew it, Dick was trying to grab the jet keys. Naturally, he got ahold of them before the younger male and held them well above his head so he wouldn’t do anything he’d regret later. Dick nearly shoved Slade and that was the warning he needed that told him he needed to step away and take a break. 

 

“You're such a prick, you know that? Just leave me alone." 

 

"You've made that clear  _ twice _ now." Slade was quick to respond in a deeply frustrated tone.

 

Slade watched Dick turn to storm out of the house and nearly clenched his jaw shut until his teeth cracked. All just to keep from saying something antagonistic to bring Dick back to the fight. 

 

Adam had nearly been hit by the door as he entered the building, he opened his mouth to say something to the storming raven hair but decided to just let him go off towards the stables. 

 

"How is it everytime I'm in the same vicinity as you, the two of you are fighting?" 

 

Slade let out a small scoff at Adam's comment, "Usually we are fighting  _ about  _ you, so there's a hint." 

 

Constantine was now standing outside of what he claimed to be his room, a smoke in between his lips and a robe hugging his naked body. He'd go all the way if Damian wasn't around, he had no shame. 

 

"Don't disrespect my Grandmother's house!" Slade yelled toward him as he exited through the back kitchen door to go ... God knows where. 

 

"That went about as well as it could have." Joey walked out behind Constantine, dressed and combing his fingers through his hair to make it more ruly.

 

"They'll both start regretting it in about an hour. Just watch." He turned to his British friend and grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth before snapping it in half. "Like Dad said. No disrespecting Grandma's house. No smoking in here." 

 

He never met her, but both of his parents spoke so fondly of her that he always loved her without personally knowing her.

 

Constantine grumbled and fished out another smoke before making his way outside hoping to actually enjoy the damn thing.

 

Adam sighed heavily, "We're getting Rose in two days, I can't have anyone messing things up." He seemed unusually tired and irritable, "I'm going to go over some more things with Joseph, then later tonight I'll go over the plan with everyone."

 

"I'll work on getting everyone rounded up for the briefing later. Whether they like it or not." Joey confirmed to Adam, giving him a warm smile. "Our usual spot in the forest?"

 

"Yes." He responded flatly to Joey's question before he began leading him outside. 

 

It was a short walk through the farm and into the woods where they usually went to train. Far enough away from everyone and everything to keep Joey from accidentally damaging anything if his powers got out of control. 

 

"Today I want you to practice focusing your energy into a singular blast... Even if it's just once." He started without a lick of hesitation.

 

Adam then approached a boulder and put his hand on it, "Let start by trying to crack the surface here. I want you to focus. Take any pent up anger or thoughts and concentrate." He then moved away from the boulder and behind Joey.

 

Joey nodded at Adam's orders and began prepping himself. First, he removed his 'distractions'. He turned off his temporal implant and his phone. Then, he unzipped and shrugged off a dark teal sweatshirt, he placed all the items to the side. He made sure to fold the clothes and place the phone center. Anything to keep Adam focused as well.  Underneath his sweater was an Black Sabbath shirt that must have been his father's from when he was younger. It was a tad big, the black was fading, but Joey still loved it because it was so damn comfortable. 

 

Joseph then moved back to his spot. There was a pathway cleared around them in different directions. Some of them had been there before, others had come along due to Joey's powerful mishaps. He needed to get this right though, and he was, slowly. 

 

He flexed his hands and closed his eyes. He could feel power thrumming through him, wanting to explode in every direction. Focus, center, release. Joey spoke it like a mantra in his mind and the voice saying it sounded just like Adam. 

 

He opened his eyes and focused on the center of the rock, imagined what he wanted to do. Crack the surface. Joey moved his hand up and shot concentrated energy toward the rock, something sounding like a firecracker reverberated around them ... But the rock remained undamaged. Shit. He needed more. 

 

Joey built up more behind the attack this time, trying to wait until he felt like he could truly control its path. A moment before he was ready a branch snapped from above and threw him off. The energy exploded in a spray radius in front of him, dirt dislodged from the ground, the trees shook, more branches fell, birds quickly left the vicinity. 

 

Joey let out a huff of irritation and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. 'Shit!' He set up a link between himself and Adam. 'I can't keep doing this. I have one more day ... That's it and I'm still out of control. I can't keep fucking this up.' 

 

Flashes of Joey seeing his sister in pain and Slade's disappointment briefly moved over the link without Joey initially doing so which caused Adam to press his fingers to his own temples. He wasn't quite used to sharing his mind space with someone however it did help him with coaching Joseph. 

 

"You'll keep fucking up if you keep doubting yourself." Adam stated before putting his hands on Joey's shoulders. 

 

Joey shot him a look that needed no words. 

 

"It's not going to be this quiet and peaceful in the city.... There's going to be noises. Some may be unexpected... You need to either learn to drown them out or use them as a white noise." 

 

He paused to think of how he wanted to explain it before moving in front of the other. Mindful meditation was a good trick when it came to getting to a tranquil place in a noisy environment. He took his phone out and found some video of miscellaneous chatting before returning it to his pocket, letting the sound continue to play. 

 

"Close your eyes and take long slow breaths.... With each breath I want you to acknowledge the noises you're hearing. Recognize them as what they are and with each breath let them fade into a background noise. Focus on the feelings in your body. The sensation with every breath. The weight of your body on your feet. Focus on it." 

 

Adam moved back behind Joey, "Imagine all that energy building in your stomach. Pretend you can see a manifestation of your abilities and transfer it to your hands. Breathe. Focus. When you open your eyes I want you to release that energy on the first thing you see... Imagine the energy flowing through the air and hitting the object like an arrow hitting a target."

 

Joseph couldn't change his environment, he could only change his reactions to it. He then recognized his own body, the energy flowing freely through it and into the space around him. He pulled back his connection to Adam, let his powers and energy center into himself. However, he could still sense Adam at his back. His soothing tone like his internal and external guide. With a single deep breath he opened his eyes and saw the rock before him. 

 

It didn't crack, or break, it exploded like dynamite had been set off inside of it. Pieces of rock went flying in every direction, shattering through tree trunks and lodging in others. Joey didn't even think as he turned around with the intent to shield Adam, but didn't need to. A wall of light blue energy appeared behind him, pieces of rock hitting it and sticking within the matrix. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared, the stones trapped in it now hitting the ground.

 

'That's... Never happened before.' 

 

Jerricho didn't know what to say. It was exciting to see what the full potential of his powers could be, but if he couldn't control it people were going to get hurt.

 

 'Are you okay?'

 

Adam was speechless, there was no doubt at all that Joseph’s powers not only impressed the Brit but intrigued him. Quite frankly? That was a perfect demonstration of Joey's power because not only did he destroy the object but he managed to keep him shielded from the debris.

 

 "Yeah... Yeah I'm fine." He said after a moment.

 

"That was good, better than you've demonstrated previously... Now.. When you do this, your target isn't going to be a rock. It'll be a vehicle so you'll need to be careful." He began to explain, "If you hit it with this amount of force it'll explode and the result of that could be catastrophic..." 

 

Adam paused, Joey wasn't ready to reduce the amount of energy he put out, that would still take more practice then they had time for... Luckily Adam had a solution. 

 

"You created a forcefield around yourself here... So here's what I'm thinking." He paused to reach in his pocket pulling out his phone before shutting the sound off. 

 

He then held the screen flat and a 3D projection of a street hovered above the device. Thank you High Court for your technology. Soon, two large military trucks made their way down the street. 

 

"Rose is in the second vehicle, both of which are filled with guards. I need you to step out in front of the first truck, concentrate your energy and either create a shield for it to crash into, crush it or both."

 

"You'll have aerial support so if you don't have the energy to fight the guards that's fine, I just need you to incapacitate the first vehicle.... Do you think you can do that?"

 

Despite everything said, only one word rang loud and clear to Joey. ‘Catastrophic’. Everything Adam said made sence, but only in a perfect world where Joseph actually knew what he was doing. Everything had been going so well before this week. After Adam took over Joey's mental conditioning he made bounds and leaps. Now he was back to struggling with the basics. It was beyond frustrating. 

 

'I don't even know how I did that.' Jerricho motioned behind himself to the place where the wall once stood. 'Even if I did ... I could hurt Rose. I'm unstable.' 

 

Joey moved over to sit on the old bench he'd set his stuff on from earlier. 'I thought I could control this. I thought I was doing  _ better  _ ... I'm not. You could have gotten hurt. Look at the trees around us!' He put his head down and gripped at his curly hair. 

 

Images of Joseph and Rose as children flashed by, playing, laughing, times Rose comforted him, was there for him. A deep feeling of loss hit him like a dump truck. 

 

'I don't want to mess this up. I can't let Rose stay with the High Court and ... I don't want to lose my sister.' His hands moved over to cover his eyes. 'She's been my only constant my entire life. It didn't matter what happened, Rose was always there.' 

 

Joey shook his head. 'If she dies I'll have nothing solid left. Dad can say he will be there but I don't believe him, I don't trust him.' he pushed his palms into his eyes to hold back tears. 'Why can't I get this right?!'

 

Adam felt an odd sense of... Compassion? For the other male. It was clear that Joey was struggling with this and afraid of messing things up. He sighed and gave the other some space before he moved to sit beside the other. Physical comfort wasn't something he was used to doing however, he remembered the countless times Dick had done it. He placed a hand on Joseph’s thigh and gave it a soft and reassuring squeeze. 

 

"I understand how you feel like you're... Regressing however, Joseph, you managed to focus your energy into a singular object... Prior to this, your energy would've shot out in a sporadic burst rippling in numerous directions. This  _ was  _ progress."

 

"Yes... You completely destroyed the rock  _ and _ I practically told you to do so... I asked you to gather all your energy and expel it on the first thing you saw.... You did that." He gave Joseph’s thigh another squeeze, "We're getting on a plane tonight. I know its a lot of pressure but you can do it." He reassured, "Now.. Let's try and find another boulder and do this again. Now that you know how to concentrate your energy we can work on limiting it."

 

Joseph slowly lifted his head to look at the Brit, a halfhearted smile on his lips as he placed a hand over the others.

 

'You ... Really earned that psychiatry degree didn't you?' He returned the gentle squeeze. 

 

Adam was right. Joey had been getting better. He just needed to concentrate and not let the pressure get to his head. Even if he was on the brink of an anxiety attack.

 

Joey stood up from his seat on the bench and turned to face Adam. 'Let's try this again. Only this time, you stay here.' Jerricho reached out and tucked a few strands of hair behind Adam's ear as he spoke, 'I don't want to scratch up your handsome face.'

 

He then turned on his heel and took a few long strides out to his next target. 'Okay, let's do this.'

  
  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


"Ran away? ... Yeah, I'm sure he'd love to hear that too on top of all this." 

 

Slade was on the phone with Ben. He was telling him that Dick wouldn't be calling as he had threatened earlier. Not that he had a way of doing that, but, Dick was smart enough to figure it out eventually. 

 

"Everyone is on edge here with tomorrow coming up ... I know. You'd be there if you could Ben." 

 

Slade leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, the sun was going to set soon. He still hadn't seen Dick yet. 

 

"I'm going to go. Good luck in Metropolis." He hung up his phone and put it down on the counter, tapping his fingers against the surface as he thought of what he wanted to do. 

 

He wanted to make up with Dick so they could spend the night together before tomorrow. Yet, he didn't want to give in and apologize for something he wasn't sorry for. Slade always seemed to suck at this part of relationships. When it went bad, it went  _ very _ bad. 

 

He grabbed a jacket and headed outside towards the stables. Might as well see if Dick went for some comfort from the one creature here who hated him more than Dick currently did, or as Slade liked to think of him, Dick’s other boyfriend.

 

Sure enough, Dick was hugging Batman's head and combing his fingers through his main. The horse was loving the attention and was absolutely caught up and stuck on it, that was until he noticed Slade. The horse practically shook Dick off of him and stomped his foot before neighing and huffing at the mercenary as if to say, 'He’s mine now.'

 

Slade couldn’t help but to glare at the animal. Dick sighed heavily and hopped off of the fence before meeting Slade in the middle of the barn, crossing his arms. 

 

"I'm man enough to admit that... I was wrong in calling you names and insulting you... And I'm still mad at you." He said bluntly, "Tim is my family and... I have a right to see him." Batman huffed in the background almost in mocking agreement.

 

"That's ... Actually more than I expected." Slade said and then put his hands up as if to say 'wait I said that wrong'. "With how heated things got I didn't think you'd want to even look at me, let alone apologize for anything." He managed his distance from Dick. "I'll admit I wasn't on my best behavior. I shouldn't have helped escalate things."

 

Then came the 'but'...

 

"Maybe now that I've calmed down I can explain this to you better than I was." Slade looked toward the forest where he knew Adam and Joey were still training. "I love my family, Dick. My kids mean everything to me, but I have always tried to respect their wishes for space." 

 

Slade sighed shortly, "Of course it hurt to know they didn't want me around, didn't want to talk to me. However, that is their choice. Not mine." 

 

He looked back to Dick and took a step toward him so he could lower his voice to a more conversational tone.

 

"I know Tim saying he doesn't want to talk to you hurts. You love him and want what's best ... You mean well. I know that. But you have got to let this go, Dick."

 

Slade's words felt like they sucker punched Dick right in the heart and it showed on his face, the sad look overtaking his features as he shook his head. 

 

"I don't understand what I did to deserve this." The words barely came out in anything over a whisper, Dick had a bad habit of taking things personally. "With Jason I understood why he was guarded and distant... Why he wouldn't speak to me... I was awful to him when he first moved in because I let my anger and jealousy get the best of me but damn it, I'm trying to do better."

 

"I know im not perfect. I know I've done things and have gotten into fights with Tim.. I've doubted him, I've gone behind his back but.... I've never shunned him... I've never given him a reason not to come to me.. He killed someone, Slade... He planned and executed it.. I'm worried that this won't be the last time or that.... He's lost himself... That he needs someone to guide him back to the right path and I'm trying to do that." 

 

Dick fell silent and took his eyes off Slade, "But... It's not my choice..” He hated it when other people were right,  “I.. Appreciate you looking out for his best interest and I'm sorry for taking this all out on you I just..." He stopped and shook his head, "I feel like he thinks he's alone."

 

Dick had a big heart. He loved deeply and with unrelenting passion. Slade was lucky enough to experience it as his partner, but also knew it came with consequences. Emotional burnout, being cognizant, and the fear of rejection, just to name a few.

 

However, Dick was also morally pious. Dick just didn't see the need for killing, nor did he understand the mindset that went into it. He may have been ready to kill, felt someone's blood on his hands, but he had never commited premeditated murder. All of his 'close calls' were caused by blinding rage and a need to defend an innocent or in retaliation for harming one. Dick punished himself for every one of those mistakes, used it flay himself like Bruce did with Jason's death. It was a reminder of 'failure' and 'weakness'. Slade didn't see it that way. 

 

"You don't have to apologize to me, kid. I get it. We all lose our heads sometimes, especially when it's about family." 

 

Boy did he understand. From a personal perspective and three decades of mercenary work. People could do some awful things when family was involved. 

 

"Before we kiss and make up though, we need to talk about this. Not scream, yell, and slam doors. I want you to sit down with me have a conversation. Otherwise, this gets shoved down and will affect us tomorrow. We both know that can't happen. You and I can't be a team divided." 

 

Dick almost snort, very rarely did he have a partner that didn’t let things be over with an ‘I’m sorry’. Even those who demanded more words, like Barbara, rarely got into the conversations to not only resolve the conflict but discuss the depths of what happened to create a new understanding. Adam used to do it.. Helena occasionally did… He had missed it. 

 

Slade looked over to the red barn on the property, a small smile on his face as he did. "Let me show you the sunset from the best seat on the farm." 

 

It was a short walk, a latter's climb, and a window's ledge climb to the roof away from them. Slade had them on-top of that old barn, sat on the small, flattened section of the roof that ran along the peak of it. He shrugged off his jacket once they were perched on top of it, putting it around Dick's shoulders. Slade didn't mind being a little cold, but if he recalled correctly, Dick hated it. The confirmation only showed when the other curled up in the jacket in an attempt to suck up all of the warmth.

"Tim isn't alone." 

 

Slade started, putting the conversation right back on track where they had left it moments earlier. He put a hand on Dick's thigh, moving his palm and fingers up toward his knee and back down again. 

 

"He knows you are here for him, that you love him. I know he doesn't question that, there is no way that he could." Slade wanted to help reassure Dick before he went into anything negative, because this next part was going to sting and Slade knew it. "But Dick, you are not the person he needs right now."

 

"Tim  _ did  _ kill someone, but it was his tormentor. Someone even we couldn't get him away from. I think Tim evaluated his options and decided this was the only outcome that was going to free him of Ra's." He massaged Dick's knee, hoping to keep him calm. 

 

"You and I both know how trauma can change people." Bruce had to  _ literally _ be the world's best example. "We don't know the full extent of what happened to him in Nanda Parbat. This wasn't a singular incident, or a short kidnapping. This was extended psychological and physical torture of a  _ child _ ." 

 

He didn't give a shit if Tim was eighteen now, he was a minor when it started and he might as well have been when it ended.

 

"Right now, he's recovering. We need to let him recover. Tim is surrounding himself with the people he needs to do that. I know it's hard to hear that you aren't one of those people just because you want to be there for him and I guarantee if you force your way in before he's ready, he will shut you out for good."

 

Dick stayed completely silent letting Slade say all of his piece. Some of the words were enough to cause a couple of loose tears to stream down his cheek but he wiped them away just as quickly as they came before shaking his head. 

 

"You don't know Tim.... Slade, he doesn't just... Open himself up to whoever's around or reach out for help. He tries to act like he's fine... He holds it in and keeps working on his mission no matter what his mental state is. It hardly gives him time to heal because he avoids it until it consumes him." At least that's mostly been Dicks experience of him.

 

The primary times Dick had gotten a call from Tim was if the kid was feeling suicidal. If he spoke to Jason or anyone else about his problems Dick certainly didn't know about that. 

 

"I just don't know if Benjamin is what he needs right now.... Ben has no reason not to support the notion of letting Tim continue to kill people and... Yes that bothers me because of my morals but... Also because I don't think Tim can handle going down that path. I just... I get a bad feeling about it."

 

When he found out Jason was killing he felt disappointed, frustrated and upset but he didn't doubt Jason wouldn't kill innocent people. He knew he would stay somewhat moral. He just... Felt it. With Tim? It was more of a sinking feeling that felt like there was a cold taking over his entire body. It nearly made him feel sick.

 

"You're right, I don't know Tim like you do." Slade admitted outright without hesitation. 

 

He could theorize all he wanted, but Dick spent the most time with Tim out of all of them. He knew things about his psyche that they wouldn't. 

 

"But, you don't know Benjamin like I do." He was wondering how much he should share.

 

 Tim didn't want Dick to know what was going on with him, so it was hard to say where the line in all this was. Slade just needed to go with his gut and hope Ben didn't want to skin him later. 

 

"Ben found Tim the night he was raped, he held him while he cried, got him medical attention, let Tim sleep in his room for a week until the night terrors stopped. That's the kind of support that Tim needs right now, someone who is willing to be there for him without strings attached. Ben wants to give him that because he's a good man and he cares about Tim. Ben is  _ exactly  _ what he needs, and more importantly, it's who Tim has chosen to confide in and we need to respect that decision regardless of how it makes us feel." 

 

Dick, unfortunately, didn't feel all that much better after hearing Slade's words. It did shift his perspective in Ben, told him that he could trust the tiger to comfort and care for Tim in his absence. That would have to be enough for now.

 

"I'm going to call Ben later and tell him your concerns. If you want, and you agree to be civil, I'll let you talk him once things settle down to make sure that you both agree Tim is getting the support he needs." Slade turned himself so he was facing Dick's side. "I'm sorry, Dick. I wish I could make this better." He put an arm around Dick and went to pull him into his chest, kissing the top of his head.

 

Dick sighed and shook his head as he let it rest against Slade's shoulder, an arm moving to wrap around the older man rubbing small circles on his back. "No.... Tim doesn't... Want to talk to me... I've learned from.. Multiple people that the more I push and negotiate and beg the worse it'll get. I just... I'll need to let him come to me." 

 

He didn't want to... God... He wanted to get on a plane right now and go to Tim and just hold him. But he couldn't do that. That's the shit he tried after Jason came back and it infuriated him. 

 

"Just... Tell Ben to tell Tim that I love him and I'm here for him when he's ready to talk." 

 

With that, Dick went silent and watched the sunset. It was one of his favorite things, watching the sky light up with fiery colors. He let out a sigh and shifted to cuddle against his partner more as he watched the rich pink and orange colors slowly turn into a soft purplish blue as the sun descended further into the sky. 

 

As darkness took over, Dick headed back to the house with Slade. His fingers interlocked with the others as they went inside meeting with Joey and Adam. 

 

"Ah good, you two made up. You should pack up, I was thinking we could go to England tonight that way you have time to rest before we get Rose." 

 

Dick nodded and moved away from Slade to go pack up some things for the trip, based off last time? They were going to be getting in late... Really.. Freaking... Late... Once he was packed up he went downstairs and worked on loading up the jet. Before long, Slade, Joseph, Dick and Adam had climbed on. 

 

"If we land in Manchester rather than London that'll cut our drive down by two hours."

 

"Why… Didn’t you tell us this last time?" Dick asked.

 

"Because the Court closed the Manchester airport to transport some captives. It's clear now."

 

"Well I'll take it." Dick said as he sat down in the co-pilot's chair. The time change was going to kill him.

 

Joey, quickly passed out on the bed in the back. Working with Adam had left him exhausted beyond what he was used to. The plane hadn't even left the ground and Joey had already tucked himself in with the lights turned off to prevent a migraine from forming. 

 

Slade and Dick took turns piloting the plane to England. It was faster that way, otherwise using autopilot could take twice the time at a slower speed. Slade couldn't help but close his eye and almost doze off while Dick took the wheel. They couldn't have gotten to England fast enough. 

 

It was early the next morning by the time they arrived, before the sun had risen and the sky was still dark. They were all eager to get some sleep but ... The arrangements were a little tight. 

 

Slade and Dick naturally took the bed, though both Slade and Dick insisted that they give up their spot to Joey to sleep with the other. Joseph had ended up just waving them off and telling them to go to bed. After stripping his clothes and stealing Slade’s shirt, Dick crawled into the bed and curled up in the blankets leaving his clothes for Adam to clean up because damn it, it was 2am and he wasn’t going to fold them right now. Once they were set at the bottom corner of the bed, Joseph offered to help make up the couch for Adam which, of course, would be better off done by the man himself because the corners  _ had  _ to be perfect. 

 

So, Joey went and sat in the small window seat off the living room. He cracked the window just enough so he could hear the white noise. Adam said he had to get used to this, now was just a good a time as any. He started by just closing his eyes and relaxing himself until the noises faded slowly into the background, but he must have relaxed too much, because he just ended up falling asleep. 

 

Slade got up early that morning, just before sunrise and covered Joey up with a spare blanket from the bed and raised his head to put a pillow underneath it. He topped it all off by pushing back his kid's hair and setting a soft kiss on his forehead. 

 

Morning came too fast, and, again, Slade was up. The moment he became conscious, dread started to fill him, but also excitement. They were going to save Rose today, he was going to get her back, but ... It was going to be dangerous. There were so many variables that Slade couldn't meticulously tear apart and evaluate them individually. He had to just trust that everyone was going to do their part and Rose was going to come home safe and sound. 

 

He rolled over in bed to face Dick, who, per usual, was wrapped around him like a spider monkey. Slade worked on untangling them so he could put his arms around the other instead. Even after all the fighting yesterday Slade didn't have a single other person he'd rather be with at this moment. Someday he'd figure out a way to make it up to Dick, for now? He'd just settle for this.

 

Dick wasn't asleep much longer than Slade, his eyes slowly fluttered open before they met the others. He let out a quiet and tired groan before closing his eyes pressing his forehead against the others with a soft, ‘thunk’.

 

"Morning, handsome." He grumbled. He knew today was the big day but fuck.. He was tired. "You ready to get Rose back?" That was an obvious answer but it was a conversation starter. "I want you to know.... No matter what happens, I'm here.. Even if I don't like what's happening I will support you in getting Rose out safe and alive."

 

"Thank you, love." Slade responded softly, kissing him in return. He loved how he could hear Dick’s breath get taken away.

 

The moment was almost ruined as Adam came back into the condo. Dick figured he was returning from his morning run. 

 

"Oh good, you're both clothed this time."

 

"...You..  _ Are _ alive." A second voice followed Adam's, one that Dick had known all too well.

 

Suddenly, he sat up in bed, his expression lighting in a huge smile. "Raven!" He exclaimed before leaping out of bed, hopping over the couch and hugging the young woman. 

 

Dick picked her up and spun in a circle before setting her down, stepping back with his hands on her shoulders to get a good look at her. Her hair had been dyed blonde and cut so the sides were shaved and the top pointed upwards in a spikey fashion, her clothes sported a slightly retro gothic look that said 'Raven' but also, 'moody teenager'.. Man it made her look young.

 

 "You look so... Different." Dick gawked, barely noticing as Adam passed him to go in the kitchen. 

 

Slade hadn't been expected Raven, of all people, to show up. He’s made a regretful decision to work with the cult that wanted to bring Trigon to Earth. To be fair, at first, he thought they were your average religious nut cases, but he couldn't have been more wrong. 

 

Joseph had suffered the most of all his family from the whole ordeal. The Spirits of Azarth using his body and abilities to 'infect' and control others. 

 

However, nothing would compare to the torture this young woman in front of them had gone through at the hands of Slade. Even if he was under another's control, he still felt responsible. 

 

Raven offered up one of her small smiles before looking over Dick, his hair an absolute mess, Slade’s clothes still hanging off him,"I uh... Guess this warrants some explaining? I know this is crazy but.. Slade and I have been seeing each other." Still hasn't gotten easier. 

 

"After everything he's done?"

 

"Yeah... I know but-"

 

Raven held a hand up, "It's not my business... He's manipulated you before but... I imagine you wouldn't give him your heart if he didn't give you a reason to."

 

Dick breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad you think so... Everyone thinks I'm... A naive love struck puppy."

 

Silence filled the room after that comment which left Dick with a less than amused expression on his face. 

 

Adam, who started cooking, spoke out "After breakfast we'll go over the plan and get ready to execute it."

 

"Eggs-ecute." Dick couldn't help but to remark before moving to put on a fresh pair of jeans and his own shirt, going to sit on the counter afterwards.

 

"I will warn you, you're now in striking distance so make another pun and.." Adam trailed off.

 

"Will you crack me?" Dick bantered making Raven quirk a brow. 

 

"He won't be the only one 'cracking' you." She decided to play along.

 

By now, Joseph had moved into the kitchen, going to fish a water out of the fridge. 

 

"Meds Joseph." Slade mentioned as he reached around him to grab a water of his own. Joey shot him a half glare and waved his father off. "Brat." Slade replied with a half smile. 

 

"What are you making for breakfast? I'm feeling peckish." Slade butted in, Joey groaned from the other side of the kitchen. "Sorry if my Dad jokes aren't what they’re cracked up to be."

 

"Dad you're worse than Dick." Joey's phone finally turned on as he walked behind Rachel and put a hand on her shoulder to say hi before sitting down next to her. 

 

The touch was filled with sensation rather than words. Happiness, relief, and surprise to see her. It was a better conveyed message than words would ever allow him. 

 

"Well, I am just winging it. Sorry my yolks are falling flat."

 

"Oh my god." Joey couldn't help but smile a little. It had been a  _ while  _ since he heard his Dad being so playful. Maybe Dick was rubbing off on him.

 

Raven smiled a little bit herself before looking to Joey, "I'm glad to see you're doing alright. The news was saying you were dead. The Court claims that a lot of people are dead." She said with a sigh.

 

She's been hating the fact that she's had to sit and hide doing little to help, but she wasn't going to risk getting caught. If they released Trigon on purpose or otherwise then all would be lost. She did manage to focus her energy and control some of the human guards to do things that helped a meta or two but it wasn't nearly the amount of work she wanted to put in. 

 

Slade was standing in front of the counter that Dick was sitting on, Dick’s arms looped around him as he held him from behind. 

 

"But seriously, Adam, what are you making."

 

"I'm making eggs, toast, bacon, mushrooms, and bangers."

 

".... What the hell are 'bangers'?" 

 

"Sausage." 

 

"Oh, that's not very banging." Dick said with a shrug.

 

“You and your damn puns.”

 

Before long, breakfast was prepared. Dick helped set the table before everyone took a seat, Adam and Raven must've already eaten because neither one of them had food in front of them. Adam set his phone on the table as a 3D hologram showed the same scene he showed Joey before. Two military trucks on an empty street. 

 

"They're transporting Rose later this evening. She will be in the second transport vehicle, each one sporting approximately seven High Court guards. Joseph will meet the first truck at this intersection and use his abilities to stop and essentially crush it without making it explode." 

 

Adam gestured at the vehicle before the hologram demonstrated the transport truck being crushed. 

 

"The second will be forced to stop and the moment it does, six of the seven guards will flood outside. Raven will teleport inside and do what she needs to with the remaining guard before grabbing Rose and teleporting with her. I will be parked a street away, once I have the two of them in my car I will move up a couple blocks while Joseph and Koriand'r handle the guards. Once they have an opportunity, they will meet me here."

 

 The hologram backed out so they could see the areas buildings, streets and alleys before Adam circled a spot a couple blocks away. "Then we will meet back here."

 

"... And what do Slade and I do?" Dick asked holding Slade's thigh.

 

"You two will wait here... I know it's not the most ideal however, if Alea knows you're in England, at all, it will put a target on your back... I've sent a contract over to Slade with a wire transfer so it'll look like he's in Shanghai doing mercenary work."

 

"You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to sit here while you rescue my daughter." Slade was quick to respond back. "I'm interested in getting Rose to safety. Target or not. The more people we have on the ground the better chance we have. Sitting here and doing nothing-"

 

"Dad." Joseph cut in, "Adam is right. You need to stay here. A target on you means a target on all of us. The four of us are enough firepower and skill to pull this off." 

 

Slade shook his head, "Joey you can barely keep your powers in check and there are too many variables here for me to stay back." 

 

He wished he could have shoved his own words back down his throat as soon as they left. The hurt that fell over Joseph's face was devastating, but, in true Wilson style, he quickly hid it under another mask. This one in particular read anger.  

 

"Joey-"

 

"Fuck off. You meant what you said. I  _ know _ you did." Joseph stood up and deposited his dishes in the sink. He moved toward the back of the condo and shut himself on the other side of the bathroom door. 

 

The front door then opened, a glowing green and gold beauty floating through it. "... Is ... This a bad time?"

 

"No... We were just going over the plans." 

 

Raven looked back at Slade shifting so she was somewhere between the dining room and living room. Kori followed, not able to help herself from playing with Raven's hair for a moment. The blonde was still such a shock to her. Besides, staying by Raven was safe. She wasn't sure where her and Dick stood currently and Slade? Well. She still wanted to punch him in the face. She always wanted to punch him in the face. 

 

"With all due respect... We can't afford to have you out there on the field. You're too emotionally connected to this. You're good at your job and what you do but this isn't a mercenary assignment. This isn’t a target for you to kill... This is a quick in and out. Starfire and Jericho are distractions. Even if his powers aren't focused? He'll get attention." Raven explained. 

 

Dick placed his hand on Slade's forearm giving it a soft squeeze, "Raven won't let anything happen to your girl, Slade... I... I know you want to be out there but.. The only thing we'll do is make things more dangerous for her." 

 

Slade felt pinned. More so, he was beginning to realize something fairly unsettling. They didn't need him to save Rose. In fact, they never did.

 

"Raven, Joseph and I know how to work as a team." Star added. "We will all be able to focus better without you there." That may have been personal, but she couldn't completely let everything go. "I've got Joey's back and I have enough power fire for both of us. Listen to Richard, he's right."

 

Slade had been self-serving in his need to rescue his daughter. Slade always assumed it  _ had _ to be him going in. With help, maybe, but he never envisioned a scenario where he wasn't physically involved. He never considered that Rose had a network of people who cared about her, who would rescue her. In a way that made him feel useless. What good was he to Rose as a Father if he couldn't save her? Conditionally useless. Yet, he had to remember that there was a long road ahead once Rose was back. One he didn't intend to make her walk alone. He'd be there. 

 

"Not a scratch." Slade said to the girls in front of him. "If this goes wrong ... If she has a single scratch on her ... If she  _ dies _ .." 

 

He bit his comment back. He wanted to tell them, no,  _ threaten  _ them with violence that would make anything he'd done to them before look like child's play. That kind of fear tactic, after seeing the High Court use it, seemed unnecessarily cruel. 

 

"Just ... Bring my daughter back to me ... Please."

  
Dick and Raven’s brows shifted into an expression holding compassion. Slade, in this moment, was being nothing more than a concerned father. He wasn’t being the mercenary Deathstroke, or the bad guy who was always out to get the Titans. Even Kori felt a pinch of compassion for the man. She didn’t believe he deserved to have his kids by his side but she understood the worry and fear he was experiencing. 

Dick softly rubbed Slade's arm before moving to pull at the other’s hand, "Come on." 

 

He guided the other towards the door and outside so they could talk. Slade had kind of just learned at this point to follow where Dick lead him. Always some secluded spot he'd found exploring, probably looking for a place to be away from everything for a while. They all understood that feeling. It didn't take long for them to make their way up the train tracks where a train car began to take shape from inside the overgrown trees around it. Slade stopped them, still holding onto Dick's hand.    
  
"I appreciate what you are trying to do, Kid. I'm ... Mad at myself. They're right. Rose is going to be okay without me there. I should have considered that, swallowed my pride and done something sooner. It's not anything we can fix now, I know that." Slade squeezed Dick's hand. "I've just made a lot of mistakes as Rose and Joey's father, more than my lifetime limit ten times over. They still love me though, and I want to earn that. I snapped at Joey and that's ... Not what I wanted." 

 

"I know, baby." Dick said reassuringly before letting out a soft sigh and massaging Slade's hand, "Its like you told me yesterday... When it comes to family, sometimes we all get a little crazy." 

 

He let the others hand go and moved in front of him, his hands running up Slade's chest before wrapping around the back of his neck. Naturally, Slade’s hands found their way to Dick’s waist. 

 

 "You  _ were  _ kind of an asshole in there, you can talk to Joey about it later.. I know he hasn't had a lot of practice with his powers... That things can go wrong. But you need to remember.. He's a  _ Wilson _ . He's strong and determined. Even if you don't know if he can do it.. Try giving him the benefit of the doubt. Express to him your concerns while also being open to the possibility that he'll do great." 

 

Dick paused for a moment before breathing out, "You need to get vulnerable with him. He's always felt estranged and distant from you. I know it's hard but... Tell him you're scared." 

 

Damn the kid was right. It was happening more often too. Maybe Slade was slipping off his game. "Being vulnerable with my kids is not something I've done before. I've always wanted to be strong for my family, but their too old for me to treat them like children anymore. That's... I'm still trying to deal with the fact that they are adults." 

 

Slade let out a short laugh. The old cliche of time gone by where babies turned into mature, self sufficient people. Slade missed his babies a lot sometimes, though, he also loved the people his kids had become.    
  
"I'll talk to Joey before they leave. I'll give him full access." 

 

He had to learn how to block out Joey's powers quickly. Having a telepathic child came with challenges a lot of parents didn't have to face. Even before Joey's assault he had abilities to some extent. Addie and himself just knew it. Slade had to learn how to condition his mind to not easily express his thoughts, feelings. He'd slipped up today, but it wasn't often he did. 

 

"I want to make this right." Slade felt like he was always cleaning up after his own messes with his kids. It was nice to have some solid accountability and a different perspective with Dick around.

 

He finally let the distance close between the two of them, his head dropping down onto Dick's shoulder. "I'm terrified I'm going to lose Rose ... Joseph too. I just got him back. I don't want them to lose each other either. They've never had to be without one another."

 

"I know.... No one wants to lose either of them, Slade... Not even me or Raven. And... I know I shouldn't but I trust Adam. He served some time in the military and has always been a careful planner... He wouldn't risk it if he thought there was any chance there would be casualties." He better not have. Dick would be pissed. 

 

"If you'd like, I can have Joey come out here to talk to you... I know you have a hard time being vulnerable, I don't want to make you flay yourself open in front of a room filled with people." 

 

“I’d…. Appreciate that.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  
  


Joey had turned off his phone to keep any of his thoughts from slipping out. He was nearly in tears, but was looking up at the ceiling desperately trying to blink them away. He knew that most people thought he was sensitive. That he sometimes tended to over react to small things that most people would brush off. In all aspects, he felt that was true, but he tried his best to rein it in as much as possible.

 

What people didn't seem to understand was that he felt things so much more deeply than others did. Words were blanketed with intent lining them, intent he could actually read clearly. Knowing the emotions and purpose behind others' actions toward him was a heavy cross to bare. There was no lying to save feelings, no apologies without true regret. None of the usual social tools people used to help hide their inner selves.

 

"Joseph.” 

 

Joey heard Adam's voice through the door and it pulled him out of his own mind. He tried to communicate telepathically through the door but couldn't concentrate enough. In a moment of pure frustration and a need to be distracted, Joey whipped open the door, grasped Adam's arm, and pulled him into the bathroom. The door shut quickly behind both of them. Joey moved his hands up to Adam's shoulders and pushed the man's back flat against the wall of the bathroom next to the door. 

 

Leaning against the man's frame, Joey closed his eyes and had his head down. He was only two inches shorter than Adam but he felt so small.

 

'It's easier to do this if I can touch you.' 

 

Joseph sounded matter of fact, but a little of his anxiety was slipping through. 'For him to say that after how hard we've  worked these past few weeks? How much progress I've made? I can't keep my powers in check? Seriously?' Joey was angry, but, what if his Dad was right? What if he did fuck this up? 'I want to hit him sometimes.'

 

"Parents suck sometimes." Adam stated, his hands moving to gently hold Joey’s sides, "I think... Your father is just... Unwilling to accept that he isn't needed here.. Maybe he doubts you but he hasn't seen the miracles and strides you’ve made, so.. Knowing he's supposed to sit by and let everyone else handle this is.. Frustrating for him." 

 

Joey felt a sense of affirmation hearing Adam lay out exactly why his father was an ass. He agreed, one hundred percent, but his mind was still racing with the what if's of failure. The things he knew his Father was worried about.

 

Adam gently lifted Joseph’s chin so he could look into his eyes. The contact made a tingling sensation run along the young meta’s neck and down his spine, his eyes moving to meet Adam's without even thinking ... And really that was the amazing part. He wasn't thinking. His mind stopped, the flood of different emotions and memories dissipated out of his conscious mind.    
  


" The thing is, unless he wants Rose to get killed, we're going to do things my way. I calculate  _ everything _ . I've scrutinized the scenario a million times over... If I had  _ any  _ doubt in you, I wouldn't bet everything on you. I trust you to do this the way it needs to be done regardless of what your father thinks. I know you want him to trust you and you want him to support you but... Sometimes, Joseph, the only opinion that matters is yours. You know you can do it, so fuck what anyone else thinks."

 

Joey nodded as he understood. 'You're right, fuck it.' He wiped away the one tear he had with the back of his palm but didn't shy away from looking at Adam. 

 

He moved over to the bathroom sink where he washed his face, working on gaining better control until he felt stable enough to face the rest of the team again. Once his face was dry he turned his communicator on again. 

 

"I appreciate you doing all this."    
  
"It’s not a problem, Joseph.. You deserve more credit than what your father gave you." 

 

 Joseph turned to face the other, looking down at his lips then back to his eyes. His hand reached up only to stop next to Adam's head as Joey rethought his actions. A half devious smile and a sigh left him all at once. His hand ventured down slowly to just brush over Adam's lips, the smell of Adam's hand soap softly drifting behind it. Adam nearly froze.

 

 "I'll find a way to say thank you later."

 

That's when the brit adopted the, seemingly contagious, mischievous smile, "You could thank me now." 

 

His hands were on Joseph again, a hand on his neck and a hand on his waist. Joseph was genuinely surprised when Adam touched him. Which, was a rare occurrence given his abilities. The shock on his face stayed for a brief second, showed in the way he naturally reacted to Adam's touch before his brain caught up with the rest of him. Joey leaned in a little closer, his thigh pressing with just enough pressure between Adam's. His hand came to rest on top of the other's cheek, moving slowly back into the hairline above his ear.

 

 "I could ..." 

 

Through their connection Joey sent a series of rolling sensations and images. Anticipation, excitement, pleasure. Pleasure that was hot, heavy, spontaneous and lustful. The images paired with feelings of hands running along Adam's bare sides, a tongue sliding across the pulse of his neck, and the very real feeling of Joey rolling his knee up and between Adam's thighs. 

 

"But, what would be the fun in that?"

 

 Joey tried to act calm, backing up from Adam with a wicked smile on his face, but his cheeks were flushed, betraying his demeanor. It got Adam to let out a short and halfhearted chuckle. That whole performance had gotten the brit a little excited but with the exception of his dilated pupils, he didn’t show it.

 

"We need to stay focused. Right? Besides, I'd like to reward you for your hard work  _ after _ my sister is home safe. You have to earn it." Joey looked to the door and nodded toward it. "Come on, you have an orchestra to conduct."

 

"Right." He responded and opened the bathroom door for Joey to step out and back into the main room.

 

By now Dick had returned from his walk with Slade, upon seeing Joey he approached him and placed a hand on his arm. "Slade wants to talk to you... If you go outside and go right up the tracks you'll find him." 

 

"Why?" 

 

Joey was quick to interject with, his tone was clipped and venomous even through his phone, which he then turned off and tossed to the side. Sign language was just fine for the occasion. 

 

[I'm sorry.] He started, letting his mind rest. [I won't shoot the messenger.] Joey went to leave, but stopped to say one more thing. [Dick,] 

 

He signed Dick's name with a 'd' handshape that made a V  motion in front of him. Nightwing was the same except with an 'n' handshape.   
  
[Make sure you take care of yourself too. Okay?] With that, Joey left. 

 

He met his father down the train tracks as he had been instructed. Slade was sitting on the right rail, just watching his surroundings until he noticed Joey. He moved to stand up.

 

[Just sit.] Jerricho ended up taking a seat in front of his Dad with a respectable distance between them. [You wanted to talk, let's talk.]

 

"Going right into it then?" Joey gave Slade an unimpressed look. "Right."

 

 Slade let out a sigh and let his guard drop. Let the fear he was feeling drip out around him, the anxiety, but also his love and adoration for Joseph. 

 

"You were right, I meant what I said to you. I wasn't thinking clearly though. I know how much you've worked on controlling your powers. I am also amazed at the progress you've made since they first appeared. I think sometimes, as your father, I look at your whole life instead of who you are now. Sometimes I still think about you as a child, because you  _ are  _ my child, but you've grown. So much. You deserve better from me. I'm sorry."    
  
Slade paused , wondering if Joey would have something to say, but he was looking off at the ground picking at the grass.

 

"I'm ... Scared Joey." Slade watched his son's eyes turn up toward him. "I lost you once and it crushed me. I kept thinking about how I wished I could have saved you, or at least told you I love you one more time. When you go out this evening to get Rose ... I'm terrified neither of you will come back. Just knowing that if something goes wrong ... I can't protect my kids. I won't be there to shield you, watch your back. That's a gut wrenching thought to me."    
  
Slade slid off his seat on the rail so he could sit knee to knee with Joey. "But you don't need me there. Neither does Rose." He put his hands on Joey's shoulders. "Because I believe in you, I know you can do this. This is your sister and I know you'll do what it takes to get her back safely." 

 

"Joseph was my Grandfather's name, and he was the strongest, most compassionate man I've ever known. When I first saw you ... You looked just like him... I cried." Slade saw Joey tearing up already. "You remind me of him all the time. I always think if you two could have met you would have been inseparable. But, I also know he would have told me to stop pushing you away. To stop worrying about you and start trusting you instead. I want to do that ... I'm going to. Joey, I promise." 

 

Joey nodded in response and Slade just hugged him close to his chest. "I love you, kid. So much."

 

'I love you too, Dad.'

 

"Before you go ... I have your suit ... If you want it. I know it's been a while, but-"

 

'I'll take it.' Joey nodded. 'I can't believe you kept it.' 

  
  
  


Joey was walking next to Slade back up to the house. The tension had lifted between them a little, and it felt good to have it off his shoulders for tonight. It meant he could focus more. 

 

"As much as I didn't agree with the relationship you had with Ikon ... He made the best damn suits in the universe. He made this one for you and it is arguably his best work." 

 

'David always did try and give me the best...' Even when Jerricho never gave him back the best. 'He's a good man Dad he just ... It wasn't in our cards.' 

 

Back at the cabin, Jericho looked up at the suit that Slade was now pulling out of his bag. It was activated by Joseph's brain waves, and transmitted physical information about his condition back to him.

 

'Body temperature, 96.9°, Blood pressure 104/73, Heart rate, 65.' Joey heard the voice in his mind reading it all off to him. It always sounded like David, but David swore he never programmed it to sound like anyone in particular. 

 

The rest of the group was getting loaded up in Adam's car while Slade and Dick stayed behind. There was one thing though, Adam left Dick with an address. Told him to walk to the main road in an hour and hail a cab to it, even gave him some cash. Dick moved to sit with Slade, massaging his shoulders and just talking to him to keep his mind off of things.

 

Meanwhile, Adam had made it into town letting Kori sit up front despite her being the same size as Joey. Once they got to a stop light, Adam dropped Joey off. Jericho leaned up against a brick wall just inside an alley at the intersection. He could see from his vantage the road the trucks would be coming up from.

 

Kori and Raven were dropped off on a neighboring street where Adam had parked. Raven was now dressed in her usual Teen Titans garb with her hood over her head. The two moved up to the rooftop where they could look down on the street. It took twenty minutes before she could see the military vehicles. 

 

'They're approaching.' Jericho sent out on a link he had created with everyone. He could thank M'gann for that training bit. 'Two vehicles as expected, arrival in two minutes.'

 

Jericho focused himself and moved out in front of the trunk, putting his hands out and ... nothing. Nothing happened. Joey turned to run in the other direction from the truck, but after a few yards turned around and charged the truck head on. He suddenly slid down like a baseball player taking home base, moving entirely under the large truck and rolling into a standing position on the other side. Joey had shut his eyes and opened them once he was fully upright. The entire truck in front of them exploded much like the rock had the night before. There was no 'truck' left, only bits and pieces of truck parts spraying out in a deadly pattern. Luckily, it was all caught by a shield of Joey's energy around where the truck had been like a bubble. It disappeared and all the pieces stuck within fell to the ground once it dissipated. Joey felt light headed and uneasy on his feet, but he could hear the sound of the truck squealing to a halt behind him. He turned around and focused himself, trying to shake off the drain he was feeling. He didn't need his abilities to kick these guys' asses

 

As soon as the truck fully stopped, six men jumped out of it all armed with guns. They were ready to shoot at Joey and that's when Raven gave Starfire the signal to attack. 

Kori didn't hesitate or wait before flying towards the vehicle, letting out a scream as she released bright green plasma balls, aiming at the soldiers on the ground. The first two struck one of the large men hardly getting him to stir however, it successfully shifted the men's attention on her. 

 

Joey felt a wave of relief rush over him. Raven must’ve been in the truck, he had to focus on keeping the attention off of her. He started by looking at the truck driver straight in the eye. With a smile and a wave, Joey pushed his way into the drivers head. The man suddenly turned, got out of the car and began beating one of his buddies with his gun and firing into the air. 

 

The distraction seemed to work. Starfire picked off guards like spring daisies. They were staring off at their fellow man, some confused, while others bordered on disturbed. They didn't have time to prepare themselves against Kori's attacks, which meant most were knocked to the ground or incapacitated with her first hit. 

 

Once the truck driver served his purpose Joey let go of his hold on the man so he could physically move to take him out and wrap this whole thing up. However, when he released his influence on this man he didn't fall down like Jerricho's usual victims did. Instead, he faltered for a single second and aimed toward the sky at Koriander. Joey felt his heart slam into his throat. 

 

'Kori! Shots!' Joey pushed through to Kori like a megaphone. Kori quickly dropped about fifty feet out of the sky, sending a score of bullets following her decent down, but never reaching her. 

 

Before the truck driver could reload Joey reached him. He jumped up, turned himself, and with a hard, downward swing of his elbow hit the man so hard in the head he was knocked unconscious instantly.

 

Kori dropped down next to him with a big smile on her face, "You are so strong now!"    
  
She sounded incredibly proud, and she was. Dick and Kori had spent a lot of days training with Joey, and seeing this progress was like seeing one of her little baby Titans all grown up.    
  
"See? I always told you to pull from here, and not here." Kori touched his chest and then tapped his forehead. 

 

‘What?’ Joseph asked laughing a little bit, trying to catch his breath. 

 

Starfire didn't say anything, just put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in for a side hug, walking a bit with him. "Let's go see Rose."

  
  
  
  


Kori and Joey dropped down in front of Adam's car, Kori opened the  front-passenger side door for Joey to get in. "I'll catch up later ... I know this wasn't part of the plan, but I can't tell you where I'm going either." Kori said with a smile, closing the door behind Joey once he was inside. Then, just like that, she took off from the ground with such speed it slightly shook the car. 

 

Joey didn't want more than a second to turn around in his seat and squeeze as much of himself as he could between the front two car seats so he could see his sister. He was way more in Adam's personal space then he probably should have been, but he couldn't really find a reason to care right now. 

 

'Rose, Rose ... Oh my god.' Joey easily connected to Rose, it barely took an ounce of energy to do. Which, at the moment, his body was drained and exhausted, but endorphins were giving him one hell of a boost right now.

 

Joey gave her what had to be the most awkwardly positioned hug ever.

 

Rose smiled and was quick to hug Joseph the best she could but between her abnormally large belly and the awkward angle, they didn't get too close. It didn't stop her from starting to cry.    
  
"You're alive!" She watched him die. She couldn't believe he was here right now. She ran her thumb along his cheek, a large smile on her face, "I thought I lost you."    
  


Raven by now removed her hood and shifted in the seat as Adam spoke. "Not to break up the family moment but we do need to get going."

 

Once Joey was turned forward in his seat, Adam began driving. The drive took approximately an hour before they arrived at a house on a farm like property, minus the animals and barn. 

There was a big yard with a white picket fence and a bright white house in the middle. As Adam pulled into the driveway, a cab carrying Slade and Dick pulled up behind him. The duo got out just as Adam did and no sooner than when the driver drove away, Rose stepped out.    
  
"Daddy!" She exclaimed and moved swiftly to him before nearly collapsing from her own exhaustion. Still, she wrapped her arms around Slade and held him tightly, which partially was her holding herself up. 

 


	28. Free Bird

Slade couldn't have jumped out of the car faster when he saw Rose crossing the distance between them. He met her half way and lifted her off the ground, hugging her against his larger frame. 

 

"Princess, I'm so glad you're home."

 

 Slade breathed out, the anxiety he had been carrying since they left finally able to release around him as he held his daughter. She was too weak to stand, so of course, Slade supported her completely. He lifted her from the ground and put one arm under her legs, shifting her body so she could lean her shoulder onto his chest while he supported her lower back. 

Joey met them a few moments after throwing his arms around the two of them, just sitting there for a moment. They could be a family again and it was the best Slade had felt since he saw Rose on that table. Things were going to be okay from now on, with his kids safe, he could finally take on the High Court like he wanted to. There was nothing to be held over his head now. 

  
  
  


Meanwhile, Adam and Raven had moved to the front door where the Brit rung the doorbell. Seconds later, a short elderly woman with short curly white hair answered the door. She looked to Adam and Raven, and then to the group behind him. 

 

"I thought you said you were bringing 'American heroes', those are babies!"

 

"... I brought you a pirate too." Adam scoffed.

 

"Is he single? Cuz I don't want him if he isn't single."

 

"Jesus, Ma, you can't just go after every hot old bloke." 

 

"That's for me to decide. Why don't you invite them inside and get them some refreshments." She ordered before disappearing inside with Raven following.

 

Adam gathered everyone to head inside, Joey leading them from the front. Inside, the walls were painted a baby blue. Just off the main entrance was a room with two pianos and various music posters on the walls and a shelf filled with music books. To the left was the kitchen and just off of that were stairs and a small hallway. Along the other parts of the house there were some baby photos of a blonde toddler and two photos of a brunette boy and girl. 

 

Dick looked around in awe, a small smile on his face as he found himself going towards the piano room. There was a large window that overlooked the massive yard outside.

 

"Thank you for having us in your home." Slade introduced himself to the head of the household before he went and helped Rose change.

 

Joey was in awe at the house, he loved it. Not to mention Ma was just as he imagined her. Seeing that his Dad planned on handling Rose, he moved over to introduce himself. He turned on his communicator and hoped the whole thing didn't freak her out. 

 

"I know my father already mentioned this but ... Thank you for letting us use your home. It's beautiful. I'll make sure we keep it that way." Joey promised and gave that million dollar smile he had that was purely genuine. 

 

"I'm Joseph or Joey. It's nice to meet you, Adam has nothing but good things to say about you. I know you mean a lot to him." 

 

Their first meeting probably wasn't the time to mention that Joey knew most of his information about her from rooting around in Adam's mind. 

 

She shook her  head and almost scoffed, "I'm surprised he even mentioned me, Ethan is a very private boy. I'm surprised he even has friends." She couldn't help but to nearly gripe.

 

"I can help Adam get the refreshments ready unless you needed help with something else?"

 

"You are guests here, you will not lift a single finger unless it's to pick your own bloody nose, you hear me?"

 

By now, Slade had put Rose down on the comfiest looking sofa in the living room. He took a blanket from the back of the couch and covered Rose with it, crouching down to her level and placed a hand on her arm.  

 

Adam about rolled his eyes as he leaned in from the dining room space, "Tea, coffee, water or juice?"

 

"What kind of juice?" Dick didn't hesitate to ask from the piano room as he made his way back into the living room.

 

"How about the introduce your grandmother to the strangers you brought into her house?" The woman chimed in making Adam sigh.

 

Adam then pointed to each person as he spoke their name, "Joseph, Slade, Rose, Dick, Raven and Adam... Everyone, this is Elaine... And it's orange juice."

 

"Orange juice sounds nice." Dick commented as he looked at the walls before addressing Elaine, "You taught Adam to play piano didn't you?"

 

"Just as soon as I taught him to stop picking his nose."

 

"Ma!"

 

"Oh hush, everyone does it at one time or another." She teased despite her tone sounding serious. She then moved passed him into the kitchen to help get drinks.

 

"What kind of tea?" Rose asked from the couch.

 

"This is England, love, we have just about every kind of tea you could possibly want."

 

"Are you getting snarky with the pregnant girl?" Ma asked from the kitchen.

 

Dick and Rose couldn't help but to snicker.

 

"I'll take a jasmine tea with lemon and honey if you have it."

 

"Of course." 

  
  


After getting everyone's drink orders, Adam brought them in while Elaine brought back a platter of various fruits, veggies and some sweets. 

 

"I only have three rooms. One is mine, and one is the witch girls. The pregnant girl gets the third room. I have a blow up mattress someone can use. Then there’s the couch and the bumped out window. Ethan can take the basement."

 

"Hardy har har." Adam responded to his grandmother in a less than amused tone.

 

Joey looked around the room and started rooming people together mentally. "My Dad can bunk with Rose. Dick can have the couch, then Adam and I can share the air mattress. Of course, that is unless you want to snuggle up with Adam tonight, Dad? I can bunk with Rose." 

 

Joey watched Slade shake his head at him, which just made him laugh. Joey's laugh was a little different. It didn't make a sound, but you could tell by the expressions on his face. Though he always tended to cover his mouth. 

 

"Maybe another night." 

 

"I'd sleep with Dick." 

 

"Not in this house you aren't." Joey shot back looking to Rose. "I have a lot to catch you up on." He was standing next to Adam in the kitchen, having washed his hands before starting to peel an orange.

 

Dick paused to think about the sleeping situation as Elaine took a seat, clearly she was going to let her guests make whatever calls they wanted to make. "What if Rose and Slade shared the bed and Joey slept on the air mattress in the room with them. Or Joey and Rose can be in the bed, whatever combination. You three deserve to have some personal family time together. I can sleep out here on the flo-"

 

"Ethan will take the floor before you do, you're far too pretty to ruin your bones. He's already broken." Elaine quickly piped in. 

 

Adam rolled his eyes, "He could sleep in the bumped out window like Joseph did at the condo." 

 

Dick nodded in agreement, though he knew it may be a challenge for Slade to let him go unsupervised, "Honestly as long as I'm warm, I'm happy."

 

"Ma has a fluffy comforter you'd love, it maintains a good temperature and is weighted so you'll feel swaddled." Adam noted before sipping some tea.

 

Rose propped herself up some, "As long as dad doesn't snore, I'm happy. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep and he's not going to ruin it."

 

"He doesn't really snore that much." Dick said absentmindedly making Rose stop and look at him. 

 

The two make eye contact in an almost awkward acknowledgement of what that sentence meant.

 

"See what I mean? Lots to catch up on." 

 

Joey leaned on the counter, popping a slice of orange in his mouth. One upside to having a phone speak for you was being able to eat while talking without looking like a complete slob. 

 

"So, why don't we start there Dad? Tell Rose about your new lover." Joseph was being a little antagonistic, sure, but it was hard not to when his father kept making these ridiculous faces in response. 

 

Slade was now sat on the floor next to where Rose was on the couch, he hadn't left her side since they entered the house.

 

 "Joseph Wilson ..." He said like every parent did when their child was in trouble, Joey just laughed a little again. "Well ..." 

 

Slade looked over to where Dick was sitting, meeting his eyes to get permission, for what he wasn't sure. This wasn't a secret anymore, they'd decided that. Right? 

 

"Dick and I have been ... Dating, or maybe more together..." 

 

"Dick is Dad's boyfriend." Joey sped up the process of Slade getting to the point.

 

Rose let out a scoff, "You won't date me but you'll date someone who's not only old enough to be your grandfather, but someone who's tried to kill you hundreds of times."

 

"Its part of the trauma package that comes with being a hero." Dick shrugged.

 

"Well I'm not calling you 'dad'"

 

"I don't want you to." Dick said somewhat awkwardly, he loved Joey and Rose but their relationship was... Different... 

 

"...So, dating, huh?" Rose asked before looking at Slade, "He any good?"

 

Dicks entire face flushed red, "Rose..." He nearly winced out. 

 

"They at least sound like they enjoy each other." Joey chipped in, moving into the living room.

 

"Both of my children have no manners." Slade said mostly to himself.

 

"And why don't we show you guys to your room." Adam stated, trying to shift the conversation before his grandmother could-

 

"I wanna know if the old ones any good. That's all that matters at this point."

 

"He's taken." 

 

"Wait until I get my tight trousers, he won't be then." The woman shot back making Adam groan. 

 

Slade couldn't help but smirk a little at Elaine's comments. "Sounds like a date then, doesn't it?" He flirted back because, well, why not? Nothing was serious, and Dick knew that. 

 

Dick couldn’t help but smile and even roll his eyes at the comment, “Uh oh, looks like I have some competition.” 

 

“Damn right you do.” Elaine teased back. 

 

Rose groaned and shifted, struggling to sit up at first. "I'm so fat..."

 

"You're not fat, you're pregnant." Slade pointed out uselessly, he sat up himself to help Rose off of the couch with some support. 

  
  


Dick got up after a moment and went back into the piano room, Elaine following shortly after.

 

 "Do you play?" She asked.

 

Dick faced her with a smile, "Adam taught me when I was younger."

 

"Show me."

 

Dick sat down at one of the grand pianos and ran his fingertips over the keys before he softly began playing a melody. 

  
  


Rose leaned against Slade, letting her head rest against his shoulder. "You seem happy." She pointed out, "I'm glad... It's... Been a while since you've been with someone who makes you happy. Dicks a good man, you better be treating him right." Maybe she was just a tad jealous.

 

 "You're not the first one to say that ... Ben and Joey did too. I- "  Slade stopped when he saw the pain on Rose's face. 

 

She then took Slade's hand and put it on her belly so he could feel the baby kicking. His hand followed the movement as it rolled and moved down her belly. He closed his eye for a moment, wondering what the little one was doing inside. Then, he had to remember that this baby wasn't something Rose chose to have. 

 

"Listen, Rose..." Slade started, feeling cautious about how to approach this, "When we leave here, we are going back to the farm. I've arranged for an OBGYN to meet us there. I want you to know that if this isn't something you want ... An abortion is still an option. You're further along than I expected, but these are definitely extenuating circumstances." Slade moved his hand off her stomach and rubbed her arm. "This is your choice, and I'll support whatever you choose."

 

Rose paused to think over Slade’s words as she held her stomach, the sound of the faint melody playing in the background. After a while she let out a soft sigh.

 

 "Daddy, I appreciate that.. A lot. If this choice was presented to me a couple months ago I would've taken it but.... Over the last two months this baby is all I've had." Her eyes finally left her stomach as she looked up to meet Slade's gaze, "I tried getting rid of it myself in the beginning but... Then it started to move and grow and... While I was in the room feeling like I was going crazy, it was the one thing that kept me grounded. It kept me sane and reminded me of your promise... It made me feel less alone." 

 

She smiled fondly and rubbed her belly, tracing along the various kicks. "I want to meet it. Give it life. Teach it to be better than any of us could ever have hoped to be."

 

"Then that's what I want for the both of you." Slade leaned forward and kissed Rose's forehead again, hugging her lightly. "You'll have your family behind you. I can speak for Joseph in this instance because your brother will be ecstatic to be an uncle. We both know that." 

 

Now, Joey  wasn't great with kids. He certainly tried, but sometimes his powers could make them cry or scared if he accidentally pulled out bad memories. However, Slade loved the way that Joey's eyes lit up when he saw little ones, able to communicate with them in a way that speaking people couldn't. 

 

"Now that my family is safe, I'm going to do whatever I need to bring things back to what they should be. Now, I'm just going to work even harder for my grandchild as well." Slade smiled and let out a huff of a laugh, "Grandpa ... Now you and Joey will have all the material in the world for your old jokes." 

 

Slade shifted so that Rose could lay her head in his lap, all while he ran his fingers through her hair. Eventually, he began braiding her long hair the same way he would when she was a young child. It felt like ages since they had a moment like this. A moment before there was so much hurt and hate between them.

 

Then, Slade heard a tune come over that he knew, Brahms Lullaby, which his Grandmother used to sing to him when he was younger. He did the same with his kids. Slade didn't even think as he began singing out the words in that same deep baritone he had back in that private medical room. Though, backed by Dick's piano it took on new life, more like a small concert. 

 

Rose smiled and relaxed in her father's lap, the peaceful sound of the piano and Slade's voice slowly carrying her into a light sleep. It only got worse when a cello joined in. Before Rose knew it? The world darkened around her as she completely succumbed to her own exhaustion. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Upstairs, Joey had taken to talking to Adam while the other worked on preparing sleeping arrangements. 

 

 "Ma is better in person than I ever could have possibly imagined she'd be." 

 

Joey was smiling again, happy that things just seemed to be coming together for all of them again. Adam was partly to thank for that, and Joey hadn't forgotten. Joey's hand moved over the top of Adam's shoulder and brushed down the front of his chest as he moved by.

 

"Think she'll let me steal you for a while?"

 

Adam paused to look at Joey, an amused smile crossing his face. "I think that all depends on how her guests are doing... But don't get too excited, we aren't fulfilling any fantasies in my grandmothers house." 

 

He booped Joey's nosed before moving to open a storage closet where he fished out the inflatable mattress and some blankets before going into a small guest room. The room had a full sized bed against the wall with a dresser across from it on the opposite wall. Adam laid out the twin sized mattress between the two only leaving a foot between the bed and mattress. He then crouched down and began inflating it. 

 

"Fulfilling fantasies? My Dr. Foster that's awfully presumptuous of you. I was thinking of taking you out to do something British ... Maybe have a beer  or two. I'm a gentleman afterall." 

 

Adam chuckled at Joey's comments, "With all the rummaging around my head you've done, I'd think you'd know I'm more of a scotch kind of guy." He teased back. 

 

"Your sister’s further along than I expected." Adam couldn't help but to talk business as he shifted the mattress to be perfectly between the dresser and bed with six inches on each side. "They must've used a growth hormone they had been working on to accelerate the process... It's been three months? Given how late they started.. She should be about five to six months now."

 

"That's... Wrong. Then again everything they do is wrong.  I wonder what effect it’s had on Rose or the ... Do we call them a baby? Experiment seems crude. Rose probably wouldn't appreciate it either." Joey was just leaned against the doorway, looking thoughtful for a moment. "She wants the baby. She doesn't think about them as an experiment anymore but ... Do you think it'll continue to harm her? She looks so frail..." 

 

He was worried about his sister. Baby or not, she was his first priority.

 

"Until further decided, based on the ultrasounds I've seen the baby's a girl.." It was up to her if she identified as a different gender but for the time being it'd give them something other than 'it' or 'experiment' though... Joey was already being more thoughtful about his language than the Court doctors. 

"Rose is strong... Given what I've seen of the drug, it'll be safe to assume she'll go through some form of withdrawal, maybe even bleeding which... We should inform them of so they don't panic." Adam paused and thoughtfully tapped his finger on the mattress before collecting the air machine and standing up. "You're father is a smart man, I'm sure he has a good list of medical doctors to care for her. I don't imagine her pregnancy will be typical since she was a labrat for a portion of it but I don't think carrying the child will do her any harm."

 

"Oh no, I listened to my Dad call four different leads trying to find a OBGYN to see Rose without leaking information. Then, he had the nerve to be picky and would only have a female doctor with more than five years of experience  _ and _ graduated from top medical schools. He'll make sure she's taken care of. Dad tends to do well with things like these anyway. He's not always great with emotions so, this is the next best thing." Joey clicked his tongue physically. 

 

"So ... I guess this means I'm going to be an uncle." A huge smile spread across his face. "Nevermind taking me to the pub. Where is the nearest baby store? I need to get some ridiculous Uncle related onesie for my  _ niece _ ." Yeah, Joey was excited. Very excited. However, he needed to refocus before he went entirely off the edge. 

 

Joey walked ahead of Adam and opened the closet door so he could put away things. "You know, Adam ..." 

 

Joey started, shutting the door once Adam was done. His hand finding the man's shoulder and then moved in just enough to touch the side of Adam's neck. His thumb brushed up toward the front, looking him in the eye. 

 

'Thank you. Thank you for bringing my sister home and helping me when you didn't  _ have _ to.' Joey's thumb traced his same tracks back to the side of Adam's neck. 'If you hadn't helped us ... I don't know if we could have gotten her back. He  stepped forward into Adam's space, and put a soft kiss on his cheek. 'You're my hero.'

 

Adam couldn't help but smile softly before rolling his eyes, "Well... Don't hold onto that too much." He said before slightly distancing himself from Joey. "I'm not exactly a good person. I've talked people into doing some awful things for the sake of curiosity." He paused a moment, "I helped your sister outside of my own selfish reasons but I don't want you to think that I'm better than I am, because you'll get hurt and very disappointed." 

 

"Adam, what you did to Dick, to Gotham ... Was horrendous. You lacked any compassion and empathy. It's frightening to think about that being the same man standing in front of me." Joey stayed in his own space, allowing Adam to take the distance he needed. 

 

"I may be young, but I'm not entirely naive, or am I  disillusioned by you." Joey studied Adam's face. "You feel it though. Don't you?" The question may not have been obvious, so Joey elaborated further. "What the High Court is doing ... It isn't a far cry from your own ideals ... Or what they used to be." Joey finally did reach out and touch Adam's chest, right over his heart. "You've changed. Watching good people suffer, it hurts now. Right?"

 

Adam paused to reflect on the words as he stared down at the hand on his chest. He couldn't deny that he did feel... Something watching these innocent people die. He wouldn't call it pain... Maybe remorse? Regret? Finally he sighed. 

 

"The only difference is that I've let go of my anger.... Growing up, I had absolutely no control over my life. I didn't even have access to basic human needs. I didn't know what it felt like to be loved or wanted. To have freedom. I resented people that had it, people that took advantage of it." His fist flexed slightly. 

 

"I naturally grew to be manipulative because it was the only way to get what I wanted, but it wasn't enough... I wanted to see what it felt like to control others. I wanted to see how far I could push people. Could I convince a man to murder his wife and himself? Could I convince a child to look at their parents with a new appreciation? Or convince a boy who had nothing but love in his heart to commit mass genocide? There was a part of me that believed that through loss, people could become better but... My actions were influenced by the need to control. To hurt people."

 

He took Joey's hand and pulled it away from his chest, "I cut myself off from my feelings. Dick gave me something, which was why I had to snuff it out and stay focused. The only difference between then and now is... There's no point to any of this... The Court is wanting to make people obedient... To make them captives. To make them live a life under a dictatorship like I did with my parents. The bottom line is, I won't be controlled by anyone else."

 

"You wanted to hurt others because you wanted control you never had. You wanted other people to understand your pain and they just didn't, they couldn't." Joey pulled out what he heard in Adam's sentences and repeated it back to him so Adam knew fully where Joseph was coming from. "You don't see any value in now being able to recognize those things were bad? To me ... you sound regretful. For you, that's a big step. Am I wrong?" Joseph let his hand squeeze Adam's lightly before letting it go.

 

"It...." He started before pausing. Sure he could dismiss his own show of compassion and empathy but in a psychopathic patient he would've pointed out those achievements. "That's a big step for anyone who has a lack of empathy..." He said with a nearly dismissive sigh. "I'm not... Discounting the fact I've grown and changed nor that I've felt more... Emotions. But don't make that mean I'm a 'good' person. I mean truly, there aren't good or bad people. Just choices... And usually I make choices that benefit me or my plans." He was almost as selfish as Constantine. The only difference was that Adam wouldn't sacrifice the people he loved for himself.

 

"That's very true. I don't know if I ever thought about it that way before ..." Joseph answered honestly. "I guess though, being a hero doesn't mean your good or bad does it? It's about the choices you make. I'm not good at it. Maybe because I'm not good at making solid choices ... I can't commit." Joey shrugged a little. "So, you can be  _ my  _ hero because you made the  _ choice  _ to save my sister. Even if you did it for some other reason." Joseph reached out and pushed his fingers through Adam’s hair. "Is that acceptable doctor?"

 

"That's fair." He responded, a small smirk crossing his lips. He liked the way Joey called him doctor. "When we get back to America, I'll get you a drink if you'll let me."

 

"Now, that sounds like a plan." Joseph smiled finally smiled, happy they could agree. "Just behave yourself until then." 

 

Joseph was obviously joking, considering the fact he had been the only one making the first moves around here. He didn't mind that though, he usually did anyway. Joseph moved toward the bathroom.

 

"I need a shower, I hate the smell of debris. Tell Ma I'll be down in a while."

  
  
  
  
  
  


As the song came to an end, Dick stopped and smiled at Elaine, "You play beautifully."

 

"As do you, Ethan taught you well." She spoke as she put the cello away.

 

Dicks brows furrowed slightly as his thoughts trailed off before he redirected his attention to the elderly woman. "What were Adams parents like? I mean... I know they hurt him, I just don't know the full story."

 

"Of course you don't. He doesn't like letting people in." She said as she shifted in her seat, "A child who grew up knowing no love doesn't know how to receive the love they get... Ethan's mother, my daughter, was the very definition of a horrible parent. She beat him, insult him, tried to kill him... His father was no better."

 

"What happened to them?" Dick asked curiously.

 

Elaine let out a long, heavy sigh, "Sometimes... Good people make bad choices to survive... That's all you need to know." With that, Elaine got up and walked out of the room and into the living room.

 

"Oh good, she's getting some rest. You should get her to a bed." Elaine commented to Slade before she began clearing dishes. By now, Dick entered the room and went to help her however, she swatted at his hand. "Sit." She ordered before disappearing into the kitchen.

 

Dick rolled his eyes with a playful smile before sitting on the arm of the couch beside Slade, his arm moving to wrap around his shoulder as his head moved to meet the others.  Then... He realized something.. There was a voice lost in the sound of the piano. A rich, deep baritone... Was... Was Slade singing? He opened his mouth to speak but could hear Adam descending the stairs and stopped himself.  

 

"You need to figure out what they want for dinner." Elaine called out to the brit.

 

"Apparently we're running a bed and breakfast, so this is the part I get your orders."

 

"Ethan! Quit being snarky! You sound like a brat."

 

"When Rose was younger she loved pasta of any kind. I think she still does." 

 

Slade didn't mean to push, but of course, he still wanted to make sure Rose was treated like a princess on her first night back because she deserved at least that after what she'd been through. 

 

"If you have something in mind I can order groceries to be delivered for you." Slade offered, speaking low and pulling out his phone.

 

Adam closed his eyes as he began thinking of various recipes he could make. It took him a couple minutes before pulling together a few options he deemed worthy, "We could do creamy mushroom and spinach Gnochi, spinach artichoke pasta, lamb ragu with pappardelle."

 

"Pappa- what?" Dick asked looking towards the other. 

 

"Its a type of pasta."

 

"Can you even eat lamb?"

 

"I can have something else, the lamb ragu is one of ma's favorites. She'd kill me if I didn't offer it." Adam said with a slight shrug. 

 

Dick turned back to Slade, softly massaging his shoulder. "What do you thi-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before he flailed and nearly jumped onto Slade's lap....And on Rose. Slade was quick to catch Dick's ass and back to keep him from falling onto his pregnant daughter. 

 

"Dick!" He said with a little irritation. 

 

Slade couldn't help but fade into amusement as Dick curled in and squeezed himself between Slade and the couch. He didn't even say anything ... This was just life with an acrobat. 

 

"She has a cat."

 

"You mean Darcy? She's an asshole." Adam said as he moved to the couch to pull out the young black kitten by the scruff. 

 

Dick gasped and just about snatched her out of Adams grasp, "She's adorable!"

He fawned, holding the cat to his chest as she began frantically squirming and nipping at his hand. 

 

"Dick, that kitten does not want to he held by you." Slade said with a soft chuckle in his voice. "She's going to bite you." 

 

As if on cue tiny kitten teeth gnawed into Dick's hand, using whatever leverage she could to scurry away from Dick and by the leg of the furniture below Dick. 

 

Her eyes locked onto something immediately, tiny butt wiggling back and forth. Suddenly a reasonably large house spider zoomed out from the couch leg and up the side arm of the sofa. Dick had shifted back into Slade's space and got ready to smack it but before he could, Darcy came to the rescue.  The kitten jumped up and knocked it down to the ground, the spider attempted to scurry away toward the kitchen, but Darcy was on its tail. With one final launch from the rug she landed her furry paws on top of it, then, without hesitation, ate the thing whole. Munching with her mouth half open and a single spider's leg hanging out.

 

Elaine was just returning from the kitchen with a humidifier and some oils that she to Adam. "Set these up in Rose's room. She needs to be taken care of. Also get her the heating pad and the fluffy pillow."

 

Adam sighed clearly not liking being bossed around, "Fine. Slade, why don't you follow me upstairs, I'll show you your room and go over some things regarding your daughter."

 

Dick moved onto the floor and was trying to play with Darcy by lightly dragging his hand along the carpet, enticing her to pounce and attack his hand. She did so nearly enthusiastically  before licking the wounds she gave him. 

 

"Such a sweetheart." Dick purred and kissed her head before she swatted him with her paw and plopped onto her side.

 

Slade slowly lifted Rose's head to move out from under her before shifting to carry her once again. "Hey kiddo, I'm taking you to bed. It's just me." 

 

Rose just got back from months of imprisonment. Waking up from an unexpected touch or movement could mean something horrible was about to happen. Just because Rose was safe didn't necessarily mean her body or mind had wholly accepted that yet. Slade knew from personal experience he needed to be careful. 

 

Slade followed Adam up to the bedroom, having the man pull back the comforter and sheets for him. The only adjustment Slade made to Rose was to place a pillow under her swollen stomach so she could comfortably lay on her side. He then tucked her into the sheets with a whispered promise to get her for dinner when it was ready. 

 

He turned to Adam once he was finished, "Let's talk outside. I don't want to risk waking her." He suggested, heading that way without waiting for an answer.

 

Adam had followed and closed the bedroom door behind him with a quiet click.

 

 "Given everything that's happened to her, there are some things you need to be aware of. They gave her some sort of growth drug to increase the rate her baby developed. Since she's no longer going to be receiving that treatment, it's safe to assume she's going to be experiencing withdrawls. Over the next few days she may experience fatigue, confusion, dizziness, shortness of breath, body aches, and chills. You should also expect bleeding. Even in the Courts care she bled a lot. I'd say to start worrying if it continues after a week. Any questions?"

 

"I figured they gave her something, she's much farther along than I was expecting. Especially since the last time I saw her it's... Incredible." Slade sounded concerned, but didn't let it show on his face. "You've already done a lot for us, but if you could manage documenting what you know so I can pass it on to her doctor I'd appreciate it. I'm sure they won't know exactly what they are dealing with either, so all the information we can get the better. She also plans on keeping the child, so we need to keep their health in mind as well." 

 

Slade looked at the closed door behind Adam. He hoped that Rose would be okay, that taking her away from the High Court wouldn't be the thing that killed her. Slade wanted this to be the right decision through and through.

 

Adam had taken out a small notebook from his suit coat where he began making notes regarding Slade's wishes. He had a lot on his plate so documenting to-do lists was very important. It helped him prioritize and keep track of everything. 

 

"Of course, I'll work on typing something up." If he chose to hand write it then it would take forever. He was still writing out, 'List Rose's medical concerns.' when Slade got started on the next topic. 

 

"One more thing before we go downstairs," Slade's gaze moved back over to Adam. "What you did with Dick ... I've killed men for less. You deserved much more than a punch to the face." Probably not the best way he could have started this out. "However, what you've done for my family isn't something I could have done on my own. The only reason my daughter is safe in that room is because of the information you gave us, the planning you did." 

 

He had been too emotionally involved to think clearly, he could see that now. "Thank you ... And I'm wiping the slate clean between us. But," Slade's tone changed, eye narrowing dangerously, "If you try anything again, I promise you even Dick won't be able to stop me from coming after you. Do we understand each other?"

 

Adam didn't take Slade's threat lightly, he's seen his rap sheet. Adam had done things that very well gave Slade the green light to kill him, to get between him and his lover was very much a death sentence. He gave Slade a silent nod as he put the notebook back into his jacket.

 

 "I have no intention of starting anything between you and Dick, previously I let my emotions get the best of me." He shrugged it off dismissively, it wasn't very often such compulsions took him over, save for his OCD, he didn't intend on letting himself 'lose control' again. 

 

He turned to make his way down the stairs however paused and looked back at Slade, "Oh... And it's a girl..." 

 

Slade couldn't help but smile at that last bit of information. A girl? That sounded perfect.  As Adam moved around the kitchen Joey finished his shower and came downstairs talking to his Father about baby stuff. 

 

"I'm just saying, what is the harm in buying a onsie? I was even thinking something punk that Rose would totally love." Joey was smiling from ear to ear. 

 

"I know you are excited, but try not to get too energetic around your sister. She needs to take it easy for a couple days until things settle down." Slade replied, Joseph frowned, but it nearly looked like a pout.

 

"You take the fun out of everything." 

 

"I know, I'm just a big ol' sour puss." Slade replied dramatically, unsurprised to find Dick still on the floor playing with the cat. "Well, at least you have someone to entertain your kitten, Miss Elaine." 

 

Slade bent down and pushed a hand through Dick's hair so he would look up at him. "Come with me for a minute ... I want to talk." Slade didn't whisper, but he certainly didn't say it loud enough to be a group conversation.

 

"Lets go outside... It's nice out." Dick commented as he pulled the other along. It was a small house despite being a two story, outside would offer more privacy. 

 

Dick went out the front door and looked around before heading to the backyard where a garden was. It was almost like a Zen garden. Near the back porch were some garden beds sprouting various fruits and veggies, then passed that was a small walkway that went around a large tree with low branches. 

  
  


"I think I've forgotten how nice 'normal' is ... This house is quaint but ... It's beautiful, calm ..." Slade commented just because it was on his mind. 

 

He usually went for homes with a modern look that were very 'spartan' in style. He wanted them to be easy to clean, easy to maneuver in, and functional. Outside of that he never really put personal touches on them. It didn't seem necessary when he usually lived alone. Not that he'd been living alone recently. 

 

Dick soon lead Slade to the tree before climbing onto one of the lower branches making him stand at Slade's height. "What's up?" He asked as his biceps rested against Slade's shoulders.

 

"I think you're more monkey than human sometimes." Slade said looking up at him, standing next to the tree so he could be closer to Dick. "I just wanted to update you on things and talk about what we are doing moving forward." 

 

"Rose is planning on going through with her pregnancy. I need to be there to support her. This is going to be a long road that isn't just going to end after she gives birth. I need you to understand that." Slade leaned the side of his head against the bark of the tree.

 

Dick couldn't stop the sigh of relief that left him when he heard Rose was going to keep the baby. Sure he would've supported her but... He didn't want her to abort it. 

 

 "I'm going to have to take time away from us to be ... Well, a Grandfather." Slade wasn't sure if he was ever going to get used to that.

 

"I... Get what you're saying but..." Dick paused and pulled back so his hands were on the others shoulders. Maybe he needed to start over. "Listen... I know they're you're family... That they will  _ always  _ come first and.. That's okay, Slade. I don't want you to choose me over them, it wouldn't be right.... And I know I'll never be a part of  _ your _ family but... What I'm trying to say, Slade, is I want to help you support Rose and her baby..."

 

"I'm not going to shy away or get envious of your children or grandchild but... If you'll let me, I'd love to help you support them... You won't be that baby's father but since they don't have one you're going to have to pick up some slack and... You don't have to do that alone if you don't want to."

 

"My kids have a close relationship with you, Dick ... You may not be family, but ... You're damn close." Slade wanted to give Dick credit. 

 

He'd cultivated so many meaningful relationships with all of the Titans that he had worked with. Slade knew that his kids, personally, respected and regarded Dick highly. Which was something he earned and was not easily given. 

 

If Slade hadn't known Dick was the one before now, he could feel it in this moment. "I don't want to do it alone." Slade admitted, letting go the facades he put up for his kids and everyone else. This was Dick, he didn't have to pretend for him. 

 

"I'm frankly scared, Dick. Raising a baby is hard enough, but this world isn't safe right now and the High Court is going to want both Rose and that baby back. I know they will kill and hurt everyone and anyone they can to do it. I have to make this world safe for both of them and be there for her when she needs me." 

 

Slade reached a hand forward and took one of Dick's, just for the physical connection it offered. "I don't just want your help, Dick ... I need it."

 

Dick could see that Slade was being  _ incredibly  _ vulnerable with him. Special was an understatement. Dick knew how hard it was for Slade to open up, knew how hard it was for him to trust Dick. He gave Slade's hand a warm and firm squeeze, his eyes locking onto Slade's. 

 

"Then you have it... No matter what happens, Slade.... The Court will not lay a finger on the baby." Even if he had to die for it. Even if he had to suffer and give everything up, Dick would in a heartbeat. 

 

"We're going to take down the Court so that baby can thrive and grow up as a child." That was another big promise but... Dick wasn't going to give up. He couldn't. He'd rather die. Slowly, he moved to press his forehead against Slade's. "I love you... And... I'm willing to die for you and your family." 

 

He was willing to die for anyone but that wasn't the point. Slade understood the sentiment behind what Dick was saying and it meant the world to him. Slade arched forward so he could kiss Dick. A hand finding the back of Dick's neck, letting the full passion and love in the action show through.

 

 "I love you too." Slade whispered out so it intimately stayed between them.

 

"I want you to know that I'm here for you too. I've said it before, but I mean it. I know we aren't just fighting for my family, but for yours too." They were going to do this together, thick and thin, they had to. 

 

"We will take this week to get things settled at the farm, after that? We take the fight to the High Court and give them hell."

 

"Come up here with me, I wanna watch the sunset with you." Dick said as he moved to climb onto another nearby branch so that Slade could get up. Once he got seated, he fell backwards to hang upside down beside Slade. "Unless you're too old to get up here." He smirked deviously.

 

"You know if I break my leg doing this you will actually have to take me to the hospital."

 

 Usually, it was no big deal. Sure, it would hurt like hell, but his  bones would mend themselves by the next morning or even sooner with a good iron and calcium rich meal. With his meta abilities still, somehow, out of commission he'd have to go the cast route like everyone else. Which made him wonder how people like Dick didn't freeze in fear when jumping off of buildings or taking a bullet for someone else. 

 

"I don't know if you can actually make me feel older at this point ... I learned I'm going to be a Grandpa today ... God maybe I am old ..." Slade spoke as he scaled to the first branch and pushed Dick's chest playfully before moving up to sit next to Dick on the much thicker branch above. Which was good, because Slade was a big guy. 

 

Dick chuckled, moving next to the other and inhaling deeply to capture his scent. The atmosphere was peaceful and the sunset was breathtaking. Having this time to unwind with Dick was time to breathe, to relax.

 

 "Have you thought about what we will do after all this is over?" Slade asked, leaning against the truck of the tree and letting his legs hang so he could pull Dick closer.

 

"Mmm, I do sometimes... I imagine we'll get a house somewhere on the outskirts of a city.. Maybe Blüdhaven or Chicago... Maybe we'll stay in Maine... Maybe even go down to the Seattle area near Ollie... We'll live somewhere in the woods so it's nice and quiet.." Dick paused as his hand found Slade's thigh softly massaging it. 

 

"We'll go out on some cases together, antagonize the bad guys... I'll have friends come over on the nights you're not home so I don't get lonely..." He soon smiled, "I can see mornings with you holding your grandchild. Making pancakes while Rose and Joey chat in the living room... Ben leaning against the counter making old jokes." 

 

Dick chuckled and looked up at the other. "We'll fight... Make up... Bruce will slowly stop being an asshole about me being with you.... We'll have awkward family Christmas'. Someone will probably get stabbed." 

 

Slade could imagine it in his mind. He wondered what Rose's child would look like ... Though with how strong willed his daughter was it wouldn't matter who the father was, she would look like her. He had to call Benjamin and let him know the news. He'd be a great uncle of sorts. 

 

He wondered if his kids would want to live with him or somewhere else. Rose and Joey were both independent in their own ways. He hoped he could convince Rose to stay with him though. Actually, with the roof of his Maine home destroyed there was potential for him to renovate and add a few more rooms, even a play area for the little one. He'd have to call the contractor tomorrow too. 

 

Dick briefly fell silent, "You'll finally get around to telling me how old you actually are and when your birthday is... Maybe you'll even stop holding out on me and sing for me." He said looking at the other accusingly.

 

Dick's comment about his singing threw him entirely off guard. "So you heard that ... It's nothing incredible, Dick. I've just always sang to my kids, especially Rose, it helps her sleep." Slade needed to check on her before dinner. 

 

Dick rolled his eyes, "I kind of heard..." He stated as his head came to rest against Slade's shoulder, "I like singing... It would be nice if you sang with me... Or to me.." Not that Slade would want to hear it but.. "Adam used to sing me to sleep after a long day. I told him that my mom did it to help me calm down since sometimes I was too wired after an act to just fall asleep." His hand moved to hold Slade's, "You'll get comfortable enough to do it eventually." He said with confidence.

 

"I'm comfortable enough I just never had a partner that wanted that sort of thing ... Or rather would appreciate that sort of thing." Slade put his arms around Dick enjoying his presence along with the slight breeze and the soft glow of the setting sun. "It happens in the moment but now that I know ..." Slade leaned forward and bit his ear playfully. "I'll have to serenade you."

 

Dick felt a tingling rush zip through his body. He was sure his expression and soft sigh gave it away. If it didn't? There was a light red that came across his face that surely would. He smiled at Slade sweetly before nuzzling into him.

 

"You should wait till we're alone."

 

"Mm. That's not going to be for a while. Though ... At the farm there is a half dozen cabins with beds in them for us to escape to. Though we don't always need a bed."

 

Dick couldn't help but to give a little mischievous smirk, "You're right... We  _ don't _ need a bed." His fingers ran up Slade's arm almost seductively, "We can go somewhere in the woods... Or the barn.." 

 

 Slade appreciated Dick's high sex drive because, honestly? Slade had a healthy appetite of his own. He was a good looking man with natural charm, so finding partners wasn't difficult. Even with his wife Addie he hadn't had this level of sexual chemistry that came with the romantic love he felt for her ... If he had, then Rose never would have come into existence. Dick and he just clicked. It was amazing because the kid leader of the Teen Titans was such a pain in his ass, Slade never would have imagined they'd be like this all these years later. 

 

"Kid ... I'm glad you chose me. At first I thought you were an idiot, but you've proven me wrong again."

 

"I'm glad you let me have you..... When you first said no it was.... Disappointing.. I admit, I didn't know we'd go together so well but... We do and... I love that." He smiled widely before chuckling. 

 

🎶We go together

Like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong🎶 

 

He just couldn't help himself as he nudged Slade with his shoulder. "I don't think... I can tell you I love you enough." He said with a sigh, watching as the sun began disappearing. 

 

"You don't have to tell me, sweetheart, I feel it every time I'm with you."

  
  
  
  
  
  


Inside the house Joey had joined Adam in the kitchen preparing what he was capable of. However, much to Slade's dismay, Joey could burn water. He took direction well but had no culinary instincts. He was currently watching Adam arrange the spices on the counter, then watching as Darcy jumped up on the counter, observing him as well. 

 

By now, Rose had woken up and confirmed with Adam what she wanted to eat. He had helped get her settled in the living room with a snack for the meantime. Shortly afterwards, he had a long conversation with Alea. When finished he changed into a white tank and black pajama bottoms. He saw the way Darcy looked at the spices ready to pounce. Fucking asshole. 

 

"Not to pry but ... Do you like everything to be centered and in a line or are there some things you let slide?"

 

His green eyes shifted to Joey briefly as he opened the fridge to get more ingredients. 

"Mm that's almost a trick question. I enjoy having things symmetrical and centered and there's certain things that I have to deal with, like how the front door is about three centimeters off center." Clearly that bothered him. 

 

He grabbed a pan from the cupboard and just like that, he could hear a series of crashes behind him. He didn't have to look to know that Darcy just tackled all of the spices off the counter. Joey had to bite his lip to keep from smiling at the cats actions. Sure Adam didn't appreciate it, but God was it funny. Adam turned and looked at her and she almost looked proud. She even had the audacity to smack the box of pasta off the counter before scurrying out of the kitchen. 

 

"Little asshole." He muttered before picking up the objects, "... Why do you ask?"

 

"Just trying to understand it better ... Even if I've been in your head I don't know everything about you." 

 

Joey answered honestly, moving down to help Adam gather the spices from the ground, but allowed him to organize them as he wished. Joey was almost certain even if he tried to do it right that Adam would readjust it anyway.

 

 "If I do something like this..." Joey had changed into a long sleeve shirt that was plum in color and comfortable sweats that were heather grey. He pulled only one sleeve up to his elbow and left the other down. "Would it bother you?"

 

Adam looked up and studied Joey's sleeves for a moment, silently as though he were deciding whether or not it bothered it. "A little.... It used to drive me up the wall, things like that but I've managed to get some control over my OCD... If I were anxious or stressed, however, it would absolutely drive me bonkers." 

 

He started cooking the meal, pausing only when Darcy returned to the kitchen jumping onto the counter and nearing the spices. This time, Adam was ready. He grabbed the spray from the sink and blasted little Darcy with water making her jump off the counter backwards before bolting out of the room. Adam then turned his attention back to cooking, pausing a moment before looking at Joey and his sleeves. He finally pulled the sleeve back down and turned back to the oven.

 

"Only a little huh?" Joey commented with a knowing smile. He rolled up his sleeves then so he could start washing dishes. Hopefully Ma wouldn't scold him ... Though he was pretty sure she was fussing over Rose. 

 

Adam rolled his eyes, "It would've been fine if you hadn't pointed it out.... Dick does that to me a lot… It’s a stupid little game he plays, ‘does it bother you when..’ There's certain things I can let fade into the background but the moment you ask if it bothers me it drives me up the wall." He said as he mixed everything together and put it in the oven.

 

"You know, if the way my clothes sit bothers you ... I can always just go without. Not to brag, but I assure you everything underneath is symmetrical." Joey smiled with the intent in his words. Adam was fun to flirt with, even more so when he could push the boundaries a little.

 

He then turned to face Joey, crossing his arms over his chest which naturally let the profile of his biceps show. He was well toned for being a civilian though he was nowhere near Slade or Bruce Wayne. 

 

 "Yeah? You'll have to show me when I get you alone one of these days." 

 

"I think you overestimate the amount of shame I have ... Which is none. I'd happily strip down here and now if you told me to." 

 

It was Ma's house and he wanted to be respectful, but something told him that she'd be fine having a handsome young boy walking around her house. Joey was going to find her a date if it was the last thing he did. 

 

Joey looked up at the other and saw Adam's build, showcased perfectly for him to admire, and he did. He followed the curves of his neck, studied his arms and let his eyes go lower and lower until …

 

"Shit!"

 

 A glass slipped out of Joey's hands as he was washing it and barely caught the thing before it could tumble to the floor. He wanted to mentally kick himself for acting like an idiot in front of Adam. Even if it wasn't anything serious he still wanted the other to think well of him ... Maybe a little more than well.

 

Adam moved away from the counter, grabbed the glass from Joey's hands and set it on the counter beside them. Adam then used two of his fingers to push against Joseph's abdomen, slowly backing him to the fridge. 

 

"Oh would you now?" Adam refocused the conversation back to Joey’s previous comment as his hands moved to sit on each side or Joey's head on the fridge behind him. "If this wasn't my grandmothers house, I'd take you up on that......Hm.." He almost hummed thoughtfully before looking away, then back at the other. "Guess I'll have to settle for less."

 

Joseph himself couldn't look away from those stunning green eyes. 

Adam leaned in, watching Joey's body and expressions closely for consent before his soft lips met the others. There was a lot of pressure and yet, despite the firmness of the kiss it was surprisingly delicate. Adam held it for a minute, moved his lips against the others, shifted his body into him to brush over all the right parts before finally pulling away with a smirk.

 

Joseph's mind was wiped entirely blank. There was no input, nothing to say, nothing coming in. He was just one-hundred percent wrapped around every single movement Adam made. Joey saw the kiss coming, but still hadn't prepared himself for the way his mind exploded in fireworks like some sort of cheesy romantic comedy but ... Fuck it, it was the best. 

 

Joseph found himself chasing the kiss, the touch. He wasn't even sure what brought him back to reality enough to pull away. Part of him wished he hadn't.  Actually, all of him did. 

 

The smirk on Adam's face had Joey blushing a dark red color. Though, he didn't hide it. There was no reason to, Adam knew what he'd done to Joey ... Made him an absolute mess. 

 

'When we do have time for a moment alone-' Joey moved only two fingers out to touch Adam, much like he had earlier. However Joey's hand aimed lower. Slipping under his shirt and dragging against his abdomen until he reached the top of his waistband, hooking them just underneath. 

 

Adam shivered but he kept himself composed save for the desire in his eyes.

 

'-Dr. Foster,'  Joey sent over absolutely lewd imagery. It was flashes of Joey's mouth licking and sucking a variety of foods and objects. 

 

He heard the egg timer go off and let out a soft tsk before invading Joey's space, leaning in and whispering in his ear. "You're going to have to wait just a bit longer, love." His mouth barely moved to graze over Joey's neck in a taunting way before he pulled away all together, opening the oven and taking out the casserole as if nothing happened. 

 

Joey didn't want to wait. Every muscle and neuron in his body was aching to move in, press more, touch more ... To do more. Yet there was nothing more to do. 

 

"Go see what your sister wants to drink."

 

He could hear the front door open, Dick and slade must've just returned.

 

"Right I'll go drink my sister ... I mean see what my sister wants to drink." Fuck his head was a mess. 

 

Adam chuckled softly at the way Joseph's words scrambled, he felt a sense of pride in knowing he messed up the others train of thought so badly. It was.... Endearing to say the least. God... He was gonna have to get the kid in his bed. 

 

Joey walked over and plopped down next to Rose. "Rose I'm screwed." Joseph said with a dramatic sigh. He saw Dick come through the door and started waving him over without his father noticing. [Get over here team meeting].

 

Rose looked at Joey and readjusted herself to sit up, the kitten sitting on her stomach softly purring as she pet it. "What's up?" She asked as Dick moved to sit on the floor in front of them.

 

[Sign.] Joey dragged out the sign and finished it off with a quick flourish to put emphasis on it. Last thing he needed was for Adam or his Dad to over hear them. Slade had moved off to talk with Elaine in the piano room. 

 

[To be honest...] Joey had a perfect vantage of the doorway from here, so he got off of the couch next to Rose and sat on the floor with his back to the door. Again, an attempt to be secretive. [... I was just going to talk to Rose, but this would be Dick's area of expertise.] Joey closed his eyes and smiled a little. [Adam just put me against the fridge, kissed me, and I think I died again.]

 

Rose and Dick both gasped, Dick almost letting out a loud "WHAT!?" But caught himself and began signing. 

 

[Woah, woah, woah... Like... Kiss kiss?]

 

[I just wanna know when he was gay, cuz I was hoping to get some.] Rose signed before glancing towards the kitchen.

 

Joey just smiled at Rose's comment and winked. [Sorry, batting for the other team.]

 

 [Is he a good kisser?]

 

[Of course he's a good kisser.] Dick argued before looking back at Joey. He could see the faint flush, the racing pulse, dilated pupils. He knew those symptoms well, [Has he indicated romantic interest?]

 

[Or does he just wanna bone? You gotta get some Joey!] Rose insisted.

 

[No and then Yes. I mean ... He's been training me these past few weeks, helping me focus my powers and there was chemistry I just never thought we ... I just ...] Joey stopped signing as his blush got deeper. [He came into the bathroom earlier today ... When Dad pissed me off.] 

 

He looked towards Rose, [Dad said my powers were out of control and I about slapped the shit out of him]. He said slap with a forceful action that perfectly conveyed his anger from the event. [But Adam came in the bathroom or ... I guess I pulled him into the bathroom because I was just ... You know ... letting Dad get in my head.] Joey didn't like admitting it outwardly like this, if it weren't Dick and Rose he wouldn't have. [He just told me that he believed in me. That he trusted I could do what he'd asked me to. That our Dad's opinion didn't matter and he could shove it. It ... Kind of ... No ... Really turned me on so I just ...] Joey trailed off. [I touched. Made some suggestive promises and he gave it back then some ...] He looked bothered just signing about it.

 

[He totally wants to bone!] Rose signed. Dick playfully shoved her leg and leveled her a look before turning his attention to Joey. 

 

[Rose is right... Adam is... He... He doesn't really commit. The only reason he let me call him my boyfriend is because I... Just kept calling him that but if you ask him he'll say we weren't official.] He then paused studying Joey's expression.

 

[I can see that you really like him.. I don't want you to get hurt. So... Just have a conversation with him about-] Dick paused as Adam brought some drinks in before going back into the kitchen, [You should ask him what your relationship will be. If it'll be a serious thing or friends with benefits. And just... Otherwise be careful. Adams very manipulative.]

 

[But he's fucking hot] Rose added before glancing towards the kitchen. She then looked back at Joey, pushing her long hair behind her ear. It was long enough to reach her mid back now. 

 

Joey welcomed a little subject change. Having to explain to Dick that he'd be okay with something unofficial and loosely defined might come off as crass. 

 

Joey had just gotten out of a serious relationship before the High Court attacked. David was someone he thought he'd spend the rest of his life with because he'd been his first real lover at a young age. Joey had barely had time to explore his sexuality before he met him. Now that he wasn't committed he was having fun doing whatever and whoever he wanted. 

 

[Dick, is he big?] 

 

Dick's face flushed, [I'm not telling!] He signed, emphasising the whole statement.

 

[No, do tell because I want to know too. God, I want to know what all of him looks like underneath those clothes. But fuck does he look good in a suit.] Joey was about to start drooling at this point. [Also ... How is he in bed … Like scale of one to ten. Ten being the best sex you've ever had.]

 

Dicks blush only got darker as he rolled his eyes, [You guys are perverts.]

 

[Hey, if anything you're doing him a favor. I'll tell you how Kon was.]

 

[No need.] Dick signed back.

 

[You sure?] Joey added after Dick's pass. [It's a good story.]

 

He paused for a moment as he thought about whether or not to give out any information, [Lets just say... He was one of the best I've ever had.... And... One of the biggest. But that's not the only thing important.]

 

[Maybe not the only important thing, but a  _ big _ determining factor.] Joey drew out the sign for big to suggest it's innuendo along with a wink. 

 

[You're right... How are his muscles?] Rose smirked.

 

Suddenly, Darcy jumped off of her stomach and booked it into the other room. Rose began laughing and covering her mouth, "The baby kicked."   
  


"Can I feel?" Dick asked, glad for the subject change and... Excited for the possibility. 

Joey was up in the blink of an eye too, getting up off the floor he could crawl up on the couch and feel the baby.

 

She nodded and he crawled over, putting both hands on her belly. He could feel the baby moving a lot, "They're so active.... Mom said I was an active baby." 

 

"I'm not surprised. You can hardly sit still." Rose commented. 

 

Adam finally began bringing food into the living room, starting by serving Rose and Joey. "Dick, can you go get Raven?"

 

"Of course." Dick said before rolling backwards and onto his feet before heading upstairs.

 

Once Dick moved away Joey went to put his hand over the same area, excited to feel his niece move. "You know, Adam told me the gender if you want to know." Just as soon as Joey's fingertips touched Rose's stomach he withdrew his hand like something had burned him. 

 

His face was in some sort of stunned look for only a brew second before he completely flipped back to normal. It was easy for him to see or experience bad things from people around him, so recovery was always important to save face ... Especially around civilians.

 

Rose furrowed her brows at Joey's initial reaction but she decided against asking... She was too scared to. Joey was aware of a lot of things. He could've caught a glimpse of the pain she went through, pain the baby might be in or... Something worse. She couldn't handle the stress right now. 

 

Instead, she pulled her braid to the front of her and softly rubbed her belly, "I would love to know what it is.... They keep talking about them like their a weapon.... An experiment... Not an actual person... They call the baby it or just... Well... The baby." 

 

"It's a girl." Joey said with a genuine smile, sitting back on his calves and rubbing Rose's arm. "And ... She's okay." Joey said, feeling Rose was waiting for the pin to drop. She noticed, he could tell the moment she did. "I mean I can't ... Their brains are different but ... She's not in any pain. She seems ... Stimulated ... Maybe that's why she's kicking." Joey explained the good things and left out anything else. Reassuring Rose that all was fine with her baby.

 

Rose breathed a sigh of relief before a soft smile spread along her lips, "A girl huh?" She chuckled, "She's gonna be my little badass."

  
  
  


Later as everyone came into the space, they all sat down together to start eating. Rose let out a happy pur and let her head lay back, "I fucking love pasta."

 

Elaine couldn't help but chuckle, "I don't know where the hell he got it, but Ethan's a good cook. Maybe it comes from his biological father's side."

 

"I'm pretty sure culinary arts isn't inherited. Not to mention there's nothing I would like inheriting from him." 

 

"I know he hurt your mom, but I don't think he should be judged on that." Elaine countered.

 

"He  _ raped _ her, that's reason enough to judge anyone." Adam nearly snapped back.

 

"Are you saying that because of what Elliot did to you?"

 

The glare Adam shot Ms. Baker was almost harrowing but soon to follow was a soft inhale, "I think it just takes a certain kind of person to do that to someone else."

 

Silent tension fell over the room, a look of compassion in Dicks eyes as Raven poked at her food, "This is really good."

 

Joey swore Adam was going to explode, he felt this intense build and tension in the atmosphere from both parties. Ma was a sweet lady, but she was tough as nails and not backing down for anyone. He feared her respectably. As far as the subject matter ... Joey didn't know. He knew bits and pieces of Adam's past but it wasn't anything nearing a full picture. Joey felt something sick in his stomach though. He wanted to reach out to him, but he stayed back and just surveyed the room. Dick's look made him think either he knew exactly what happened, or ... Well, Dick had traumas of his own and ... Yes he knew about them too. His eyes landed back on Adam's and just watched his facial expressions. 

 

"... I have to agree with Adam." Slade said after a moment. "Any man, or woman for that matter, who forces their body on someone else without permission or consent is despicable." Slade knew these subjects were hard to talk about, to be brutally honest about. "However I doubt it's genetically linked."

 

Slade took a pause and then began eating again. "This is good."

 

Elaine was silent for a moment, clearly the conversation wasn't going the direction she intended and the fact Adam had begun adjusting all of his dishes meant she triggered him. 

 

"I don't disagree.. And your mother wasn't a respectable woman. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't."

 

"You're suggesting I was the result of an affair." Adam stated more than questioned, his eyes on the knife he was carefully adjusting. "That mother lied to get out of the consequences of her actions." He glanced to Elaine. "I've entertained the idea but she never tried to hide her affairs and she's always shown signs of anxiety around the topic. My biological father was just as, if not more, fucked up than the rest of my family..... You are the only exception." He explained being very clear and precise with his words. 

 

Dick reached to put a hand on Adams arm but the Brit pulled away as soon as he saw the action. He forgot how weird Adam got with touch in his vulnerable moments.... Maybe it was because of whatever this Elliot person did. He couldn't bring Adam physical comfort but maybe he could shift the conversation and lighten the tension. He was starting to worry that if Adam clenched his jaw any tighter he'd break it. 

 

"Well... Fortunately people don’t inherit their parents actions.... I mean my great grandfather was a twisted master assassin with more blood on his hands than most people I know.. Yet my father was a very decent kind hearted man." 

 

"And then there's you who would cry over road kill." Rose teased to help lighten the mood. 

Dick couldn't help but smile, "A choice I made.. To embrace my humanity rather than numbing it... I think sometimes we face challenges to grow as people."

 

"I wish most people thought that way." Elaine said, letting the topic shift. 

 

"Excuse me a moment." Adam said before getting up and stepping outside.

 

Joey pushed out his chair almost immediately, hands on the table to stand but he hesitated. Adam wanted to be alone, he didn't want someone running after him. Joey struggled with this understanding and what he knew to be true ... Adam did need someone. 

 

"Joseph?" Slade said noticing Joey frozen in place. He quickly shook his head.

 

"I'm going to ..." Joey just trailed off as he headed out the door after Adam.

 

Dick exhaled and reached to hold Slade's hand under the table while eating with his left hand. It was such a pro being ambidextrous. 

 

"So... How long have you two been together?" Elaine asked.

 

Dick almost lit up instantly, "Three and a half months..." Not that he was counting, "Time has.... Really flown by."

 

"Wow, Dick. This is one of your longest lasting relationships." Rose teased.

 

Slade shot his daughter a look though it was far from stern. They both knew the statement was true, just some people didn't deal well with Wilson style honesty. Poor Dick was about to become a recurring victim of it with his kids around. 

 

"His relationship with Star lasted for almost a year.." Raven commented, "Up until their wedding."

 

"A year? Felt longer than that ... And I wasn't even living with you two."  

 

Nightwing and Starfire were two emotional flames that had roared with each other good and bad. The times he  had run ins with them he saw all of it. Even if Starfire hadn't killed Adeline, they were destined to burn out. 

 

"We were off and on for a while... Made it feel longer." Dick said. 

 

"You were always confused." Raven commented, she usually didn't out people's feelings and she didn't plan on going into depths, "You feel certain now."

 

Dick was silent as he softly squeezed Slade's hand, "I am..... As... Confusing and backwards as it may seem. It feels real and... I don't know. I don't have words for it."

 

Slade squeezed Dick's hand back. "We've been through much more than most at three months. With everything going on it was unavoidable. You learn a lot about a partner going through the best and the worst with them ... We've had a lot of both, kid." 

 

Slade rubbed the back Dick's hand with his thumb before lifting their connected hands and pressing a soft kiss on Dick's knuckles. "But we made it out to the other side."

 

Dick couldn't help but to let a wide smile spread across his lips, his eyes holding a shine to them as he moved to let his head rest against Slade's shoulders with both of his hands now holding Slade's.

 

Rose couldn't help but smile, "Aww." She let out with a soft chuckle. She was glad her dad was finally happy.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Outside, Adam was leaning against the porch railing, mumbling something under his breath. Maybe he was counting or repeating a mantra? It was incoherent but it stopped the moment he heard the door. His stance shifted from tense, white knuckles and tightly closed eyes to relaxed, straight and composed in a matter of seconds. 

 

"Joseph." Adam stated evenly. Of course the kid followed him out here. 

 

"Adam." Joey repeated back in the same manner, not to mock him, but rather to show he wasn't trying to invade his space physically or verbally. Distance could be felt in many different ways. 

 

He turned his attention towards the night sky, "I like being out here... There's less light pollution. Everything just feels.. Clearer." Maybe that's because he was outside where he couldn't feel claustrophobic.

 

Joey looked up at the sky, for a moment he thought he'd humor Adam. Let Adam convince him he was fine with a show of composure, but Joey just knew better. It was just part of his empathic abilities ... And it never really turned off. 

 

Joey let out a short huff of air. "You know that you don't have to fake being fine right? I know you aren't fine, Adam ... You can't fool me." He was forefront, but didn't sound disappointed or angry. He was just stating the facts.

 

He stepped in front of the railing next to Adam, but kept an arms length away. "Do you remember the day we first met?"

 

Adam gave a humorless laugh, "I do... You saw a lot of things that most people don't even know about.." He paused briefly, "Just because you've been in my head doesn't mean I'm going to start opening up to you." Was that too blunt? He  _ could  _ be more honest. "It's not personal to you... Maybe you know I'm not okay, which is more than what most know but... That doesn't mean I'm going to let you get to the heart of it or fix it. It's not your job to manage it or to help me manage it. And.. I don't want you to." He looked back towards the other. "I appreciate your... Confrontational personality and this is a boundary I'm setting with you.... You can ask or offer your support whenever necessary but don't... Expect anything."

 

Joseph stayed silent, crossing his arms and letting them rest on top of the railing. "... Do I really seem confrontational?" It almost seemed like a self directed question. He shrugged a little.

 

"I don't 'expect' anything from you. You've been the only one setting up expectations and making assumptions ... That's not a bad thing necessarily, just an observation." 

 

Joey was watching the night sky just over the tree line, the moon looked gigantic tonight. "It just seems pointless to me for you to continue maintaining a facade that exhausts you when I already know the truth. The only one you're pretending for at that point is yourself." Now it was Joey's turn to be honest. "I'm an empath Adam, as I stand here I can feel the anxiety coming off you in waves. In the dining room a few minutes ago? That felt ... Horrible." Joseph looked toward Adam again, "Just be genuine, you have no reason not to be."

 

Adam listened to Joseph, his hand returning to the railing as he looked off towards the darkness. It was somewhat frustrating having someone calling him out on his own crap. No wonder he pissed people off all the time, that was something he frequently did. 

 

"Why don't we just stand here silently?" He asked as though it were the plan. 

 

He had no intention of talking about his feelings regardless of whether or not Joey already knew what they were. If anything that made it feel all the more pointless. Aside from that? Adam didn't really know how to talk about his feelings. Sure he was a psychiatrist and had heard it all before but.. Generating that when you've never had to before? 

 

He was too organized, he couldn't stand articulating something so complex. Putting it into words. Nor did he see the point. "People talk to make their thoughts and feelings known... I don't need to do that. I just need the silence."

 

"I'm okay with silence ... " Joey said staring at the tree line again. 

 

This wasn't working, Adam was just withdrawing faster. Maybe he should have let Dick out here to handle this ... He would have done better. Joey gripped the railing a little, he didn't want to give up on Adam. A lot of people  had given up on him. 

 

'I didn't want you to be alone out here.' Joey hoped this wasn't too personal. 'I don't know what happened to you and I'm not going to invade your privacy to find out. I just ... Adam, I brought up when we first met because I still believe the same thing now as I did back then ... You need someone to talk to about these things. I know I'm just some stupid young kid with these incredibly invasive powers that you probably hate right now but ...' Joey moved closer and pressed his shoulder up next to Adam's, 'How do you want me to help you calm down? Because I'm not going anywhere.'

 

"I don't need to talk... Just..... Stay here..”

  
  
  
  
  


Inside, Ma had already gathered the dishes to begin washing them. When Adam came inside, he could hear her scolding Dick for trying to help her but with a heavy sigh she exited the kitchen. Dick must've won that conversation. Adam then followed Elaine into her bedroom to get her settled for bed, he could tell she was tired. She was more exhausted these days.

 

Rose looked up at Joey before glancing at Slade to make sure he was distracted before making an o with her hand and putting her finger through it. [Did you get some?] The expression on her face showing she was teasing.

 

[Yeah I totally banged him in the petunias.] Joey signed back with the same humor as he walked over. Dad was plenty distracted watching Dick's ass as he washed dishes. 

 

"You know Dad you can go touch, you bought the merchandise already." Slade apparently wasn't free from the teasing either. 

 

"Brat child." Slade shot back at him, turning once he noticed him there. "We need to talk."

 

"Oh boy, here it comes, Rose." Joey warned as he sat next to her. 

 

"What are your intentions with Adam?" Slade asked pointedly.

 

"Well wouldn't you like to know." Joey gestured for Rose to turn around. "Come on Momma lets massage your back." It had to be killing her. 

 

"He's not the kind of man you want to have a relationship with Joey." 

 

"You said the same thing about David too." 

 

"And I was right, wasn't I?" Slade knew it was a little bit of a low blow, fresh too, but Joey needed to see that Adam wasn't a good rebound. "You don't need to get hurt and you're young ... Just ... Not this one."

 

"Listen... I don't know much about him. All I know is that he made Dick do bad things. But... I heard Dick fawn over some stranger, dump his girlfriends for the guy and personally? If it wasn't for him I'd probably be dead by now." Rose pointed out before looking at Slade. 

 

"Maybe he's conniving and manipulative but.... He also stayed by my side while I was being tested on.. There was one night the Court gave me some... Injection. My body felt like it was on fire. He went off on the doctor, kicked them out of the room and just stayed with me. I seized, vomited blood, my body ached and he stayed through all the screaming and... He helped keep me clean and just held me. I even hurt him because I hurt so bad... Bad people don't just do that. Besides... Joey's not as naive as Dick."

 

"Not even close to as naive."

 

"Give him some credit you guys." Slade said with a sigh.

 

"Here's the thing: clearly there is more to Adam than what you've seen. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for now because that's what I've chosen to do." Joseph shrugged his shoulders. "That's that." 

 

"I don't like it." Slade said as he stood up. "Just be careful." He moved into the kitchen and stood next to Dick, offering to dry dishes and put them away for him. 

 

"He's going to make me hit him." Joey said to Rose shaking his head. "He never liked that I dated David. Yet he's dating Dick and that's fine." 

 

Well ... Dick was twenty years younger than his Dad ... Not forty like he and David had been. "I can make my own choices and if I make a mistake at least it's my mistake."

 

"I think... His issue with Doctor Foster is personal." Rose stated in a low and quiet voice, her eyes on the kitchen. "He and Dick had been involved and... Well... Dick was a kid at the time. I'm sure that daddy has some assumptions and personal disdain towards Adam." She said before looking at Joey, "And you know... Even if dad is right you can tell him that you're not going to live a safe and comfortable life because you're scared to get vulnerable and get hurt.... Dad let that fear of vulnerability get in the way of his marriage." She pointed out and rubbed her belly before yawning.

 

"Well ..." Joey placed his hands on Rose's  lower back and began rubbing around her sciatic nerve. He went super incognito, 'I heard ... Okay I 'obtained' information that Dick kissed Adam while he and Dad were dating. Dad knocked Adam out cold with one punch ... He was that mad.' 

 

Joey could only hope for mercy on those who pushed his Father that far. 'Then I guess they got in a tickle fight and Dad got all butt hurt but .. Dick and I used to get into tickle fights all the time. It's just Dick Grayson that's what he does.' Joey outwardly sighed. 'Anyway ... You're right. Dad doesn't control my decisions and I'm not taking relationship advice from him. He just wants me to have what he and mom were supposed to have. This highly committed, perfect relationship with my exact equal and complementary partner. As if that's even possible.'

 

'Mom's love was different, but she was still amazing. Yet Dad cheated on her constantly. I mean, I'm grateful because ... Well you ... But you know what I mean. He doesn't have the right to warn me about men who, honestly, would probably be better to me than he was to Mom.'

 

 Thing is, Joey was the youngest and had watched his parents marriage fall apart from a young age. He saw and felt every fight, passive aggressive comment, knew the moment his mother had stopped loving his father. Yet, he always identified more with his mother 

... Maybe because he had watched her suffer and die alone without Slade, without the man who promised to be there through thick and thin. To Joey? Marriage was an absolute scam. 

 

'Besides I'm ... I'm fine with just sex. A relationship right now ... I'm not in the right headspace.'

 

Finally she turned around to face Joey. [I think dad just forgets we're not kids anymore.... Maybe Adam will turn out to be your perfect partner, maybe not, but what matters is that you're happy and know what you're choosing.] She signed. [If just sex is what you want then fuck what anyone else thinks. It's your body, not theirs.] She finished as Adam returned from down the hall after having tucked his grandmother in. 

 

He went into the piano room where a desk was so he could work on typing out Rose's care information.

 

Dick by now finished the dishes and returned to the living room, hopping onto the couch behind Joey before squeezing his side's to get him by surprise. 

 

Joey let out a squeak of surprise and then covered his mouth as a reflex. "Dick you asshole." Joey said turning around and smacking his arm. 

 

Dick chuckled  before sticking his tongue out at him, "What? Didn't hear me coming?" 

 

"I'm going to head upstairs and make up the bed for Rose and I ... Make sure you finalize the sleeping situation." 

 

Slade came out of the kitchen and passed behind Dick, stopping to kiss his temple with an arm around his back. Dick couldn’t help but smile, he got that same starry gaze he did every time he looked at Slade. Rather than responding he let out a hefty sigh.

 

"I'll miss you tonight." Slade added before going to leave.

 

"Wait.. Take me with you." Rose said as she moved out of her seat and followed Slade upstairs.

 

"I think she really liked dinner. She's flipping out." She chuckled and went into the room. "You two might have sleep together, neither one of you will fit in that bed with my fat ass."

 

"Rose, sweetheart, you are pregnant, not fat. This is a baby in here." Slade reiterated rubbing her stomach a little. "Also, we managed to fit on that tiny hospital bed together. Plus nothing could be worse than cramming myself onto your twin bed with you as a kid ... It was like being a contortionist." Slade began pulling back the covers and adjusting the room. "Besides I know you'll want us close by tonight ... And I'll be right here with you."

 

Rose laughed, "See, but all I remember is you being there to help me fall asleep." She said as she hugged Slade with a single arm before moving to crawl into bed, "So do I get to watch you and Joey fight for the right to sleep by me? I hope someone brought swords." She teased. 

 

Her spirits were well giving everything that had happened... Maybe it was because she was finally free. She knew Slade would protect her and that was enough to make her smile even though she was exhausted.

 

"I'd like to say I could take Joey without a sword ... But I watched your brother disintegrate a boulder the other day and I'm still powerless." Fuck he wasn't going to tell his kids about that. He sat down next to Rose on the bed after tucking her in. "How are you feeling princess?"

 

"Powerless?" Rose asked with a furrow of her brows. "I feel tired and bloated, you're not changing the subject on me." She said making sure to back track. Sure there used to be bad blood between them, but she loved her dad too much to let this slide.

 

"It's not ..." It was important,  also if Rose was asking outright he had a hard time saying no. "The Batfamily came up with a device to stop meta abilities in the body. It was supposed to only last a few hours, maybe a day. I was put up as a guinea pig because of convenience and I wouldn't be entirely out of commission without my healing factor."

 

 Slade tapped his fingers on the bed. "It's been ... Over a month now at least. I'm not sure they are coming back."

 

Rose sat up slowly, "Dad." She nearly wince out, "Why would you let them do that to you?" She asked before taking his hand though... She didn't let him answer, instead she shook her head and chuckled half-heartedly, "Dick is rubbing off on you...... Are you okay?" She asked looking up at him, "With.. What they did? Knowing you're more human now?"

 

"The kid is contagious." Slade smiled a little. "When I was your age death scared the hell out of me. Which, rightfully it should, but now ... I'm more at peace with it. I can't stop doing what I have my entire life because I'm more vulnerable." Slade decided he might as well just lay down with Rose at this point. Time for a girl chat. 

 

"You know though ... Dick didn't want me to do it. Kept telling them it was too dangerous, and it was, but we need to beat the High Court. We have a way now. My sacrifice was a drop in the bucket compared to what the potential this technology has to win this." He then let out a small chuckle. 

 

Rose laid back down once Slade joined her, "Of course... He wouldn't be okay with anyone being tested on." 

 

"I had my first cold in over 25 years ... I truly thought I was going to die, Rose."

 

"Yeah, being sick sucks... I'm glad you didn't die though... I used to have a book about someone who could heal and when she lost her powers a cold almost killed her because her immune system wasn't equipped to deal with it." Her smile faltered as she sighed, "I... I think the biggest downside to you not being superhuman is that... You might not live as long... I know we're had it rough but... I don't want to lose you." She was getting emotional, damn hormones.

 

"I'm not going anywhere right now, kiddo." Slade said turning toward her and rubbing her arm. "I'm going to be here for you and I promise not to do anything stupid until after the baby is born. Maybe I'll just be more careful in general ... You don't have to worry though Rose. I'll probably just get old and die like everyone else. At that point I'll be half senile and a wrinkly mess."

 

Rose couldn't help but snort, "You gonna get a walker and where your pants up to your belly button too? Cuz I don't know if I'm ready for that."

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


"Dick and Slade sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G ..." Joey smiled playfully. "God, I thought Jason was kidding when we were kids about how you looked at my Dad. I never thought you'd actually do something about it."

 

"I never imagined us together either.... I mean... I thought he was hot.. I had.. Some sense of feelings but I always felt wrong and dirty for having them.... Then.... This High Court thing happened and he was helping us. I was skeptical... Thought he wanted something, like finding Bruce.. Then this  _ really _ bad thing happened and he was so compassionate... He held me close and... My heart raced. This tension grew and.. Now that it's broken part of me wonders why we couldn't have gotten here sooner."

 

"Dick Grayson you have it so bad." Joey was still going to tease him. "I guess Dad does too ... He hasn't had a serious partner since Mom and definitely never a male one. I think both of you were being pretty stubborn about things, which, funny enough, that's one quality you both share: stubborn as mules." Joey then smiled, "I can't decide who to give the talk to though. Do I tell you that I'll beat you up if you hurt my Dad or do I tell my Dad he better treat you right or I'll beat him up?" Joey looked thoughtful for a moment. "Both I guess." 

 

Dick smiled and rolled his eyes, "Are you qualified to give the dad talk?" He asked skeptically, "Cuz Ben already gave me mine so I don't think you need to worry."  

 

"Oh my god Uncle Benji is the best." Joey covered his mouth trying not to laugh. 

 

Joey got a mischievous look in his eyes and reached up to shove Dick playfully again. 'So are you going to tell me more about Adam in bed or are you still not kissing and telling?' Joey asked and smiled wider. 'I'll trade information for information.'

 

[I already gave you information.] Dick replied though... His own curiosity began getting the best of him. [What information do you have.... What's the topic?] He'd play fair. He just wanted to know if the trade was worth it... Though... He didn't like sharing others vulnerabilities... Not that Adam would care in this case.

 

'Hmm. Well.' Joey clicked his tongue. 'We both know I don't want to know this ... But I have some information on different ... Activites my father may or may not enjoy.'

 

Dick felt his face heat up and finally let out a sigh, [Fine.... Link up.] He said before glancing back to Adam, [It'll be easier to show you.] Dick took a deep breath before exhaling to clear his mind. 

 

He focused on the memories, the first starting out when Dick had his first time. The sensations were gentle, firm, filled with pleasure. The level of pain was very small. Skin on skin, the sensation of warm breath hitting his neck before the feeling of a tongue dragging across his skin. He remembered the feeling of the stretch, the feeling of pleasure tingling along his insides as Adam hit that special spot. He could feel warm hands running along his body before the pleasure thummed around his entrance and member. His body lighting up with the pleasure shortly after as his neck and chest were stimulated. 

 

The memory shifted to another time, the pressure and force being heavier, harder. The faint sensation of teeth lightly scraping against skin, the feelings of hickies nearly forming. The pleasure was so heavy, so intense. It started in the lower region and blossomed through the entire body feeling like it stimulated each nerve perfectly like an orchestrated show. The sensation of Dicks breathing being restricted before the force below increased. 

 

Finally Dick opened his eyes and shivered as he came out of the rush of endorphins that filled his mind, cutting off the last memory. "That... Good enough?" He asked, the atmosphere almost awkward now as he shifted in his seat. 

 

[More than enough.] Joey was blushing now, having gotten much more than he had even intended. [I wasn't expecting a full experience though, Dick ... You know it's a shame we never ... I'm going to stop that thought right there.] Joey didn't want to disrespect his father by hitting on his boyfriend ... God that sounded weird even just thinking about it.

 

[So, he and Wintergreen used to...] He made the same vulgar gesture Rose had before. [They were into some very kinky stuff like ... Fuck link up because I might as well share too.] Though for Joseph it was much more awkward than anything else. Dick might appreciate it too. 

 

The memory was vivid, switching between perspectives. "You aren't getting out of those until I say so ..." It was Slade's voice, the feeling of restraints pulling on wrists, ankles and neck. "I like you better quiet ... Guess the gag was worth it." 

 

Next there was the feeling of impact on the back, thighs, ass. Some object, quickly revealed to be a riding crop. Slade was standing just to the side of a bed, a smirk on his face, tip of the instrument being tapped against his palm. He looked younger, shirt off, pants hanging low on his hips.    
  
"We've just started, I thought you were tougher than this." 

 

"Sir please ..." 

 

Slade nearly shivered. "God don't I love it when you beg."

  
  
  


Joey pulled out and made a face. "I definitely held up my part of the bargain."

 

Dicks face was a dark shade of red after Joey had shared the image. His eyes looking off to the side. He couldn't deny the tingling excitement at the idea of being tied up by Slade, being completely dominated. It might take him... Time to settle into it but fuck. 

 

"So he's into BDSM?" Dick almost chuckled before shaking his head and laying back, "I need to go to the store after we get back..." 

 

"Very." Joey confirmed. "If I remember correctly ... Back at the Maine house he has a little secret stash back in his work room. Door code is 563789." There was a lot more in there than BDSM stuff, weapons and his Dad's more sensitive information but Joey knew he could trust Dick with all of that. "We should go together ... I have a few things I want to get too." 

 

Adam came into the room with a folded paper in his hands that he set neatly on the side table. "Is there anything either of you need?"

 

"Slade wanted me to confirm sleeping arrangements." Dick commented, hands over his face. He knew he was still flushed and he knew Adam would pick apart what was on his mind. 

 

"Ah, right." Adam responded before heading back down the hall to get some blankets. 

 

Adam returned with a weighted blanket and two pillows that he began making up in the bumped out window, organizing and sorting them so they looked nice. 

 

"I'm gonna go say goodnight to Slade." Dick said standing up, and winking to Joey.

 

Adam moved to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of scotch, "Do you drink?" He asked Joey. 

 

"Not often ... This tends to get a little loose canon when I do." Joey replied pointing to his head and as he did so swiped away Adam's drink for his own. He took one sip of it, made a face and a slightly audible 'yuck' sound. "God why you old men all drink this stuff I'll never know. Pure poison."

 

Adam chuckled and swiped his drink back before sipping it, "It's better than what I grew up eating." He countered before leaning against the counter behind him, "You'll see the appeal in about ten years or so.... After you lose your youthful charm." He smirked as he poked Joey's forehead. 

 

"Is that admitting you find me charming?" Joey said back without missing a beat, wearing an amused smile. He tended to smile a lot around Adam. 

 

"Do you need anything before bed?" Ma would kill him if he didnt make sure her guests were all settled.

 

"I can only think of one thing." 

 

Joey put one hand on the counter next to Adam, the other pressed to his chest, moving up to his shoulder then around to cup the side of his neck. Joey leaned in and kissed him, it wasn't deep, nor sexual. Just a sensual kiss to seal their evening. Joey let his hand drop as his lips broke away as he prepared to leave upstairs. 

 

"Good night Adam."

 

"Goodnight...." Adam responded simply before getting his drink and returning to the couch. He sat down and breathed out a sigh before Dick came down and sat beside him.

 

"Long day?"

 

"Mff.."

 

Dick chuckled and bit his lip as he looked to the floor for a moment, "What Elaine said at dinner... I.... If you want to talk to me-"

 

"Dick... I appreciate you but you and I both know I'm not going to open up."

 

Dick put a hand up, "I know... I just..." He paused and sighed as he slowly lowered his hand. "I get what it's like.... When I was in the circus.. Well before Bruce, I was.." He paused, why did it feel like the air got thicker? "There was someone there who took advantage of me... I know the pain and humiliation that comes with it... The fear.. Feeling like less of a man.. Feeling weak and worthless." Dick looked back at Adam, "I'm telling you this so that if you wanted someone to talk to.."

 

"...Hm.. That.. Explains a lot. I always thought it was my fault." Adam said thoughtfully making Dicks brows furrow in confusion.

 

"Thought what was your fault?"

 

"Your need for sexual approval. You needing to use sex as a way to show you care..." Dicks look of confusion didn't cease, "You were young when we got together, Dick... That... Sexual immaturity has an effect on how a person responds and perceives sexual intimacy. I thought you needed it because I.. Touched you before you were ready."

 

"I.... No... Adam.. I was fully aware of my choices. I know I was young but..." Dick paused and shook his head before looking back on the other. Then he felt his heart drop. "You regret it."

 

"I didn't say that."

 

"You didn't have to.. I could see it in your face when you brought it up." Dick said before looking towards the floor. He felt like the worlds biggest asshole. 

 

"You're hurt." Adam pointed out.

 

"Duh... That was... Very special to me and... You regret doing it."

 

"Of course I regret doing it, Dick, it makes me a pedophile." Adam couldn't help but to snap. He saw the way the word make Dick flinch. He sighed heavily and downed his scotch before facing Dick and taking his hands. "Listen-"

 

"No.." Dick pulled his hand away and moved to the bumped out window, "I'm sorry I did that to you, Adam.. I wouldn't have if I knew you'd carry it with you like this."

 

Adam sighed and followed Dick, crouching beside the spot he had lied down. "Dick.... I was an adult... A less wiser one, but I knew what I was doing." He reached out and softly squeezed Dicks arm. "I'm glad that night was special to you... Because when I look back at it, even though I feel.. Guilt... I at least know you got something.. Based off your history I'm willing to bet no one else would've been as gentle or thoughtful about your body."

 

Dick turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before rolling on his side to face Adam. "I think... I feel guilty because I liked it... Being with you... Our relationship was... Wrong. Catastrophic.."

 

"But we had a lot to learn from each other."

 

"And we still do.." Adam added, holding Dicks hand a moment before bringing it to his forehead. 

"Elliot was my uncle... My mother’s brother... No one believed me and I got hurt when I spoke about it..... I know it's not much but-"

 

"Adam.." Dick said propping himself up as he squeezed his hand, "You don’t have to tell me if you're not ready... I only offered because I love you and.. I want you to be able to breathe."

 

Adam chuckled, "You love everyone..." He sighed and kissed Dicks forehead. "Get some rest." He ordered before tucking the other in, making sure the blanket was perfectly aligned with the frame before moving to the couch where he shut off the light.

  
  
  
  


Joey had stayed and eavesdropped on the conversation. It was pure curiosity, nothing else. He wondered how young Dick was exactly when he had sex with Adam ... It seemed he and David had a similar story. He'd been sixteen at the time he'd had sex with David who was in his fifties. It didn't feel wrong to Joey and he was interested to hear Adam's take. To hear the way Dick was able to get Adam to talk about things he needed to get out was amazing. Some part of Joseph wondered why the two of them couldn't work it out. Though, he shouldn't say that anywhere within earshot of his father.

 

When he got into the bedroom both Rose and his father were passed out in bed and looking positively adorable. He made sure they were both covered up before getting into his own bed, but of course Dad heard him and stirred ... Which started his second distraction.

 

The anxiety grew slowly from the bed, wafting over to him. Two hours of it and Joey finally let out an exasperated sigh. 

 

'Dad I can't sleep when you're like this.'

 

"Sorry, kid." He whispered back.

 

'What's wrong?'

 

"...  Nothing just-"

 

'Liar. I can look for myself or you can just tell me the truth.'

 

"Dick and Adam downstairs. I'm just anxious about it." Slade could feel Joey glaring at him. "Just say it."

 

'Either you need to learn to trust Dick or you need to let him go. He's trying, give him a chance.' Joey reached up and took his Dad's hand. 'Go to sleep ...' A memory playing of Dick and himself watching the night sky from the car all those months ago, it was enough to lull Slade back to sleep. 


	29. In My Arms

The Wilson's slept soundly for the rest of the night. Joey was even softly snoring as the early morning hours passed. Then ... Slade felt something warm and wet. He woke up to it and frowned a little. Rose was pregnant and sometimes the body had issues ... Regulating things. Holding one's bladder over night could even be an issue for some. 

 

"Rose, sweetheart, wake up." Slade shifted to get up and then he saw it. Red.  _ Blood _ .

 

There wasn't just a spot or two, the entire bed around Rose was  _ soaked _ in blood that had reached Slade's side. He felt his face pale, Joey shot up like a rocket on the floor next to them the moment he sensed the fear hit the air. 

 

"Rose? Rose??" Slade tried, standing next to the bed and shaking her shoulders. "Joseph, go get Dick." 

 

Joey didn't hesitate to get out of bed and look for help. 

 

Slade checked Rose's pulse and found it was faint, though she was still breathing. He didn't want to risk moving her without help, considering her condition.

 

Down stairs, Dick had been getting ready to go running with Adam. He just finished lacing his shoes when he looked up and saw Joey on the stairs. Neither one of them had to say anything because the sound of a sharp scream from upstairs was enough to get everyone's attention.

 

It was like something had suddenly awakened Rose. Her hand moved down swiftly to grip Slade's arm, baring into it with bruising force before her nails began digging into his skin. Her other hand gripped the blood soaked sheets as she let out another pained scream. 

 

Dick rushed upstairs faster than flash and bolted into the room.

 

 "Rose.." He stated, worry heavy in his voice. 

 

Adam was next in her room, "Joseph, go run a bath." He ordered without hesitation. 

 

This had happened before. It scared the Court at first but once they realised she and the baby were 'fine' they grew annoyed by it. They'd restrain her.

 

"Sweetheart, sweetheart..." 

 

Slade's heart was pounding in his ears, fear spiking, but none of that was going to help his daughter. The best thing he could do was remain calm and figure out what he needed to do to help. 

 

"She's... Not moving." Rose managed to choke out.

 

Slade had reached down to check her vitals more thoroughly and check her for additional injuries. 

 

"That's okay, Rose. She's probably just scared like you are. Let's not assume the worst." Slade looked over to Dick. "Help me get her to the bathroom."

 

He took most of her weight, holding her bridal style but moving lower so her hips were sitting higher than her torso and shoulders.

 

 "Support her neck and head, keep it low." 

 

Basic triage said to keep the blood focused toward the more important parts of the body and away from the injury. 

 

Slade saw Joey standing in the bathroom doorway and nodded toward downstairs. 

 

"Go get the emergency bag. Set up three bags for a blood and two for plasma. Bring the rest up here." Joey nodded and went downstairs. "You're O negative aren't you?"

 

"Yes."

 

Slade was an exact match for Rose, but there was only so much he could give her. Dick's blood would be a good supplement.

 

Once they made it to the bathroom, Dick helped get Rose settled in the tub, the water turning orange but slowly started turning red. She came to again, letting out a short pained groan before closing her eyes, reaching to clutch Slade's hand again. 

 

"You need to calm her before you attempt a transfusion.. Dick, do you remember the breathing exercises I taught you?" Adam asked before Dick nodded. 

 

He was quick to kick off his shoes before stepping into the tub with her to have better access as he put his hands on her stomach. "Is this where it hurts?" 

 

She clenched her teeth and nodded, "I feel like I can't breathe."

 

Dick helped her sit up a little more before putting his hands back on her stomach, "I want you to try and take a deep breath, focus on the pain.. On the warmth of my hands over the area... And when you breathe out, I want you to imagine the pain leaving you."

 

Rose tried to breathe in but instead began sobbing, "I- I can't."

 

"I need to start drawing the transfusions so she can use them." Slade didn't mean to snap, "The quicker we get the building blocks for her to heal her body the quicker she will heal." 

 

"Joseph." Slade called out of the bedroom and sat on the edge of the tub, putting his hands on either side of Rose's face.

 

"Rose ... I know you are hurting. I know you are scared. You need to remember how strong you are, this is nothing compared to what you've been through before. You  _ can _ do this." Slade explained, leaning down and just letting his lips rest against her forehead as he spoke to her in a hushed more personal tone. 

 

"We need to calm down for your little girl too. She needs you to be strong for her. Try breathing with Dick. Think about holding her, what her little hands will feel like, the sound of her laugh, her chubby cheeks."

 

Rose's short, quickened breaths slowly began to ease as she reached to squeeze onto Slade's arm. She nodded and closed her eyes as she drew in one long shaky breath before slowly breathing it out. She did this on repeat, slowly starting to ease in Dick's hands but the furrow of her brows showed how much pain she was still in. 

 

"That's it... Keep breathing." Dick reassured before he moved to get out of the tub, stopping the water as he did so. 

 

He removed his pants since they were dripping. Rose looked like she was on the verge of passing out, her skin paler than it was five minutes ago. He moved to grab some wipes to clean their skin but as though Adam had read his mind, he just handed him the disinfectant wipes. Dick worked on cleaning Rose's arm, her grip loosening on Slade as she struggled to stay awake.

 

 "We're right here." Dick reminded.

 

Joey appeared upstairs with an IV and nutrient saline. "Here, I'll set her up with this while you get the transfusions ready." 

 

He moved to Rose's side and had his father get up so he could see her. 

 

"Hey Sis ... I'll get you set up with this IV and then I'll check on your little girl okay?" Joey promised thanking Dick silently for cleaning her up.

 

Joseph always had the best bedside manner. In fact he'd often opt to be helping out in the medical bay rather than going out to do violent missions. Vigilante work may have been the family business but it wasn't something he enjoyed doing all the time. It came out of necessity rather than want. 

 

He successfully set the IV in Rose's arm and placed a hand gently on her stomach, closing his eyes. 

 

"She's stressed ... But she's okay, Rose. Heartbeat is strong, full brain activity. The bleeding isn't affecting her." Even if it was, Joey wouldn't have the heart to tell her. 

 

Rose weakly moved to hold onto his hand as she used him to keep herself steady and focused. She didn't have the energy to keep screaming so instead her body trembled.

 

 "She's okay." Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

 

 It didn't matter how often they did this, she was always worried about her little baby. She just didn't tell the Court. She didn't want them using it against her. 

 

Slade used the sink and toilet as a makeshift draw station. He cleaned his own arm and plunged a blood drawing needle under his skin. It was much larger than an IV needle, but that's because a lot more needed to come out. 

 

"Kid." Slade said looking to Dick. "I know this sounds like the last thing to worry about right now but you need to go downstairs and eat some high sugar foods, get some water in you so you can donate. I don't want you passing out." 

 

Slade connected a line from his arm to a bag, unclipping a clamp in the middle of it. Blood started running through it and into the bag, he tilted it back and forth in his hand as the blood filled it. The motion would keep it from clotting.

 

"I'm fine." Dick countered, holding out his arm but Slade didn't even look at him. 

 

After a minute Dick gave up and decided to go downstairs, Adam following. 

 

"This is normal?" Dick asked him as he began looking around the fridge.

 

 "Not exactly but she's been dealing with it a lot lately.... The Court has not pinpointed where the hemorrhaging is coming from, it's not the baby." 

 

Adam stated as he got together some fruit for Dick to eat. Like him, his grandmother just didn't really carry sweets. Dick ate the food without hesitation and slammed two full glasses of water before he made his way back upstairs, practically having ran. 

 

"Alright.." Dick said looking to Rose, then back to Slade. "I'm ready." 

 

Rose looked up towards the ceiling before clenching her teeth letting out another pained groan. 

 

All the noise had woken Raven up, she stood in the hall observing from afar. "Can I help?" She finally asked making Dick flinch, he hadn't heard her. 

 

"Do you think you can stop the bleeding?" Dick asked.

 

Raven just nodded and squeezed into the already cramped space.

 

Slade watched Raven closely. He appreciated her help, but the powers of Azarath weren't always good ... His family had suffered from that before too, or rather Joey had. Yet he seemed to trust Raven and was ready to work with her.

 

"Come on, kid, let's clear out and give them some space." Slade stood with the bag and felt himself falter a little. 

 

Why was he always forgetting he no longer had a healing factor? "We'll get the bedroom set up for her." 

  
  


 "I'm going to help you with your pain okay?" Joey moved his hands down to Rose's stomach and closed his eyes again. 

 

He had to remain absolutely calm and in control. Focused. 

 

'The baby is feeling some stress now. Nothing harmful. The pain ... God it's unbearable.' Joey was gritting his teeth along with Rose as he attempted to soothe her mind with any other sensation but pain. But fighting a body experiencing this much was difficult, there was no way he could block all of it.

 

 'Raven, the baby's heart rate is dropping'

 

Raven held her hands up over Rose's belly but didn't move down to touch her. Slowly, she herself began to hover before she began speaking in another language using her powers to focus on healing Rose's body. A soft black light shone from her hands and her eyes began to glow as she continued the chant.

 

Rose's teeth bared harder as she closed her eyes tightly.. Then.. Everything ceased. Breathing, pulse, brain function. Silence and near emptiness filled the space before a loud whoosh was heard. Heart rates returned, breathing and brain function resumed as if nothing happened. Raven nearly fell from where she had begun levitating and she pant softly. Rose was fading in and out of consciousness. 

 

"She should be okay now." Raven stated calmly before standing and moving to the bathroom door, "She needs blood."

 

Joey could see Raven had pushed herself hard healing Rose and looked unsteady on her feet. "Adam, I need you to take Raven to sit down." Joey called without looking away from his sister.

 

Adam assisted Raven back to her room, making sure she had everything she needed before lingering around the hall. He had doubts he'd be needed further but he couldn't bring himself to walk away. He didn't know where this bout of compassion came from. 

 

"Come on, sis, let's get you and the baby resting."

 

 Joey soothed removing the blood soaked night gown on her within the privacy of the bathroom and removing her from the tub. She was dried off and Joey took off his own t-shirt to cover her top and used a towel for the rest. 

 

"Dad, incoming." Joey said as he came into the room carrying her with the saline drip in between his teeth.

 

"First bag is ready." Slade called clipping it off and setting it on the nightstand. 

 

The son and father seemed to work in harmony with no outward verbal communication. Joey took the bag and got Rose set up with his Dad's fresh blood. He treated it with a minimal amount of anticoagulants and a heavy iron supplement. 

 

While Joey focused on Rose Slade began a draw needle on Dick and held his transfusion bag for him, agitating the liquid inside slowly once again.

 

 "I'm going to need two whole blood transfusions. I ... My body isn't going to let me do more than one." Clearly, Slade was unhappy about that. He wanted to help more. 

 

"Take as much as you need, Slade.." Dick said as he looked at the other, he didn't care if Slade pushed him passed his own comfort if it helped Rose. "What's important right now is what she needs." 

 

"Kid, what we all need is to stay healthy enough to fight and protect one another. You included." Slade reinforced.

 

This was one area he was firm on, which he and Dick were lightly to disagree. Slade was willing to give what he could, while Dick would saw off his own arm for someone else. The kid needed someone to reign him in and since Bruce wasn't here it fell on Slade. 

 

"One bag and platelets. The components of your blood will be perfect for her own healing factor and mine to help heal her. It'll be enough." 

 

"Dad, I want to give her some pain medication."

 

"Low and slow, I don't want her pushed into respiratory arrest." Slade said back getting a silent agreement from Joey as he picked out medication for Rose's IV.

 

Finally, Adam appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "These episodes shouldn't surpass another month... She'll need lots of rest and a very low stress environment."

 

"I'll be sure to tell Damian." Dick said, the last thing he needed was the kids antics starting something... Though... With the Court technology in him that could prove to be challenging. 

 

"You should wait to transport her... Maybe a day or so."

 

"Will Elaine be okay with that?" Dick asked.

 

"If not there's the condo... The bed with fit two. Maybe even three.. I have some assignments so I won't be there." Adam stated before handing Slade the paper he typed up the night before. It listed the expected issues along with some care information.

 

Slade took the paper from Adam and nodded. "I'll put that collar back on Damian if I have to." Slade joked, it was dark humor, but he was a dark guy. 

 

Joseph was finishing up pushing some low dose painkillers and nausea medication into Rose. He felt terrible she couldn't have anything stronger, but be wouldn't risk her baby for something like morphine. He checked on the little one again, closing his eyes and listening to her heart beat. She was calming down, then, he felt her move. Her tiny foot pressing up on Rose's stomach just to where Joey could feel it on his hand. He smiled a little and opened his eyes.

 

Slade was back and focused on Rose the moment Dick's blood draw was done. The fact he didn't thank him or give him more attention wasn't personal, but it was like had been said before, his kids had to come first. 

 

"She's saying hi, Rose." Joey didn't even know how conscious she was, but talking always helped. 

 

He was frankly exhausted. Being up with Dad, the rude awakening, using his powers in this way … God he just wanted to sleep, but knew that would be incredibly selfish. He wished he had his Dad's healing factor sometimes.

 

Rose was half awake, only enough to really hear Joey but not respond to him. Clearly this had taken a toll on her.

 

Dick slowly stood and looked between Joey and Slade, "I'm going to let her rest. Let me know if you need anything." 

  
  


He made his way out of the room with Adam to follow.

 

"When are you leaving?" 

 

"A couple of hours... I'll make sure you are all situated before I leave. I can call you a cab to get you to wherever you need to go. I know a few people who won't rat on you."

 

"Thank you.." Dick said with a sigh. 

 

He moved into the kitchen and began looking around to see if he could find anything that would help Rose. He'd probably make her  a protein shake after she wakes up.

  
  
  


Both Slade and Joey stayed with Rose for a while. They made sure that her body reacted with the blood transfusions well, checking her vitals while Joey checked on the baby. Slade made a few phone calls to find a doctor to see Rose in England. One that would stay quiet and made house calls. He found his woman, a name they all probably would recognize. Leslie Thompskin. She was in Ireland and would take the first flight into London. Joey agreed to pick her up. From the way he saw it, they'd be looking for Joey to get help for Rose. The more they could keep the focus off of Slade the better. Joey didn't worry about being caught, he didn't plan on it. After the stories he'd heard? They'd never take him alive. 

  
  
  


Once Rose was stable and a plan was worked out Joey was the one kicked out of the bedroom to go downstairs and take a break. He just walked right over to the couch, grabbed the nearest blanket and wrapped it around his head, setting his phone outside the covers on the arm rest so he could still 'talk'.    
  
"My Dad is being stubborn, he needs something to eat and drink. No rush though." 

 

Dick looked back at Joey before he began making up a plate for Slade. He got a little bit of everything and even blended a peanut butter protein shake for Rose in case she was awake. 

He headed upstairs, knocking on the door before coming inside. He passed the plate over to Slade before rubbing his shoulder.

 

"How is she?"

 

"Sleeping soundly." Slade was relieved to say. 

 

All that blood and pain ... Once again he was just grateful to have his baby girl alive and resting. "The blood transfusions are working... I'm finishing up your bag of platelets. Her vitals have evened out, Joey says the baby is fine too. I was ... Worried she lost her. I didn't know how she could have handled that with everything else." 

 

Rose was struggling with so much, even if she put on a brave face a father just knew. This baby meant a lot to her, for a while it meant everything to her, Slade wanted both of them to recover from what the High Court did to them. 

 

Slade took a few bites of food and set his plate to the side. It wasn't anything against the cooking, he just had too much on his mind to think about eating. Dick didn't blame Slade, he too had a hard time eating during stressful times. He pushed a hand through Slade's hair before hugging his head against his stomach.

 

"Thank you for helping I ... Honestly can't imagine doing this without you. I've said it a million times but I mean it." 

 

 "I know, baby.. I'm.. Glad you trust me enough to let me help you." He admit before letting out a soft sigh.

 

Slade pause and looked up to Dick , "How are you feeling?"

 

 "I feel fine.. Worried..." He looked towards Rose again. "Adam said we can expect this to happen again... That she's been dealing with it a lot. I..... Want you to know that I don't mind sleeping with Damian if you want her in our bed until she's better. I know you want to keep an eye on her." Dick said as he began twirling Slade's hair in his fingers. 

 

He went back and forth between Damian and Slade anyways... Though... He'd miss cuddling up against the other. He'd have to steal a couple of shirts.

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


"I'm just going to ... Sleep ... How far is Heathrow Airport from here?"

 

"Heathrow is about.. 3 hours from here. Why do you ask?" Adam asked as he sat at the foot of the couch.

 

"3 hours? Gross." Joey hadn't moved an inch, "Dr. Thompskin has agreed to come and see Rose. I have to go get her ... Dad can't get caught doing that." Not that he should be willing to get caught either but everyone was making sacrifices. "I'll probably have to leave soon ..."

 

Adam didn't like the thought of Joey showing his face so soon after Rose had been taken from the Court but he also showed no sign of protesting.

 

 "I have to head to the airport to meet with Alea soon.. I can drive with you. Maybe you can even convince Ma to color your hair, she had fun with Raven’s." He said with a chuckle.

 

 That hadn't been his idea. He just walked in to Raven sitting in a chair reading while Elaine worked on coloring and cutting her hair to better disguise her.

 

Joey sat up and let the blanket fall off from his head and torso to lie around his hips on the couch. Every blond curl was sticking out in a different direction. It had gotten so long since his capture and ... He just never got around to doing anything with it. 

 

"Honestly? I just need a cut anyway ... But, I'd be happy to let Ms. Elaine work her creative style into my hair. Raven looks great." Joey tried to tame his hair back but the curls became knotted in the front so he began pulling down on it and working at it with laser focus. "She should just shave me bald."

 

Adam snort, "No, you're handsome but please don't do that to me. I was just beginning to enjoy your company." He teased before shifting to face the other, "I kind of like it long... More to play with... Pull." 

 

Adam learned that suggesting his kinks helped him get a better read on his partners. He enjoyed watching the fantasies play behind the others eyes before the rest of the reactions and sensations caught up with the body. He could tell Joey liked things rougher.

 

Joey flushed and became less concentrated on unknotting his hair and finally just gave up and pushed it back. He didn't need to make himself look even more ridiculous than he probably already had. Though, despite feeling a tad ridiculous, it didn't stop him from being a shameless flirt. 

 

"Are you saying you like to mix your pleasure with pain Dr. Foster? Or are you just interested in mine?" Joey could play both sides of things, he could be dominant, submissive, and everything in between. He liked that too, it allowed him to have fun in nearly every situation.

 

"Mmm.. I would enjoy watching you toe the line between both of those things." He couldn't deny that he was a sadist. 

 

Suddenly, Adam felt a firm hard smack to the back of his head making him flinch and momentarily tense up. He looked up to meet Elaine's eyes and a near disapproving glare, "Don't flirt with someone half your age! You're old enough to be that boys father!"

 

"Well, I am younger than his father."

 

"Yeah but you're going to die by the time he's your age. Then what? He's heartbroken and left with paying for your funeral services?"

 

"Okay, first of all, ma, I have enough money to pay for my funeral. Second, I am offended you think I'll die by the time I'm sixty. And lastly... Flirting doesn't make him my partner."

 

"Men like you are the reason I was a single mother."

 

Adam rolled his eyes, "Sure it has nothing to do with the fact you were sixteen." He couldn't stop the snarky response.

 

Elaine glared at Adam before looking at Joey, "He better make it about you otherwise, you find someone who will give you less of a hard time."

 

"He doesn't need to do that if I'm giving him a good time." Adam mumbled under his breath.

 

Elaine shot him a look and snort, "Thank god you're not straight. I'd have too many grandchildren at this point."

 

"Ma! I don't sleep around that much."

 

Watching Elaine eviscerate Adam down to a puddle in front of him was  _ very _ amusing toJoey. By the end of it he nearly in tears from laughing, actually, when the voices quieted down around him there was a soft squeaking sound coming from Joey. Not from his phone, or a transfer from mind to mind, no ... An adorable sound that was all that was left of Joey's laugh after his injury. 

 

"Oh my god, you two are too cute." Joey's phone clicked on over the sound, Joey still covering his face.

 

Both Elaine and Adam had turned their attention towards Joey. Adam, despite his own embarrassment, couldn't help but softly smile at the sound of Joey's squeaking. He could definitely get used to the sound as was tempted to get more out of the other however, he stayed put since he didn't want his grandmother to flay him anymore. It was evident he got his 'speak what's on my mind' attitude from her. 

 

"I overheard your conversation."

 

"Overheard or eaves dropped?" Adam asked, barely peeling his eyes off of Joey.

 

Ma ignored him. "If Joey needs a haircut and dye I don't mind doing it. I have some supplies left over from Raven." She stated as Adam looked back to Joey.

 

"It'll help keep the Courts eyes off you, luv." He glanced down at his watch, "We have about an hour and a half before we should get on the road. Should be plenty of time." Oh how he was looking forward to getting the other completely alone.

 

Joey smiled, "Let's do it." He stood up and pulled the blanket from around him and dropped it on top of Adam's head. "Ms. Elaine, I trust you to do whatever you'd like." Actually, Joey looked pretty excited about it. "See you in a bit ... Luv." Joey repeated with a devilish smile on his face. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"We barely made any noise." 

 

 Damian looked defiant, holding a horse play ball that was half of his size. Goliath was sitting next to the horse barn looking sad and guilty.

 

 "He wanted to play with the ball, so I assisted."

 

"You took down two trees and destroyed one of the cabins." Slade was about ready to tear his hair out. "Your father might be fine with you destroying everything but you will not behave this way in my custody."

 

"You're just angry because I probably woke up the fetus breeder." 

 

"Stop calling her that." Slade wished he could hit the child at that moment. "She needs a stress free environment, Damian, if you don't start behaving-"

 

"What you'll ground me, old man? You can't tell me what to do." Damian stated crossing his arms. 

 

Slade's eye narrowed. "You know what, you  _ are _ grounded." He moved forward, grabbed Damian by the back of his shirt and lifted him like a kitten by the scruff. 

 

"Unhand me Wilson! I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"

  
  


Joey was inside the house helping Dick make lunch for the masses. "Looks like Dad is putting Damian in time out ... It might be time to intervene. I don't want to clean up blood before lunch."

 

Dick couldn't help but to let out a sigh, he had hoped that Damian would try to be compassionate and understanding. He often forgot how self absorbed kids were. 

 

"On it." He commented before heading over to Slade and Damian. 

 

He didn't hesitate to take Damian from Slade giving a sigh, "Damian.. We've had this talk. If you can't make things work for other people, then we aren't going to make it work for you." 

 

That was his way of threatening to sleep on the couch instead of with Damian. A promise he had made good on a couple times before. 

 

He was just glad Constantine was behaving. Sure the other got stupid drunk, but he helped use magic to soothe some of Rose's pain and got her to smile quiet a bit. Damian looked a little betrayed at first, eyes narrowed and looking away from Dick. 

 

"Goliath is a giant oaf ... He can't help himself. He gets excited." He tried to explain crossing his arms. "You're always telling me to 'be a kid' but whenever I do, all you do is yell at me. Or this old wrinkly does." The British slang was really wearing off on Damian.

 

"You can be a child without destroying my property or acting spoiled and without manners." Slade said sternly. 

 

"I have perfect manners, I just have no respect for you." Damian shot back without hesitation.

 

Slade looked over to Dick but decided it was time to be quiet. The thing was ... Slade wasn't just going to 'parent' Damian. Dick, Talia and Bruce had that right. So unless Dick told him flat out to intervene he was going to  _ try _ and let Dick handle it. Try being the key word.

 

Dick couldn't help but to let out a soft sigh before he got down on his knee so he was closer to Damians eye level, his hand moving to rest on the boys shoulder. 

 

"What Slade is trying to say is... We understand that 'being a kid' isn't second nature to you... That you're still learning. And, Damian, just like any kid or human being, you’re learning where boundaries are. You need to respect when people say your behavior doesn't work. You have a right to have fun and play with Goliath, he's your pet, but you need to be aware of how excited and out of control he gets. Maybe next time play with him away from the house." Dick advised. 

 

"I need you to understand that... Rose is very sensitive right now. Her body was experimented on and if we aren't careful she could lose the baby." He warned in a gentle tone, "I know you aren't attached to this child, Damian, but you've come so far and I don't think it'd weigh well on your consciousness knowing you killed her." He didn’t like being that blunt but he had to be. "Do you understand?"

 

Damian's eyes went a little wide, reaching Dick's, looking guilty under a forced stubborn frown. Dick was right, Damian didn't want to hurt Rose or her baby. Even if he had no connection to Rose, Dick did and that meant something to him. 

 

"Yes. I understand." Damian said after a moment stepping closer to Dick as a silent apology and asking for forgiveness in the form of a hug or a pat on the back. 

 

Something physical and positive that proved Dick wasn't mad at him. He'd been needing a lot of reinforcement and reminders that people loved and cared for him ... 'People' being Dick. He connected to everyone through Dick. Dick was there to help others understand him and, in turn, help him understand other people. It was the support Damian needed to flourish, because in many other ways, Damian had already grown up.

 

Dick gave Damian a sympathetic look before he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the other, hugging him firmly. He softly rubbed the others back and stayed in the hug for a moment before leaning back and kissing Damian's forehead. 

 

"Let’s go eat lunch." He offered his golden child smile before getting up and pulling Damian towards the house. 

 

"I will come in a moment. I want to help Goliath get settled in the barn." 

 

At first, the horses and cows were mortified by Goliath, shaking in fear at the red beast before them. However, they realized Goliath was not against stealing treats to share and was like a giant heater for them to enjoy during these colder months. They quickly grew to accept him into their little bovine and horse family. 

  
  
  
  


By now, Rose had woken up. She had moved to sit beside Joey and reached to flick a lock of his hair before chuckling, "I'm never going to get used to the red. You look like a used tampon." Yes. Older sisters were cruel.

 

"Elaine said I looked charming." Joseph countered, "And I may look like a used tampon but at least I'm not the size of a Macy's parade blimp."

 

Rose scoffed at Joey and threw a grape at him.

 

"Joseph, stop calling your sister fat. She's pregnant." Slade had just walked in and was at the sink washing his hands.

 

"She said I looked like a used tampon, if she can dish it then she can take it." Joey defended.

 

Slade paused, looked out from the kitchen at Joey. "You do look like a used tampon."

 

"What the fuck, Dad!"

 

Rose smirked, "Told you!" She said sticking her tongue out at Joey. 

 

Dick snort and ruffled Joey's hair, "Well I think you look good as a redhead. Handsome and even charming." 

 

Rose rolled her eyes, "You just say that cuz you'd bang any red head in your sight." 

 

Dick's brows furrowed by the statement, it was hard not to take things like that personally especially because he felt like a slut for cheating on Slade.

 

Joey felt Dick's shame and it wasn't the first time he felt it either. Despite Dick's reputation, sex was a very intimate experience for him. When other men roused him about 'getting a lot of ass' or people talked about his number of partners Joey always felt this uneasy and self-loathing feeling come over Dick. 

 

He shot Rose a short look and then smiled, "You're just jealous because Dick never let you fuck him." 

 

"Joseph." Slade said as he finished up in the kitchen. He passed by him and lightly smacked him on the back of the head. 

 

"That's abuse." Joseph said with a fake looking aghast expression. "I've banged five times the amount of redheads Dick has. At least he has some restraint." 

 

"It's like you forget I'm your father and have no interest in hearing about your sexual escapades."

 

"Redheads are crazy good in bed." Constantine decided to chime in around the toothpick he was chewing. It helped keep his mouth busy since he couldn't smoke inside. 

 

"I don't know who raised you two, but you're heathens."

 

Dick rolled his eyes and shook his head wearing a smile, "I think its good your kids feel comfortable talking about sex. When..  _ If  _ I have kids, I want them to be comfortable enough to have those conversations with me."

 

"Like you wouldn't be over the protective dad, ‘you let who do what?’" Rose mocked as Slade helped her up and go towards the kitchen. 

 

"I don't think dad is going to have any more kids. The two of us drive him crazy enough. And i can tell baby girl is going to run him ragged." Rose said rubbing her belly.

 

Dick felt bittersweet. He really wanted kids. The idea of not having his own was disappointing. But he was honored by the fact Rose thought he'd be with her dad long enough to have to deal with that. 

 

"Maybe... But I know Slade can't wait to meet her." Dick smiled.

 

"You're right, I'm very excited." Slade admitted outright as he helped to sit Rose down at the table and gave her a small dish with a few pills on it and a drink that looked ... Green. "Before you get dessert, all of it." Slade said pointedly. 

 

Rose groaned at Slade's instructions before she took the pills and drank her green smoothie. 

 

"You know I didn't mind you two when you were kids. I miss it sometimes actually." Slade was just being a reminiscent old man. "Now you two are heathens. It'll be nice having a little one around again." 

 

"You've seen Dad's face when he sees a little baby." Joey said with a smile serving lunch to the table. "Lights up, he always ends up holding them." Joey looked to Dick. "You've seen it right?"

 

"Last time we were around a baby I hogged him." Dick admit, "But I did see him with a couple of young children, he was so gentle and sweet with him. It's one of the things that made me realize he wasn't so bad." Dick nudged Slade with his shoulder softly before taking a seat.

 

"Do you know what you wanna name her?"

 

"I’m going to wait until I meet her." Rose replied, "But I'm sure you have an arsenal of baby names. You probably have a whole binder full of them. Like the binder of desperation part 2."

 

"Binder of desperation?" Constantine asked.

 

Dick covered his face as Rose began to explain, "Dick has or.. Had a binder filled with wedding ideas and plans from his past engagements... Like... This guy puts wedding planners to shame."

 

"Heh, marriage is a scam." Constantine said as he sipped on a beer.

 

"Amen to that." Joey agreed with Constantine. "I've seen it, though. Really nice. Dad could afford all of it too. He'd give you the wedding of your dreams most definitely."

 

Slade was smiling a little, looking at Dick. "You have a  _ binder _ ?" He teased, "That's ... Kind of cute." Slade meant it too, one could see it in his face.

 

Dick looked up from his hands at Slade with a soft smile before reaching to let a hand rest on his thigh. He couldn't deny that he loved the look Slade gave him. It made him feel like he was the only one in the world that could possibly have Slade's heart and well.. Between spoken words and actions that seemed to be quite true. 

  
“Yes, but that’s because I wanted things to be perfect. I thought that Babs and Kori deserved to have the wedding of their dreams.”

 

 "You're like a child with their 'crushes' journal ... Which, this one wanted to be a Wayne." 

 

"Dad, no." Joey looked horrified.

 

"He had the biggest crush on Bruce in middle and high school." Slade told them to Joey's horror.  "Wrote their names in a notebook and said 'get married just for the honeymoon' with a winking face." 

 

"I ... I want to die." Joey's face was beet red.

 

"Awww Joey." Dick chirped out before Constantine smirked

 

. "That one would have driven you out of your damn mind, though I imagine he's amazing in bed."

 

Dick shuttered, "I don't even want to think about it. Do you know how many times I've had to suffer through him bringing someone home? My room wasn't even next to his. I pity Damian."

 

"If you heard the girls down the hall, that's saying something." John pointed out. 

 

Rose snort, "I'm surprised he even had time for sex. Bruce seems like a workaholic."

 

"He is. Sometimes Alfred has to drug him just so he gets a good night's sleep."

 

"You find time." Slade said between a drink of water.

 

"Didn't you just say you didn't want to explore our sex lives?" Joey asked with a flat expression.

 

"Well, you two blew that." Slade motioned to both of them. "Talia said I was better."

 

Dick just about choked having to hold back some laughter and shock. A small part of him wanted to chime in and say he wasn't surprised Talia thought he was better, for an old man Slade fucked like a God. Instead, Dick just gave Slade's leg a playful pinch.

 

Joey about spit out his water. "No she did  _ not  _ she loves Bruce." Joey defended.

 

"Sex doesn't have to have anything to do with love." Slade shrugged. "Nice when it does though." He added, putting a hand on Dick's under the table.

 

"Based on how loud Dick screams at night, I'm not surprised." John shrugged before flinching from being kicked by Dick. "Sorry, Sunshine, but if you don't want anyone to know, then you should invest in a gag."

 

"You're one to talk." Dick countered.

 

"I'd do it in front of you if there wasn't a kid around, I'm not ashamed." John smirked. 

 

He had proven that by patrolling around the house ass naked at 2am. Dick saw more than he wanted to, but he understood Zatanna's attraction.

 

"In front of people? Sounds kinky." It was Joey's turn to get kicked by Slade.

 

 "I wanna know which Justice League member is the best." Rose sighed.

 

"I think sex is too objective to decide who is best or better than someone else." Slade answered honestly, then started going through his Rolodex inside of his head. "Based on first and secondhand accounts ... I'd say Wonder Woman." 

 

"Wonder Woman?" Joey asked skeptically, then seemed to resolve himself to it being the truth. He looked like he had stars in his eyes. 

 

Dick couldn't help but smile softly though he kept quiet, he didn't necessarily enjoy rating people but the expression on his face didn't say he disagreed. 

 

Constantine, however, didn't hesitate to put in his opinion. "What I'd give to get her in the sheets. That woman absolutely hates me." He said with a blissful sigh.

 

 Dick couldn't help but to roll his eyes, "From what I hear a lot of people hate you."

 

"It ain't easy being a prick." 

 

Shortly after that sentence was spoken, they could hear the sound of small pattering feet coming down the stairs in the living room. How Damian got from the barn to his room was a batfamily trade secret. The fat orange cat of the house following behind him. He walked silently over to Rose and stood next to her. 

 

"I've realized that I may have been unfair to you and your fetus. Just because I find your father insufferable and old does not mean I should treat you poorly because of it." Damian was holding something in his hand, he brought it up and held it out for Rose.

 

 "I enjoy ginger candies ... They remind me of home. Grayson and I bought an extra bag when we went to the market. Ginger can help with an upset stomach, I've listened to your vomiting in the morning and thought these might help you feel better."

 

Rose took the candy and felt her eyes tearing up. She hated this part of being pregnant, she was way more emotional than normal. "That's so nice." She smiled as she worked on calming herself before turning to hug Damian. 

 

Damian tensed up, very much looking like a cat being held by a toddler. He didn't push away though, and let her get in cuddles before walking over to Dick as if to confirmation his apology was enough to clear the slate. 

 

Dick got the biggest smile on his face before he pulled Damian to sit in his lap, his arms wrapping around his waist as he whispered to him in Arabic, <That was very kind of you, Damian. I'm proud of you.>

 

<Thanks.> He responded softly, a small smile coming to his features. 

 

Rose looked at the candies before tucking them away to eat later. "Maybe one of these days you can help me pick out some baby clothes for my ‘fetus.’"

 

"They will have to have a tiny replica Robin suit." Damian stated and then looked thoughtful. "Finding an appropriate sized sword may be a challenge." 

 

"And  _ I'm  _ the bad influence." Slade chimed in.

 

"Dad you gave me throwing stars for my 6th birthday." Joey said in Damian's defense.

 

"I also got you oil paints." Slade shrugged. "It was interesting when you decided to use both." 

 

There was no further explanation as to what the hell that even meant. 

 

"You know, we should go shopping for things though. There is a maternity store in town. Llyod said he's basically got the whole town on the hush hush about us. I made sure to check in on it too," Joey pointed to his temple, "He's telling the truth. Besides, you need a stomach pillow for your fat ass."

 

"Joseph Wilson." Slade sighed.

 

 Rose smacked Joey's arm.

 

"I swear to god, after I have this baby I'm going to make it my life mission to steal every single one of your boytoys."

 

"Now, now, there's enough of me to go around." Constantine smirked. 

 

"Not when I'm done with you." Rose countered. "I could use some new clothes though, I'm getting tired of tripping over dads pants." 

 

"I'm surprised your center of gravity isn't off, you could have your own gravitational pull." It looked like Constantine was climbing aboard the fat joke train.

 

"Whoah, whoah, whoah." Both Joey and Slade started looking directly at John.

 

"Hey, no one calls my sister fat but me you colonist." Joey pointed his butter knife at him and then poked him the arm with it. "I'd cut you but you'd probably get a boner."

 

"Maybe that's the point." John smirked at Joey, he certainly loved his little games with the younger male. 

 

Slade sighed loudly, "There is a child in the room."

 

"Where?" Damian asked looking around.

 

"You pipsqueak."

 

"Excuse you, I know what a boner is." Damian defended, crossing his arms and leaning against Dick, he clearly had no intention of giving up some personal time with Dick. 

 

"You sure living with Bruce didn’t mess him up?"  Slade asked, half serious.

 

"Bruce probably showed him the slideshow."

 

"Slide show?" John asked.

 

"Bruce made a sex ed slideshow he shows his kids. It's.... It's actually pretty traumatic."

 

Rose choked, "Wait, wait, wait.... Bruce Wayne put together a sexual education slideshow? What does it even have in it? Pin up photos of Catwoman?"

 

"... It has like.... How to have safe sex.. Talks about stds... There's a couple slides I don't really understand. "

 

Slade raised an eyebrow when Dick finished. "I'm sorry, you are going to have to elaborate for me." He tried to back it up, "A couple of slides that you didn't understand?" 

 

Joey let out a little snorting laugh as if it was some kind of inside joke no one else was in on. He had been in Dick's head before, he'd seen some things related to this very event that had almost made him pee his pants.  

 

"Yes, please tell us, Richard."

 

Dick sighed and leaned back thinking, "So... After the prep info he got into the dangers and things to be aware of. So naturally of course this covered stds and pregnancy and went onto more severe things to be aware of like... How some people will hang themselves while getting off and accidentally comit suicide... And after that there was a slide with a toaster beside a bathtub? And... I don't really understand if he was trying to say this was something people try to do or if he was banning making toast while taking a bath?"

 

Rose arched a brow, "He didn’t elaborate?"

 

"He looked at it and told me to interpret the image.. I had nothing but questions and he just said 'very good' and moved on."

 

Slade shared a bewildered look with both Joey and Rose. Joey still was smiling like an idiot. He nudged Constantine in the arm and transferred not only Dick's side of the narrative, but Jason and Tim's as well. 

 

Slade shook his head, "And I thought my talk with the kids was bad."

 

Joseph cleared his throat and looked away from Slade as he spoke.

 

"A comment from over there?"

 

"Nope." Joey shook his head. 

 

Damian shook his head, "I have not seen this slideshow. However my mother gave me the basics before giving me over to Father."

 

Dick looked at Damian and let his chin rest on his shoulder, "Your mothers thorough. I'm not surprised she'd give you a lesson." He pat Damians thigh so he would stand before Dick got to work on cleaning up the kitchen. 

 

Rose struggled to get up, "The worst part of this is having to pee twenty four seven."

 

"Oh just wait until it rips through your cootch."

 

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to that either." Rose said as she made her way to the bathroom.

 

Slade paled a little, he'd been through three births. They were worse than some battles he'd been through. He was supportive, reassuring, but realistically, there was nothing he could do to stop the inevitable. Knowing his own daughter was going to experience that pain was tough. However, he knew the end product would be worth every second of it. He was excited for Rose to know the kind of love and adoration that came with holding your child for the first time. The same love he had and still felt for her. 

 

"It'll be worth it Rose." Slade smiled, moving to help her up but letting her go towards the bathroom on her own.

 

Joey then headed outside and walked behind John with a smile on his face. "You know if you're still in the mood..." Joey slipped a hand around Constantine's waist and up, brandishing the butter knife from kitchen. 

 

He swung it expertly around his fingers like he would a combat knife and knocked out the cigarette from John's mouth. His other hand held back John's elbow with a firm grasp as he pressed the 'blade' of the knife against Constantine's neck with a firm pressure.

 

 "I'm always up for a little knife play."

 

Constantine’s breathing shifted, "You know how to get a guy going." He turned to push Joey into the wall, his lips pressing against the others firmly. The kiss didn't last long however because Constantine pulled away, took Joey by the hand and began pulling him towards the barn. The house was too full to do anything there.

 

"The barn ... really?" Joey said with a flushed smile on his face, his lips already red and his body thrumming with energy.

 

At least it was the storage barn. As much as Joey would have loved fucking among the cows and horses he didn't think that would be sanitary enough for him to even get half a hard on. Once they were inside, Joey let Constantine pull him forward until they were near an old VW bug parked in the barn. Joey shoved John's back onto it and leaned over him flipping out a switchblade like knife. He was a Wilson, of course he was carrying weapons on him at all times. 

 

"I know you like the sense of actual danger and while I could kill you with that butter knife ... This certainly is much sharper." Joey knew what he was doing, if he didn't? He wouldn't have brought it out. "Safety word is Batman." He also had a sick sense of humor. 

 

Joey then ran the side of the knife along Constantine's neck, then flipped it over at his collar and let the tip press into his shirt, just enough to begin cutting the fabric and barely running John's chest, this would be a bloodbath for someone untrained. However Joey's still hand left a trail of partially split fabric and tiny beads of blood behind it. 

 

Joey may have been younger, but John certainly had no reservations about bending over for him. In fact, it made their little power struggle of dominance that much funner. They both got to take turns, handle each other, it was an equal exchange. 

 

John shifted his body forward, pressing against the knife harder before he pulled his tie off and wrapped it around Joey's neck, "Two can play at this game." He tightened the tie until it was barely loose enough for the other to still breathe.

 

The problem with playing fast and loose like this is that it didn't allow much time for talking, getting to know one another past playful romps and heated exchanges. It didn't leave a lot of time to talk about possible turn offs or even ... Triggers. 

 

'No' 

 

It was felt more than it was heard. Joey panicked and threw his head back tightening the tie around his neck before he just cut the damn thing off of himself. In the mess he ended up cutting his finger as well, not enough to cause any major damage, but enough to bleed. He saw it and immediately started to get woozy. 

 

{It's doesn't matter who's fault it was … He needs help.} Dad. He couldn't breathe, he was drowning, drowning in his own blood. {Joey, stay with me.}

 

Despite what was going on in his mind Joey was just sat on the ground staring at his hand and holding it to his chest. It was just a tie, a stupid tie, it wasn't Constantine's fault ... But fuck he felt so raw, and he didn't want to cry in front of him. He also felt like he wanted to throw up.

Everything had happened so fast Constantine barely had time to think but in the end the upset splattered across Joey's face was obvious. Constantine had seen that look on more sexual partners than he cared to admit.

 

"Hey.." He started before slowly lowering to the ground, a hand finding Joey’s arm before John fully sat beside him. "You're alright, I wouldn't hurt you." Not himself anyways... 

 

While Constantine didn't want to hurt Joey, if it came down to him or the whole human race Constantine would set Joey ablaze without hesitation. He was a self centered asshole and while he made the tough calls without blinking, he still grieved being the one to make such harrowing choices. Slowly, he looped his arm around Joey's shoulders and pulled him in. 

 

"I didn't mean to upset you.." It was important to make this known, he didn't want Joey to feel overwhelmed or frightened because of a sexual encounter gone too far.

 

"I know, I know." Joey said in response, a hand resting protectively on his collarbone. "I should have said something, I'm sorry." Times like these Joey was grateful for his communicator, he wouldn't want Constantine to hear to the breaking and wobbling of his voice.

 

Joey leaned into the comfort though, it felt safe. He did trust Constantine, he was a good man. Joey knew that. It was helping him calm down too.

 

 "Just no ... Neck stuff. I can't." Joey reached up and rubbed the scar across it. 

 

"That's understandable." Constantine said in response, pushing a hand through the others hair.

 

"Kind of ruined the mood didn't I?" Joey gave Constantine a half smile.

 

 He chuckled and shook his head, "You're just one vile comment away from turning it all around." He was half kidding. He didn't expect things to continue after what happened, as lovely as it would be to get his rocks off.

 

Joey smiled and nudged his shoulder into Constantine's side. "Horn dog." Though really, did Joey have any room to talk at this point?

 

"Why don't we go run you a bath? I can give you a massage. Zee used to say I was at least good for that much." Constantine offered. He didn't love Joey, not by a long shot, but he respected him as a friend. A partner. Besides, it was the end of the world and he had to take what he could get.

 

"That actually sounds amazing." Joey began standing up and offered a hand down to Constantine to help him up. "David used to do that for me. Before I retired from being a hero ... Stressed me out a lot. Well ... Sort of. It was either a bath or a massage, usually I was ready for the bedroom before either of those things were over with." 

 

David was the best lover he's ever had. He paid attention to his body and worshiped him like a god when he did. It was a sensuality and connection that he missed at times, though, playing around with Constantine was fun too ... But in a different way. 

 

John laughed, "Guy sounds perfect, shame you couldn't have shared." He joked, sure he's dated here and there but... He preferred not to fall in love. Bad things always happened when he did and while sometimes he couldn't help it... He was too selfish to walk away despite knowing what would happen.

 

"So do ... You really believe Zatanna is dead?"

 

Constantine fell silent. He didn't say a word until after they made it into the privacy of a bathroom where he worked on running some water for Joey.

 

 "Yes." It came out too quick and too cold. His fist briefly clenched as his brows furrowed. "Alea had her strapped to a chair across from me... She demanded I teach her magic... Being the smart ass I am, I offered her a spell that would cause anyone who used it's insides to melt. She let one of her other men test it out. Once she saw the result she... She cut Zees hand off.... Said if I fooled her again she'd hurt her more... I refused to offer help and so she killed her. It wasn't an illusion. I could smell and taste her blood."

 

"That bitch doesn’t know how to take no for an answer... When I get my hands on her, she's going to learn the price of magic.”

 

Joey started stripping down, but listened to Constantine carefully. "John ... I'm sorry." Joey started, sitting on the side of the tub .

 

 'I just ... how do I put this? I've seen a lot of heroes who are alive despite everyone believing they are dead and Zatanna just doesn't feel dead to me.' Joey knew those words could start a fight, so he needed to back them up quickly. 'I know what you saw felt real, that you were sure it wasn't an illusion and I believe you, John. I do. It's just ... Zatanna is a powerful sorceress and I still feel her energy.' He reached forward and touched Constantine. 'Maybe it's the strong feelings you hold for her, or something else, but it doesn't feel like she's gone. It feels like I could still reach out to her if she was just closer.'

 

Constantine listened to Joey's words, briefly he found comfort in them but he snuffed it out. He couldn’t afford to get his hopes up because if he was wrong... The pain would consume him. But... He's felt it too. Magic was complex. It was everywhere. Shit, even being in this house John could feel the memories. Feel the events rooted deep deep down at its base. It was warm yet tense. There were peaceful times and yet a lot of pain. Over the years, John had grown so used to Zee's energy, half the time he could feel her presence in a city.

 

"You may be right but... I can't risk everything on an ‘if’.. Alea decided she doesn't want me. If I try to seek out a ghost then Alea will reconsider that. If she gets ahold of magic we won't be able to stop her.... Besides. I'm no hero... It's not my job to do any rescuing."

 

'I'm not a hero either, John ... Before all this shit went down I was a well respected artist.' It sounded like a joke, but it was actually very true. 'I don't enjoy hero work, I don't enjoy any of this.' John would know what he meant. 'Sometimes you just have to do the hard things because it's the right thing to do.' 

 

Joey went to lower himself into the tub and looked over to John. 'I owe you. Still ... I wouldn't even be alive right now if it wasn't for you .. Well and I guess Damian.' 

 

Goliath had dragged them out of the city after all. 'Let me take care of it. You can just lay back and enjoy the cows.'

 

Constantine rolled his eyes, "If you wanna spend your time that way I won't stop you... And.. I don't expect you to do anything... I saved you cuz it's just what I was called to do." He said with a shrug before he got to work massaging Joey's shoulders. He focused on working the tendons along Joey's shoulders beside his neck. He was so tense. 

 

"But... If it's easier... I'm willing you count all the times you've pleased me as pay back." He teasingly kissed Joeys neck to get the point across before working down his mid and lower back.

 

'Consider it a bonus'


	30. Seven Nation Army

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, between work and school I didn't have any time to edit the chapters.

“I have to go see Adam.”

 

"... Why?" Slade was sitting back in an armchair, looking over what looked like financial documents. 

 

Joey stood nearby, rocking a bit back and forth on his heels. The sun had gone down and all the light in the room came from a single table lamp. It made Slade look much more intimidating with the shadows spread across his sharp features.

 

"Super secret Titans stuff ... And you always said we didn't have to discuss business-"

 

"Joseph." Slade cut him off and set the papers to the side. "I know this cute boyish charm thing works for you in a lot of situations but not here." Joey looked disappointed to hear that. "Why do you need to go see Adam?" 

 

"There's something I have to do. I ... Have a feeling someone is alive and I have to rescue them ... For a friend." Joey watched Slade's face, and frowned before Slade even spoke.

 

"No."

 

"What do you mean ‘no’? Dad, I have to go figure out where Zatanna is. I have to-"

 

"No, Joseph you don't." Slade stood up. "You let other's emotions get the best of you. I know you kid. John may have helped you and you may feel his pain but ... You need to let this go."

 

"I don't  _ want _ to let this go. Maybe you can, but I can't sit by while people suffer." Joey saw a flicker of hurt pass his Dad's eye but he wouldn't apologize. 

 

"I'm not immune to suffering. Which is why you won't leave here. You'll stay put and help me with Rose. That's final."

 

But it wasn't, at least not to Joey. He walked away from the confrontation heated, marching up the stairs until he noticed a light on in Damian and Dick's bedroom. He snuck over and entered without asking, shutting the door behind him.

 

Damian was dutifully putting away freshly washed clothes with Dick and looked up at Joey. "If you two plan on having some old man kink support group in this room I can let myself out."

 

Joey snickered, "No, but Dick ... I've got a job for us."

 

"What's up?" Dick asked, his voice leveling curiosity with acknowledgment.

 

Whenever a Titan came to him he didn't take it likely and there was no way he was going to shy away in a dystopian world. If Joey had something geared towards helping people then Dick was on bored, he knew Slade would speak against it but if he were careful.... He knew he could do it.

 

"Okay, this is going to sound a little crazy-"

 

"Why do these conversations always start this way?" Damian asked himself before throwing himself onto the bed dramatically. 

 

"Zatanna. I think she's alive and well ... I could lie to you and say saving her would be strategically advantageous against the High Court and everything but ... That's not why I want to do this." Joey looked into Dick's eyes with the flame and intensity that always meant he had a call to action in his mind.

 

 "She's our friend, one who has helped me more times than I can count and more importantly ... John ... He's hurting so badly. He blames himself for her death, her pain. I want to rescue her, but I know I can't do it on my own. "

 

Dick listened to Joey carefully before he let out a sigh and pushed his hand through his hair. The logical part of him said that it wasn't worth the risk. It risked outting Slade, it risked both of their lives... It wasn't a beneficial play but... Dick’s heart screamed the same thing Joey's had. She was their friend and she wouldn't sit back while they suffered... That's when Dicks brows furrowed. Slade said he was with Dick in saving his friends and yet, they've put forth no action. 

 

"Alright..." Dick said, his eyes meeting Joey's. "I'm guessing Slade is against this.... We need to figure out where she is before we can do anything, if we leave now we can get to Gotham before Adam goes to bed... If she's alive, he'll know where she is." 

 

He turned and began stripping off some of his clothes, clearly this meant he was getting ready to leave. He went to the closet and put on his old Nightwing suit, humming at the way it hugged his skin. It was different than his one piece but he still loved the way it felt. 

 

"We need to make sure we don't get spotted." He stated as he put on the bracelet Roy gave him.

 

Dick hit a button on his suit gauntlet making the blue fade into black, he had Harper install the feature the last time he saw her. From there he put on a mask that covered his nose and mouth rather than his eyes. He couldn't risk the Court knowing he was Nightwing. 

 

"Are you ready?"

 

"You look like the Winter Soldier." Damian said after a minute, having got up and moved to look through the same closet.

 

"Oh my god he kind of does. If you had a metal arm-"

 

"Where is my suit?" Damian cut in looking back at Dick. "How am supposed to go along without my own suit Grayson?"

 

Joey looked at Dick then back to Damian. "I don't think you're coming Damian."

 

"Ridiculous. Grayson and I are partners. Of course I am coming."

 

Dick felt his chest tighten at the question. How could he say no?

 

"We... Don't have it." That was honest. Dick never grabbed Damians Robin suit, he knew the boy would wanna cut him for that. 

 

"I'll tell you what... If you can find something to hide your identity, hide that you're Robin, then you can come.... But we need to make sure no one knows who we are otherwise it's going to fall back on Slade and we can't have that.... Deal?" Dick knew how resourceful Damian was, he figured he would pull something together... If not? He hoped Damian wouldn’t be upset.

 

Damian moved past any displeasure he was experiencing and right into planning. "My last one was destroyed and I suppose Father would have locked off access to all of my spares. Though, wouldn't be the first time I broke through and got it against his wishes." Damian had a spare suit at every batcave, surely there would be one nearby. "I'd need a few tools... Does Old Man Wilson have minimized fuel light technology within his jet?" Damian asked looking back at Joey.

 

Joey looked Damian up and down, face thoughtful. "Of course but ... I think I have a better idea. Come, come."

 

He took Damian by the shoulders and put him against the doorframe. There were tiny marks on it with the letters S, G, R, and J along with dates. 

 

"What are you doing?" Damian asked with a huff.

 

"Measuring you. Hm... I think that'll work." Joey looked over to Dick once he let go of Damian. "I'm going to show you Dad's second biggest stash." 

 

Joey put on his own uniform in silence before they all snuck out the back window. He could hear Slade and Rose watching another Disney movie in the livingroom and figured they were safe. 

 

Once they were out Joseph led then to the same tool shed he and John had been earlier. "I'm probably going to get in trouble for this." 

 

Joey went over to the vw bug, opened the car door, and pulled the gear shift in a unique pattern before clicking sound was heard. He stepped back as the bug was lifted up to reveal a set of stairs underneath. They walked down them to a pin pad that read Joey's fingerprints, required a few more passwords and still flashed red. 

 

/Access denied. Unapproved guests: Nightwing and Robin./ 

 

"Fucking shit." Joey sighed and pulled out his phone and flipped through a couple things. "Override, make a one time allowance." The voice that came out sounded  _ exactly _   like Slade, actually, it was quite eerie. 

 

/For a phone access I need the weekly passcode./

 

Joey smiled and looked at Dick, "Grayson25".

 

 The doors opened and allowed them to walk inside. Joey saw the small creases build in Dick's eyes from his smile, felt the same stomach flutter from the others intense emotions… It was sweet but didn’t last long. He could sense Dick’s guilt from doing all this behind Slade’s back. 

A series of lights went on revealing a huge underground bunker. Inside were more weapons, tools, tech, suits, and accessories than what would be necessary for an entire army, let alone a single man.

 

Damian looked like most kids his age would in a Toys'R'Us. 

 

He looked to Joey who smiled, "Yeah go load up." 

 

Damian took off to go cause mayhem.

 

Dick moved away to start looking things over however he shifted his focus from the weapons to what he could to make Damian a costume. He gathered supplies from what he assumed were Joey's younger days. Once he gathered the supplies he whistled and waved for Damian to come so he could dress him in the attire.

 

 "We need to go over some rules.... While you are my partner, you are still recovering. You will not be going into the facility. You will be flying the jet after we secure Zatanna but first, we're visiting Adam. We'll land around midnight-one, he'll be awake."

 

"If I'm going to be on the sidelines I insist we take  _ my _ ride." Damian said, and Joey laughed a little, Damian looked serious.

 

"I don't think Goliath is covert enough for this." Joey offered and then said, "You can just fly the jet. I don't care." 

 

"... You're growing on me Baby Wilson." Damian said with a nod and swatted Dick's hands away so he could finish suiting himself up. 

 

He changed out some of  the items Dick chose for his own, obviously feeling that his judgement was better for those objects. He then looked at Dick with a familiar, determined look in his eyes. The one he had when he put on his Robin persona.

 

 "I'll follow where you lead Grayson." He meant every word.

 

"I know... Partners." Dick winked and gathered a few weapons for the road. 

 

Next it was a stolen jet and an airplane ride before they arrived at Adam's. For the sake of not freaking the man out, Dick had removed his mask before approaching the door. He knocked and waited patiently before Adam opened the door. He was in a Black Zeppelin t shirt and grey sweats. Promptly, he rose a brow as he looked over the three strays. 

 

"You shouldn't be here."

 

"So keep us outside where we're more likely to be seen." Dick responded which got Adam to step aside and let them in. 

 

Dick began removing his shoes, gesturing for Damian to do the same. "We need to know where to find Zatanna."

 

"Why? So you can rescue her? Absolutely not. Too dangerous." Adam spoke though it didn't have much authority to it. 

 

Dick straightened and looked him in the eye before pushing passed him and heading to Adam’s office. Adam didn't get time to address the other two guests because he was chasing Dick down. Unfortunately, his computer was already out and on his desk. 

 

"I get you want to save your friends but- there is no way you figured out my password that quickly." Adam said as he began to hover beside the office chair Dick was working at.

 

Dick gave a proud smirk as he snooped through the files, "It’s not hard. I've known you long enough to figure it out."

 

"Hmph... You do realize you're risking everything, don't you?"

 

"Its part of the hero package." Dick responded as he worked on printing the information, Adam leaning over the desk. 

 

"So resourceful, little Robin. I hope you idiots at least have a plan."

 

Dick looked at the other, who was further in his personal space than he should've allowed, "We're going to work on that and you're going to help us."

 

"Oh am I?"

 

"If I can't convince you, Joey will.... He's single." Dick smirked, he didn't mind playing dirty.

 

Adam rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue as he pulled away to retrieve the prints, bringing them into the living room. "Does anyone want anything to drink before we get started?"

 

"I can grab waters." Joey offered moving into the kitchen and filling up four glasses of water before returning with them.

 

 Damian was looking at Adam's bookshelf, appreciating his collection. It was a very natural Robin behavior to find something to do while Batman talked with the 'adults'. 

 

"I know this isn't part of the plan but it's something we have to do." Joseph insisted, "Besides, Alea has this obsession with magic, the quicker we can get Zatanna away from her the better. I have a safe place for her afterward." 

 

Or more so Joey would have to smack John's dumb ass around until he got the damn picture or he'd keep Zatanna safe himself. "Thanks and ... I owe you Dr. Foster." Joey said with a slightly flirtatious smile.

 

Adam paused to think over Joey's words. Even though Alea cut John free he knew it was a power play. She asked Adam if he believed Slade would kill Constantine and he had told her no... Her orders seemed like a lack of interest, but really she was waiting for Constantine to start demonstrating his magic so she could take him back. Even if she had to do so by force. Right now, Zatanna was in bad shape, Alea couldn’t do anything with her.

 

He let out a sigh, "Fine, but you need to listen carefully." He paused and looked towards Damian, "Damian, you need to hear this too."

 

 Adam moved to the dining room so he could lay the papers out before moving away to grab his phone. He set the phone down and used the same 3D technology to show the base Zatanna was in. He passed one of the papers to Dick regarding her condition, then one to Damian and Joey that went over details about the base such as the amount of guards that were stationed there. 

 

"They're holding her in one of their bigger bases here in Gotham." He explained as he showed them on the 3D image before highlighting a room towards the basement where Zatanna was. "Someone will have to cause a scene near the front to lure the guards out. Once that's done, one of you will be able to slip inside and break Zatanna out. The entire place is covered in video surveillance so you'll have approximately 3 minutes before the guards realize what's happening and go back inside."

 

Dick listened carefully before looking at Joey, "I'll make the distraction up front.... They killed you once already, I don't doubt they'll kill you again."

 

"I'm not scared of death ... Even if I was the risk we'd take having you exposed is too great. I can cause a diversion much larger than you can and I'm already wanted for my sister's kidnapping right? So it wouldn't be suspicious." Joseph was confident. 

 

Coming off the win of rescuing Rose had left him feeling more self assured. 

 

Damian nodded, "Grayson would be able to move in and out more covertly."

 

Adam seemed to accept the decisions everyone made about the plan and decided to move on, addressing Joey more directly.

 

“Not too far from the front there's a gas line, if you lead them out-"

 

"We're not killing” Dick interrupted.

 

Adam only shot the younger male a tired and slightly annoyed look, "Honestly? It probably won't kill these bastards... So, if you lead them out front passed the gas line, Damian can blow the line remotely." 

 

He didn't want it to ride on Joey's powers for two reasons. One, it'll be hella hard for him to concentrate and two? 

 

"As soon as the explosion happens they're going to send their strongest reinforcements. By now, Dick should have Zatanna out of the facility." 

 

He then turned his attention to Dick, zooming in on an air duct that lead to the magicians room.    
  


"This will get you to her door. Below, the door has a keypad that'll require an access code. I have a device that'll scramble it. Damian can activate it once it's in place, I'll walk him through the coding."

 

"So, you want me to handle the heavy hitters when and if they show up before Dick can safely rescue Zatanna." Joey said aloud to make sure he was understanding correctly. 

 

“More so keeping them occupied, you’re smart enough to figure it out and Damian will have tools to assist you from the car.”

 

"Dr. Evil is right. I'm fully capable of performing these tasks proficiently." 

 

"Gods that's a mouth full for a five year old." Joey said getting a miffed sound out of Damian.

 

"I'm eleven." 

 

"Somehow that makes it worse." 

 

Dick was busy silently laughing in his seat. Adam glanced back at the other and leaned to the side.

 

 "You going to pee your pants there, princess?" He asked quirking a brow, "Got a real kick out of that one, did you?"

 

"I'm-I'm sorry." Dick choked out before snorting, "I'm trying to imagine you bald." He barely got the sentence out before laughing more, "Can you put you finger like this and say, 'One million dollars'?" He asked as he put his pinky by his mouth.

 

".... No... I'm not going to do that."

 

"Oh come on, it's Austin Powers."

 

"Never saw that."

 

Dick pushed Adams arm, "Whats wrong with you." He said before throttling him, he then let his head rest on the others shoulder a moment before he sat up. "Okay... So... Damian and Joey handle the big guys."

 

"Yes. Then you'll have three minutes to get Zatanna out, you can travel through the hallways because most everyone will be outside. Once you're outside, deliver Zatanna to Damian. Then you need to get Joey and go... I suggest you refrain from going straight back to the farm."

 

"Bruce has a few hiding places we can go." Dick said before looking over the diagram. 

 

"This isn't going to be easy."

 

"We've got it, Adam... I've done worse." Dick responded pinching Adam’s side playfully.

 

As Adam and Dick played Joey watched, then Damian watched Joey. There was a moment were the energy seemed to raise in the room, Damian looked over at a light in the corner that began to get brighter as the conversation wrapped up. 

 

"Uh..." Damian started before the light bulb broke all over the floor.

 

Joey snapped his head away from Adam and Dick over to the mess. 

 

"Sorry." He got up, moving to clean it up. 

 

Okay, so he didn't mind Adam messing around with others ... He had with John so he couldn't be ... Right? However, Dick was still being too touchy with Adam and his father wouldn't have appreciated seeing this.

 

Dick's could read Joey's body and face, he saw sadness? Anger? Jealousy? Was that it? Dick hoped so... That Joey was just jealous and that he wasn't angry that Dick had toed the line again. He wasn't sure if he did. It felt like things he did with friends wasn't acceptable to do with Adam which made him struggle with his own self expression. He understood the difference, sure, he just wasn't used to suppressing that playful, flirtatious part of himself around people he was so comfortable with. 

 

Adam had gotten up to help Joey, getting a dustpan and broom before meeting the other over where the mess was. 

 

"You Wilson's are going to tear my house apart." He tsked.

 

 It was a joke even if his tone didn't show it. He crouched beside Joey and glanced over to him but he didn't say anything yet. He waited until they got all the glass cleaned up before gesturing for Joey to follow him out back to where he had his glass recycling. 

 

"You alright?" He asked once they were outside.

 

Joey placed the broken glass inside the recycling bin, turning back to Adam. He struggled with what to say or do, how to explain his behavior without coming off wrong. The words 'fine' came to mind but that wasn't the truth, or at least not fully.

 

One thing he had learned over the years was that words weren't everything.

 

Joey took a slow step in front of Adam, looking him dead in the eye. A single hand pressed against Adam's sternum and pushed him hard against the siding. Joey followed the motion swiftly with a fevered kiss that didn't even attempt to show restraint or  light sensuality. It was raw, deep, and sexual. Teeth found Adam's bottom lip and tugged on it, tongue more forcing instead of asking for permission to play with Adam's.

 

Adam saw the action coming just before Joey went through with it. He didn't withdraw or pull away, in fact he moved into the feverish kiss. 

 

His hand found its place on the back of Joey's head only pulling him closer. He didn't hesitate to slide his tongue against the younger males and even nibbled and sucked Joey's tongue in return. This only solidified that Joey had been jealous of Dick, it made sense and Adam couldn't deny that he enjoyed that. It didn't take much thought for him to flip their positions, turning them so Joey was against the wall, only Adam left  _ no _ space between them. His knee had moved between Joey's legs and his upper body had pinned him against the wall as his deepened the kiss. His hands on each side of Joey's body. 

 

Joey's head was swimming in the best way. The kiss, the physicality was everything he wanted. Of course though, he just wanted more. That seemed to always be the case with Adam. Joey let a hand that had tangled itself in Adam's hair smooth down to the back of his neck and to his shoulder. God he swore if he didn't have the support of the house behind him his legs would have given out.

 

Adam pulled away a few moments later, licking Joey's mouth before his lips curled into a smirk. "You could have so much more fun if you decided to stay the night rather than going on your suicide mission."

 

'Are you trying to bribe me with sex Doctor?' Joey asked with a flushed smile. 'That offer is ... So incredibly tempting.' Joseph moved against Adam a little, unprepared for how excited he already was, how good Adam had felt against him. 

 

A breathy sigh escaped his lips. 'I have to do this. It isn't just about doing what's right I have a debt to repay.' Joey squeezed both sides of Adam's arms. 'My life won't entirely be my own until I do. Besides Zatanna has saved me before too ... This is just something I have to do.' Joey leaned forward and gave Adam a softer kiss.

 

'Just wait a little longer for me.'

 

"Mmm I understand. Try not to get too jealous in the meantime." He winked and pulled away all together. 

 

He gave Joey a minute to calm himself down so their intimate reactions weren't flayed out before them, Adam didn't care but he didn't need Dick's focus shifting from the mission.... Then again? That wasn't giving Dick the credit he deserved. How many times had he gone onto the field with a broken heart after all?

 

Once he headed inside, Adam got the necessary tech needed for the mission, walking through how to use it with both Dick and Damian. Finally, The three were out on the jet and on their way to one of Bruce's private runways where they would have access to an escape vehicle. 

 

Damian was enjoying his time at the wheel, having decided, as he had said, that he would be doing all the flying. He'd even set on some music, though it definitely had Dick's influence. 

 

During the flight, Dick stared out the window before finally addressing Joey, "Did I go too far?"

 

Joey was in thought when Dick said his name, pulling him out of whatever it was he had been thinking about. 

 

"With Adam?" 

 

Joey didn't tiptoe around, they both knew what the subject matter was. 

 

"That's a hard question to answer. Really, it's about whether or not you feel like you did." 

 

 He wasn't going to let his lightly possessive and jealous behavior skew his judgement. "The better question to ask is if you would have done it in front of Dad." Joey stood up and knocked his shoulder into Dick's as he stood next to him. "You beat yourself up a lot, Dick. You know it's okay to make mistakes right?"

 

Dick couldn't help but to let out a heavy sigh, "Cheating isn’t a ‘mistake’." He countered before thinking over Joey's question, "That's the thing... I would have done it in front of your dad... There are a lot of things I would do in front of him that I  _ know _ he wouldn't appreciate  _ only _ because I’m doing those things to Adam. It makes this... Complicated." 

 

He groaned and pushed his hand through his hair. "I feel like I can't even smile at the guy without it being... Wrong." Just because he was in love with him. He loved Babs too but... It was different. Slade  _ knew  _ it was different. 

 

"I feel like the only way for what I do to be okay is if I treat Adam like the enemy and I just... I can't... There was a time he made me  _ happy _ . He gave me the tools I needed to build a relationship with Bruce... He gave me so much to be grateful for despite using me."

 

"You know you're allowed to tell my Dad that he needs to get over it, right?" Joey offered as if it was no big deal. "If you can't live without touching Adam, flirting with him ... Then you need to be honest and real with your partner about that." He knocked shoulders against Dick. "I'm overly flirtatious too, sometimes it gets me in trouble though ... I tend to take it a few steps further than you ever would." 

 

Which was his round about way of saying he liked to play outside his relationships. "But, it's because I love people, I'm not trying to hurt anyone and you're like that too. Though ... You care so deeply about it you'll run yourself into insanity." 

 

"What I'm trying to say is? Don't let Dad dictate the rules of your relationship. He's your boyfriend, not your master. Besides ... If you stand up to him I think you'll be surprised at his reaction."

 

Dick paused at he thought over Joey's words, he was right. The only reason he felt so guilty about the little things was because he knew they'd bother Slade despite them being innocent little things. Dick was a flirt, Slade knew this, everyone did. He didn't have the chance to flirt outside of Adam and he couldn't help but wonder if Slade would get miffed by it too. 

 

"You're... Right...  I can admit that there were a couple times I took it too far, I can be responsible for that. But I shouldn't feel guilty for doing things that I would be doing with you or Wally." That made him feel a lot better and it showed. As a thank you, he wrapped an arm around Joey and gave him a half hug before his attention shifted outside. 

 

It wasn't long before they landed. From there, Dick escorted Joey and Damian to one of Bruce's cars before getting into the driver’s seat. He wasted no time speeding off towards their location, wearing his mask over his face. Once they arrived at the base, a few miles down the road, Dick got out and looked it over through binoculars. 

 

"I'm only seeing two guards..... Are you ready?" Dick asked looking to Joey.

 

"I'm ready just... Damn it, Dick, be careful. My Dad will tan my hide if something happens to you." Joey turned off his communicator and touched Dick's shoulder. 'I'll stay up here with both of you and relay messages.' Jerricho looked to Damian who was focused on Dick.

 

"I'll be waiting for you Nightwing." Damian leaned over and gave his brother a rare self initiated hug before straightening himself out. 

 

One hand firm on the steering wheel while the other began adjusting the instruments inside the vehicle for the perfect shot as if nothing had happened. It didn’t make the stupidly large smile on Dick’s face fade.

 

Joey opened the car door and stepped outside, giving them a salute before going to take the high ground. He approached the compound and hid along the fence out of sight. From there he cued Damian to blow the gas line which was enough to get reinforcements rushing outside. 

 

The moment the guards were away from the entrance, Dick moved into the door before it could close. From there it was a sharp turn before he found the air duct he would need to travel in. He removed the screws and slipped in. Dick slid into the lower levels, he could see more armed guards making their way outside to look for the threat. 

 

'They're on you.' Dick warned Joey via the mental like.

  
  


Outside, several large brutes gathered around the premises keeping anything and everything from entering. It looked like a couple were headed towards air crafts to survey the area via the sky.

 

'Roger. Looks like they're going to try going airborne. I'll keep them on the ground. We've got everything handled.' Joey moved out and set a grapple to connect him to the main building. 

 

He road the cable half way until dropping down under the cover of the now empty outpost building. He quickly took control of one of the larger guards loading up into an aircraft. Through his panic Joey was able to use his muscle memory to start the craft and it's weaponry.

 

'I can take some of them out.' Damian communicated.

 

'No, stay put. You blow your cover and this whole thing is fucked.'

 

'tt' Joey had to hold back laughter and stay focused. 

 

He flew the ship up and then turned it around to aim fire back at the rest of the fleet. Joey took out the two other jets before he felt a hard hit on the top of his own. The roof was  _ literally _ ripped off of it and a woman in battle armor dropped in. The man he was controlling began frantically begging for his life as Joey made him take the ship down into the ground in a nose dive. It was time to sever his connection, but before he could, he felt an electrical current run through him.

 

At first he had no idea whether it was the other man or himself that was being targeted, regardless, once he was back in his own body the damage to his mind was the same. Joey tried to shake it off so he could reorient himself, his ears ringing and vision blurry. The ship crashed into the ground before him. Joey was still secure, he could breathe knowing he hadn't been the one attacked and was still under the radar. However, amazingly, the woman on the aircraft had survived the crash and was radioing in her observations. 

 

"He was possessed by something, I followed through with eliminating him as a threat but I'm unsure of the cause."

 

“Could it be the meta from before? The one from the facility?” A man from over the com asked.

 

"I'll set up a perimeter and we will find out." 

 

Fuck, these guys were on their game. 

 

'Dick get moving, I'm going to clear out the front and keep them distracted. Damian will meet you at the original rendezvous point. Head out with or without me.'

 

'I'm not leaving you.' Dick said sternly as he dropped down into one of the hallways, a timer in his gauntlet counting down from three minutes. 

 

Dick made his way down the hall until he found the door to Zatanna's room. He approached the key pad and contacted Damian. 

 

'Alright, call Adam and get in.'

 

'Tt, you think I need to contact Doctor Evil for basic hackwork? I do this in my sleep.'

 

'Adam will get us in faster. Call him.' Dick said... Or thought with authority. 

 

He could feel Damian roll his eyes as the link went silent. He glanced at his glove, one minute. He heard a small bzz sound before the locks disengaged. He wasted no time rushing in though almost stumbled at the sight. Zatanna was covered in blood, it dripping from her face, her arms covered in bruises and cuts. She was naked, frail, battered. It broke Dick's heart. He moved in quickly and worked on releasing her restraints.

 

 "It's Nightwing... I'm going to get you out of here." He said to her as he gently picked her up. 'Damian, bring the car over.' 

  
  
  
  


One of the guards searching the perimeter paused and looked down at his watch as a 3D projection popped up of a red triangle with an exclamation going through it. Soon this appeared on everyone's wrists. 

 

"There's a breach." One of the men said. Another tightening his hold on his gun, human. "If it's that meta-"

 

"Relax." A court officer spoke, heading towards the building.

 

Joey was well connected to Dick when he found Zatanna. He was ready to tell him that they just needed to do whatever was necessary to get her out and... He saw exactly why. Rather, flashes of images, feelings of fear and heartbreak. Zatanna was in rough shape. She needed medical attention, and more importantly Joey had decided no one here should have to continue through this.

 

'Damian, can you open a com link to Harper?' Joey asked moving quietly towards where the guards were attempting to enter the building.

 

'I don't need her to-'

 

'Listen first. I need you to tell her that I'm emptying this building and taking out the reinforcements. If she can get a rescue group here quickly enough we might be able to take out survivors.' 

 

Fuck he should have coordinated something in the first place. Of course, he let his emotions get the better of him. He was so focused on Zatanna he hadn't even thought about saving anyone else.

 

'On it. Nightwing be ready for extraction in 30.'

 

Joey refocused on securing the building. He rolled out toward the guards, kicking up to dislodge the gun from the human of the pair and grabbing it before it could hit the ground. He turned it on his partner and shot him about ten feet back with enough firepower to evaporate an elephant but ... Something told Joey this guy was going to get back up. He quickly turned the gun back on the entrance and rapid fired until the entire thing collapsed down on itself in an impenetrable mess.

 

'Harper says they already are on their way. Says someone tipped them off. They are bringing heavy hitters.' Damian communicated back. Joey had one guess to who had made the call: his Dad. 

 

'I'll keep them busy until they arrive. For now-' Joey focused back on the men approaching in front of him barely having time to throw up a barrier as weapons began firing toward him. Joey pushed back hard. 

 

Everything Adam had worked on him with came into play. He used orchestrated attacks combining his forward explosive energy and barriers in a way he never had before. Joey was pushing past his limits in ways he didn't know was possible. It was empowering. Thrilling even. However ... He wasn't leaving with Dick and Damian. He couldn't. He was pinned down and working on an opening, but it wasn't quick enough. They had to go.

 

'I'll come up with an exit strategy. Get Zatanna out of here. Please.'

 

'I am  _ not _ leaving you.' Dick repeat more firmly, and he meant it. 

 

Now if it was just him then... Maybe he would because he'd have to get Zee out however, Damian was there to help. Dick made his way through the various corridors, the majority of the guards focused outside because of the intensity of the attacks. Since there were so few for Dick to worry about he managed to get around them. 

 

The moment he was outside he brought Zatanna over to the car, opening the door and plopping her in the backseat. At the very least, he covered her with a blanket so she could have some level of privacy.

 

"Jet." Was all Dick said before hitting the top of the car and disappearing onto the field in action. He hoped Damian would listen. 

 

"What? Hey, Nightwing-!" Damian yelled towards him, letting out a frustrated growl when Dick disappeared and left him with the dead weight ... Literally. "Idiot is going to get himself killed." 

 

He huffed, looking over at Zatanna, his hard features softening a little. "...Don't worry. You're safe now." Damian took off in the car and towards the jet. 

 

Dick was Damian's Batman as much (if not more) than Bruce. There were times to break the rules and then there were times to follow orders. When someone was hurt as bad as Zatanna? That was a time to follow orders.

 

Dick ran forward and drew his escrima sticks before jumping up, doing a flip, and landing a hard hit to one of the guards.  Some of the fire turned towards him but a majority stayed on Joey. The guards using melee weapons decided to target Dick.

 

 "I don't know who you are, but you made a mistake coming here." One said.

 

"I'd say I'm the 'Winter Soldier' but then that would be a copyright infringement." 

 

Dick responded as he dodged the swing of a sword, hitting another with his escrima stick before turning on the electric tips. He threw one at the first guard, aiming for his neck.

 

'You know if you get yourself killed my Dad is going to kill me.' Jerricho heard Dick from the other side of him taking on what was the bulk. 

 

Joey was dealing with heavy hitters, sure, but there were more men and women on the ground trying to distract him. They were succeeding too, because his natural defenses were falling the harder he fought. He could hear their fear of dying at Joey's hands, or the even more real possibility that failure would result in the deaths of themselves and their families. 

 

They were trying to save those locked inside this compound, but, these people were just as trapped. They just took orders in exchange for freedom from pain and suffering. It was a hell of a choice to have to make. 

 

The distractions worked. 

 

Jerricho's shield failed for the first time. He hadn't been expecting it and barely  got out of the way in time for a well aimed shot to his person. Which, considering the behemoth size of this man, it hardly seemed necessary for him to have a gun.

 

At this point, Joey was sweating, exhausted, he heard the reinforcements overhead and felt a rush of relief overcome him. They could withdraw.

 

 'Dick lets split while we have the chance. I'm going to head north towards the bridge and loop around to the rendezvous point as planned to shake them off our trail.' Joey sent one last blast towards the ground creating a large explosion of concrete and dirt flying in every direction. The perfect cover for his escape. 

 

Joey took off at breakneck speed as he heard fire behind him. As much as he wanted to look back and watch Harper and her team waste these guys he needed to move.

 

The further he went the more light headed he became, each breath hurt, as his adrenaline wore down. 

 

Fuck ... He'd been hit. Not only that, it had blown a hole through his Ikon suit. Joey was genuinely shocked. Superman and Wonder Woman couldn't stand up against an Ikon shield, yet here he was bleeding. For the first time he felt scared. 

 

Joey kept moving to the meet up point. At some point between his physical/mental exhaustion and blood loss he was walking rather than running, then stumbling. Finally, he was holding himself up against a brick wall in an alleyway fighting with his own consciousness to stay awake. 

 

Then it hit him. Literally. 

 

"Dr. Foster, we would appreciate your presence in the morning at the Gotham Introductory Ward. We have a new meta for you to examine and evaluate. We've cleared your schedule for the day at Gotham Holding East ... There has been ... A ... Mishap." The message clicked off. 

  
  
  
  
  


Damian was in the jet waiting. His was all but slamming his feet on the floor, arms crossed as he paced the narrow walkway between the cockpit and lounge area. Zatanna was as stable as she could be back in the captain's quarters on the bed. She had fluids, a few medications to help stabilize her and plenty of blankets to keep her warm. However Damian feared the worst if they didn't leave soon. He looked at the clock, five minutes late. 

 

"Amateurs."

 

When Dick got to the rendezvous point he noticed Joey wasn't there. He waited and paced and began growing worried the more time went by, this wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. He began sprinting towards where Joey should be coming from given the route he took, trying to contact him between the coms link and the mental link. It was silent. He got about half way to where Joey was taken before he heard static in his coms making him freeze.

 

"Joey?" He instantly cut in before hearing Adams voice, he must've hacked the coms.

 

"Dick, are you alright?"

 

"Yes, I'm looking for Joey. He didn't make it back to-"

 

"They caught him." Dick could hear the frustration in Adams voice but.. That didn't change the sinking feeling he felt in his stomach.

 

 "What... How do you know that?"

 

"Because they contacted me to examine him. Fortunately, since Azrah is dead they don't have orders to kill him... I'll get him out of captivity, I just need to meet with Alea."

 

"Okay... I'm... Going to come by and work out a plan with you." Dick responded, shit... Slade was going to kill him.

 

" _ No _ ... You've caused enough problems." You in this case was all of them but Adam knew Dick would take it personally, "Just... Go take Zatanna back to the farm or wherever and call Slade." 

 

Adam disconnected after that and Dick let out a sigh. 

 

He worked his way back to the jet, as he walked his eyes were on the ground, ringing in his ear as he called Slade. This was going to be bad.

 

Damian opened the jet's bay door as Dick arrived, looking outside to confirm the worst. Jerricho wasn't with him. All Damian could do was sit at the door and watch Dick approach.

 

The phone connected after the third ring. "You better be on your way home, Richard." Slade already didn't sound pleased. "Tell Joseph you're both grounded."

 

Dick had just made it onto the jet when Slade answered, giving a nod to Damian to close the doors. God... How was he going to tell Slade this? He's had to tell Bruce unpleasant things plenty of times but... None of it was this hard. 

 

"Slade." Dick started in a serious tone, it held surprisingly little emotion but if one listened closely they could hear the anxiety and worry, "They captured Jericho... Adam is going to work on recovering him."

 

There was a long pause on the other side of the line. Long enough for one to wonder if the call had been disconnected. 

 

Damian closed the bay door and looked over at Dick with concern. He readied the jet for take off regardless. Joey obviously wasn't coming.

 

"I need to talk to Rose." Slade said finally, voice just as hard as Dick's. "... Get home safe." With that Slade ended the call.


	31. Head Like A Hole

The night hadn't been an easy one for Joseph. When he finally did wake up he was entirely naked, strapped down to an exam table with his side being cleaned and sewn up by a doctor. He knew better than to panic and thrash. Dad taught him better than that. 

 

He tested his bonds with slow movements and tried his best to observe as much of his environment as possible while still looking subdued and out of it. Which he definitely was. The High Court had been nice enough to at least give him pain medication and a touch of sedation for this procedure. It felt like pentothal or ketamine. He must have caught the attention of the doctor who waved over a High Court official who was taking notes. The moment they'd touched him felt ... Wrong. He pulled memories but the emotions were skewed or rather ... Lacking, dull, inhuman. Yet there was apathy and sorrow. Every bit of it confused him entirely. 

 

"Keep him medicated. We won't have another incident on this shift. I want him prepared for Alea and her consults in the am. See to it he's ready." 

 

The doctor that was with him the rest of the night was surprisingly gentle and had good bedside manner. It was clear she was in the medical field before this all went down. She had peppered brown and grey hair and a small, yet warm smile. When Joseph opened his eyes sometimes he thought it was his Mom. He even attempted to call out to her a few times, which, of course, elicited no reaction because Joey couldn't mutter a word. 

 

As kind as she was she was kept under close, mostly silent guard. He fluttered in and out of consciousness on the hospital bed until the early morning. He was forced into the showers, dressed, and put into another room where he was chained to a chair and table. The overhead fluorescent lights were nauseating ... He felt one pop then, darken the room a bit. Even if Joey couldn't hit these motherfuckers right now he could just break all their light bulbs ... In captivity it was all about the little things to keep yourself going.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Early morning, Adam had gone on his run and got dressed before heading down to the facility. His posture showed absolutely no signs that he was worried nor that he actually cared about Joey. It didn't take long for Alea to greet him near the front though as far as greetings went it wasn't the most human. Really, she just gave a nod and began walking, prompting him to follow her.

 

 "You have a new meta I need to look into?"

 

"Slade's son, Joseph William Wilson. My father had him killed when he captured Rose. I need to know if he was right in doing so."

 

"He's the kid whom destroyed Rose's convoy." Adam mentioned with a thoughtful tone, "I've seen what he can do, he would be a good ally."

 

"He won't be a good ally if he's against the Court." She pointed out before leading Adam to an observatory room where they could see through one way glass into Joey's room. 

 

Adam began pulling up his files on his tablet, looking through them quietly. "He'd be good at finding defectors." 

 

"He can sense emotions, its unique." Alea acknowledged before looking at Adam, "Do you believe you can convince him to join the Court?"

 

".. Perhaps, give me some time." Adam said before entering the room.

 

"Hello, Mr. Wilson." Adam said as he sat down.

 

Joey hadn't expected Adam to show up that day. Frankly, he hadn't expected him to show up at all. He wondered how Adam even knew where he was or ... Of course Adam knew. It only made sense he would. God Joey was still so fuzzy from these drugs. 

 

"Uncuff him, please." Dr. Foster spoke towards the cameras. 

 

Within no time, three guards entered the room getting to work on uncuffing Joey before promptly leaving. 

 

"I'm glad to see they didn't hurt you. I'm sure you have some questions around your containment and we will get to those. First, I want to acknowledge that the Court is under new management. Those that hurt you and your family are no longer within the Court."

 

Joseph caught nearly none of the morse code Adam tapped out on the table prior to the words spoken, however, from context and the way Adam was acting he got a clear picture. He was just relieved to have use of his hands back. His phone and communicator had been taken from him and he was far too out of it to communicate telepathically. Joey looked about as exhausted as he felt. 

 

[Mr. Wilson is my father, you can call me Joseph.] He  signed out, leaning back in his chair. 

 

[It doesn't matter what you tell me. New management or not, I don't trust you, I have no reason to. You may be easy on the eyes ... Dr. Foster, but you convince me otherwise. Not after what you did to my sister.]

 

 Joey meant that last part entirely. He may trust Adam, but the High Court would pay for what they did to Rose. He wasn't usually the revengeful type, but no one fucked with his big sis.

 

 [I could care less what you've done to my father. I haven't heard from him since this entire mess went down. By choice.]

 

Adam read Joeys signing carefully and gave a nod, "That's perfectly understandable. I realize trust doesn't come easily and I am willing to go through the process of showing you exactly what the High Court is aiming to do." 

 

As Adam spoke, he tapped on the transparent tablet before setting it on the table, a 3D graph showing data on how many metas were captive. 

 

"As you can see here, there's a high number of your friends and people like you. This was under Azah's management. At least 250 metahumans dead and far more than that held captive, tortured and experimented on." He then swiped over to another graph with the same information, but less data. 

 

Joseph was still stuck on the number of casualties knowing the total casualties would be so much larger than that, but for the hero community as a whole, it was a stark reminder of everything they had lost. Joseph was so lucky to have his family in tact, they'd been through hell but they were still all here. 

 

"Ever since Commander Alea stepped up, you can see the amount of Meta deaths has drastically decreased. As with the number in captivity. We have been trying to recruit powerful people like you. See, the Court wants to reduce the amount of... Problems that humankind cause. War, homelessness, things like that. If you look here, you can see crime rates are reduced. Our mission is to more or less save the world by redirecting the focus of the people. Teach them how to work together rather than against each other. It looks messy now but that's because there's no room for people fixed on hate and war. In order to create a Utopia, we need to weed them out."

 

[251.] Joey signed out stopping and looking genuinely upset. [This wonderful world you are building killed my sister.] Tears rolled down his cheeks, he wiped them away, trying to take a breath to 'calm' himself. [... Lets cut the shit. What do you want from me?]

 

The lie Joey was telling was a big one, Adam could practically feel Alea pushing him to get more answers. If he said Joey was telling the truth only to have her discover he wasn't could cost Adam his life. 

 

"Rose is dead?" He questioned before leaning forward, speaking lower. "Listen, Joseph... I'm giving you a choice here... Either you can comply with the Court.. Die... Or get collared and treated like an animal." With that he leaned back, "It is my deepest apologies to hear about your sister... You see, some of Azah's followers are hidden away deep within the Court. We want your help weeding them and other defectors out. Think of it as preventing more people like your sister from dying." 

 

Adam paused and thoughtfully rubbed his chin, "Or... Perhaps Azrah was right in calling for your death. Non compliance, unstable powers, you blame your sisters death on us however, if it weren't for you she would be alive and well. But, no use in dwelling on the past." Adam said as he stood, "I suppose you'll join her soon enough."

 

Joey gripped the table hard, going silent for a moment. He avoided eye contact drawing out a long sigh after letting go. 

 

[She was all I had left ...] This seemed to ring with some truth to it.

 

 [Last night was meant to be a suicide mission. Threats of death don't scare me.] He looked over at the glass and sensed the presence there. High court. He got that same sickening vibe from her. [However, imprisonment does. Especially here ... I've heard stories.] 

 

His gaze slid over to Adam. [I have conditions. I won't rat out my friends or any other metas. You want to find them? Put in the foot work yourselves. Second, I'm not interrogating kids. Tell your boss-] Joey then gestured over to the window, [-if she accepts those terms, then I'll do what she wants.]

 

Adam paused as he seemed to think over what Joey said, "You have a deal." 

 

It seemed like a big call, him accepting the terms without Alea's approval. 

 

"I'm in the process of finding your friends, that won't fall to you.... However, you will be expected to report any and all personal expected to defect." Adam took his seat once more, "We want to make sure everyone within the Court is with our cause... And anyone who.. Works with the Court is compliant. Prove your loyalty and we may allow you to work on reprogramming your friends to be Court members... Get them out of facilities such as this.. I'm going to discuss your care placement with Alea, I expect you to behave until we implement anything."

 

With that, Adam got up and left the room. The moment he entered the observation space, Alea shot him a glare. 

 

"I don't agree with those conditions."

 

"Then leave him in the facility.."

 

Alea sighed and looked back at Joey, "I want him to stay with you..." She then looked to a guard, "Get him a collar." 

 

The guard immediately went to do so as she turned her attention back to Adam, "If he misbehaves I want to know about it.. He'll be confined to your house unless I give him outside access."

 

"You're going to make me babysit your pet? Are you bloody serious?"

 

"Is that a complaint doctor?" Alea questioned making Adam roll his eyes, "Is that a threat? Because I  _ would _ rather die."

 

"So dramatic.... What he said about Rose... Was it true?"

 

"I... Don't know... It's harder to pick up on cues with sign language, but I'll make a point of studying him more carefully... I'll let you know what I find out."

 

Joey had stood up from his chair and tapped on the glass, nearly looking Alea in the eye, signing to her, [Can I get my communicator back?] 

 

It was a ballsy move, but it was about proving his abilities and also ... He wanted his goddamn communicator back. Trying to 'talk' to anyone without it was impossible. No one knew sign language and gesturing was getting really old. He would communicate telepathically, but fuck, he could barely think right now, let alone focus enough to get words out that way. Emotions were easier, conscious thought was something he hadn't learned to do until Zatanna taught him. 

God he hoped she was okay.

 

Joey stepped away from the viewing window as men came into the room, he held his hands up in surrender and accepted when the men handled him roughly into cuffs. He shouldn't have just gotten up, he knew that. He hissed a little when his side bent, but otherwise stayed stoic ... Until he saw the collar. He backed up, fear on his features, clearly shaking his head no. He'd seen what these things did, felt the pain they caused, he didn't want any part of it.

 

"You can decide if he uses it. Keep me posted on how things go." Alea said to Adam as she passed him the communicator, Adam had translated the sign language for her. 

 

"Wait, where are you going?"

 

"To track down the orange alien and other defiant members of the community."

 

"Aren't you going to give me access to his collar?" Adam asked, glancing over to Joey. 

 

He hated watching the fear on the others features, it was heartbreaking. He wanted to stop the process but he knew he couldn't without raising suspicion, "How am I supposed to punish him if he tries to run away?"

 

"The collar will be programed to a 10 ft radius of you. If he exceeds that, he'll be electrocuted. As for other forms of punishment? Just keep talking and I'm sure he'll be begging you to stop." Alea smirked at her own bit of humor. 

 

Adam sighed, "And if I need to adjust radius settings?"

 

Alea rolled her eyes, “Fine... Here." She hit some buttons on her watch which made Adams tablet vibrate. "There... Are we done?"

 

Adam looked over the settings and gave her a nod. 

 

One of the men, a human, began complaining of a headache, while the other pulled on Joey's arm to set him closer to clamp the collar around his neck. Once it did, the human pulled out a controller, "This will settle him down."

 

“I’ll take it from here.” Adam interrupted as he entered the room.

 

The man rolled his eyes and slipped the controller back into his pocket. "Your lucky day." 

 

The human turned to walk away and the High Court official let go of Joey's arm, jarring him a little before following the other out. 

 

Joey had enough immaturity in him to flip them off as they left. Even if they couldn't see it at least  _ he _ knew he had. His eyes looked down at Adam's hands before he smiled a little. His communicator ... Thank god.

 

Adam approached him and helped him set up the communicator, "This will make things more effective. You're lucky miss Alea allowed it. She has assigned you to me, you are to remain within close proximity to me at all times otherwise you will be electrocuted unless I say so." 

 

Adam began walking, prompting for the other to follow him. He spoke with a couple guards and gave a couple orders along the way before he made it out to the car. Once in the vehicle, he ran his hands over the wheel, started it and began driving.

 

 "I know you don't want that on you. Once we get to my house I'll work on removing it..... How are you holding up?" He asked, letting his hands drop for a moment. It was a bad habit, Dick used to call it 'letting Jesus take the wheel'

 

Joey had leaned his head back on the head rest and just closed his eyes. "I'm fine. A little beat up ... But I'll live. They dosed me with these sedatives too and I'm... so, so tired." 

 

Joey opened one eye and saw Adam's hands missing from the steering wheel and sighed. "Are we doing a Velma and Louise here? Because honestly? I'd rather not." He was definitely in a mood.

 

Adam chuckled, "I've driven in far more severe circumstances than this.." Which was truly an understatement. "When we get home you can rest in my room while I work on trying to remove your collar." 

 

His hands were on and off the wheel during the duration of the hour it took for him to get home, depending on how the traffic around him was. Once they made it to his house he parked, rubbed the door as he got out and closed it behind him. Once Joey stepped out he locked the car and proceeded forward repeating the steps with his front door. Once shoes were off and sorted to the side, he gave Joey a mini tour and escorted him to the bedroom. 

 

"If you need to borrow clothes, feel free to do so. You can fold and put any dirty clothes in the hamper located in the laundry room. I wash the bedding weekly, which I did so yesterday. Go ahead and get comfortable, I'll be in with a glass of water for you and then I'll work on hacking into your collars systems so I can send false messages to my tablet." He spared Joey further details and headed out to retrieve the items he needed.

 

"Fold?" Joey said to himself once Adam left. 

 

He'd never been told to fold his dirty clothes before putting them away. If Adam hadn't literally just saved his life then Joey wouldn't have bothered, but he did exactly as told. He took off everything, folded it neatly into a pile, and went through Adam's drawers for clothes to borrow. When he opened them he   _ perfectly _ organized clothes. Color, type, material ... All carefully organized and categorized. Joey pulled the first thing off the top, a simple white tshirt, and shorts. The shirt was a little big and the shorts he rolled up the top until they fit more properly. It left more leg exposed but Joey was hardly one to care about modesty. 

 

He took the other clothes into the laundry room before returning and getting a better look at Adam's space. He had a very Zen feeling fountain diffuser, a salt lamp and various books neatly sorted along the shelves, save for the shelf filled with his essential oils. Books seemed to be something he had an abundance of, considering that he had a bookshelf in nearly every room.

 

 It was relaxing and beautiful. Unsurprisingly Joey found his way to the laying down face first and giving a satisfied hum at the comfort. He loved it. All of it.

 

Adam returned after a while with full hands. A glass of water in one hand with a bowl of fruit balanced on his forearm and in the other he had his laptop, tablet and phone. He set the electronics on the bed so he could set the water and bowl down on the nightstand. He aligned the glasses with one another exactly one inch from the edge of the nightstand and having them placed closer to the corner. 

 

"Don't mind me, I just need to make sure I'm not going to accidentally shock you." Adam stated nonchalantly as he placed his phone near Joey's collar. 

 

He waited quietly for a moment before there was a quiet beeping sound. From there, Adam sat on the edge of the bed and plugged his phone into his laptop so he could look into the data, his tablet balanced on his other leg. 

 

His posture was straight and he was completely focused on running through the coding on his computer, occasionally glancing at the tablet to compare data. At this rate, only those such as Tim and Bruce would understand what it was he was looking at. And just like the two of them, Adam completely blocked out the outside world disappearing into his little bubble. After thirty minutes, he picked up the tablet and clicked through some settings. 

 

Joey just watched Adam silently. His eyes fluttered closed a couple times, but he fought the urge to fall asleep. Before they knew it, hi's collar buzzed and grew loose. Adam turned and pulled it off of the other with a smirk. 

 

"Got it.."

 

 It felt so much better without it. Joey would rather die than be chained and collared. He enjoyed his freedom too much. It was probably why he shied away from traditional relationships ... In particular marriage. Being 'locked down' wasn't something he wanted or needed in his life again. 

 

Joey reached out and began absentmindedly tracing patterns on the side of Adam's thigh. "Can you do me a favor?" His communicator didn't convey the tiredness he felt, but it was all over his expression and body. "... Call my Dad. Tell him I'm okay ... He's probably so worried ... No, he definitely is. God poor Dick ..."

 

 Adam reached and squeezed Joey's hand before standing up and gathering his things. "Of course... Why don't you focus on getting some rest. I'll be in the living room if you need anything." 

 

Part of Joey wanted to tell Adam to stay with him. Sleeping with someone always felt better than sleeping alone. Especially after the night he had. However, Joey didn't have the guts to ask. Mostly because he didn't know what the answer might be. He could read minds, but he couldn't predict people's actions or behaviors with any kind of accuracy. Human beings were just too complicated for that sort of thing. Instead he pulled back the blankets and finally got cuddled inside. He took off his communicator, setting it on the bed and drank a large amount of the water there. His throat was so dry it almost hurt. He'd have to ask Adam to get him medicated lozenges if he didn't want it to get worse. Right now? He just wanted to sleep. 

 

Adam got up and headed out into the living room, dialing Slade's number as he exited. "I’ve got your son." He stated the moment the other answered.

 

"Is he alright? When will you be bringing him back?" Slade asked all the questions any worrying parent would.

 

"He's fine... A little beat up but he got out cleaner than most meta’s ever do after their first night.... I won't be able to get him in your care any time soon. Currently, Alea considers him a  _ pet _ . He even has a collar. Right now I'm basically his babysitter seeing that she wont let pets in her care. You can thank John for that one." 

 

There was an audible sigh of relief. Adam stored the collar and poured himself scotch before he moved to relax on the couch. 

 

"If you want to visit him here and there I'm sure we can figure something out... There's another gala that'll be occurring in two months, I'm sure she'll bring him there. If you confront her it's possible she might be willing to work further arrangements with you, depending on how long he wants to make her think he hates you."

 

There was the sound of a door shutting followed by sounds from the farm. Slade had obviously decided to take this conversation outside. 

 

"Alea's pet ... God damn it." Slade sounded angry. "I told him this was a stupid idea. This kid is going to put me in an early grave." 

 

If anything was going to kill Slade he was truly convinced it would be from Joey. Rose was a Daddy's girl and usually gave him little grief. Joey? Kid didn't listen. 

 

"If he's staying with you there are a couple things you need to know. Get a pen and paper." Slade didn't even wait before going right into the list, not that it mattered because Adam didn’t budge.

 

 "He needs medicated lozenges for his throat. Do not get him anything with menthol or he won't use them. He prefers honey but will also do fruit favors, no mint."

 

“He needs to drink water every two to three hours. He will forget. On that note remind him to eat, if he gets focused on something he won't stop until he finishes it unless someone stops him. He also needs creative outlets. He enjoys music, but art is a passion of his. If you don't have art supplies I suggest you go get some or he will drive you crazy. Seriously."

 

Adam almost laughed at how much Slade cared, he was almost envious of it. Lord knows the only words his father ever spoke about him were, 'he’s more trouble than he's worth' or 'if he doesn't make it home, it’s not my problem.' 

 

"I'll go shopping later this evening. I have a shed in the back he can turn into a studio, I don't want paint in my house."

 

 If anything got permanently stained he'd lose it. Everything else was honestly a walk in the park. Lozenges were an easy fix, as for food and water. Adam would get him a watch that would give him reminders. He himself sometimes forgot to eat so he had some strategies already in place. 

 

Slade took a breath, "Last he has night terrors and will act out his dreams in general. Sometimes that means sleep walking onto the lawn, so make sure the doors are locked at bedtime. If he has a night terror it's important you wake him up and calm him down. If not you risk light bulbs breaking, or he can drag you into them. Trust me you don't want that." He then let out a small hum. "I think that's it ... Oh and he's allergic to coconut."

 

"Very well, I won't be able to have him check in with you frequently for obvious reasons so you'll just have to trust me. In the meantime, if you think of anything else just call me." Adam responded.

 

Slade was silent for a moment. Obviously the idea of not being able to see his son was bothering him.

 

 "I trust you." That was huge indeed, especially for Slade. "There is one more thing." He let out a sigh. "He's sensitive. I know that seems obvious, but he's reading you even when you think he isn't. His abilities make him hyper vigilant. Just ... Be kind to him. Even if you are angry ... It's very real to him. In a way I can't explain to you nor can he but ... You'll see it on his face. He's not as good at hiding his feelings as he thinks he is." Actually, Joey rather sucked at it. "Just ... Take care of my kid. Please."

 

Adam, despite finding it slightly annoyed by this point (perhaps due to his own envy), understood Slade's concerns and knew just a simple 'okay' wouldn't ease Slade. 

 

"Listen... I know I can be blunt and an absolute cock but I know how to choose my words carefully and even better how to manage my anger. He's a good kid, I don’t intend on doing anything to  _ further  _ damage him." Aaand there was that bluntness he mentioned earlier. "I will find a way to give you updates on him, at the very least I can promise you the Court will not get their hands on him again. I know this will be hard for you but you need to stay focused on staying on their goodside."

 

"That's the plan isn't it? ... I have to keep things tagged down here for Rose. End of the day? Kid got himself into this situation. Don't let him off too easy." Slade was just full of contradictions today. "... Shit I have to go. Damian! I told you to keep Goliath out of the chicken coop!" The phone then hung up. 

 

Joey was standing in the doorway, blanket wrapped around his shoulders just looking at Adam. 'Dad is a handful ... Sorry.' Funny enough Slade had just said the same thing about Joey. 'I um ... Felt you were comfortable. Do you want to talk about it?' Joey then backed up a little. 'Or maybe you could just ... Lay down with me ... I mean ... I could use the company...'

 

"Want me to keep you warm?" He teased before getting up, he placed a hand on Joeys back gesturing for him to go back into the room. 

 

'Something like that.' Joey smiled. 

 

Once they were both there, Adam stripped off his blazer and hung it up before doing the same with his tie, only his tie had a drawer that it lived in with the other black ties he had. From there he removed his belt and stored it in its place before changing out of the rest of his suit and into sweats. He didn't bother with a shirt for the time being. He sat on the edge of the bed and removed his glasses, setting them perfectly aligned with the alarm clock before shifting to get into the bed. Fortunately, Joey was close enough for him to actually see more than just a blob of flesh. He hated being blind. 

 

His fingers moved along Joey's scalp and temple before they curled under his chin, "You doin' alright?"

 

Joey shivered under Adam's touch, eyes locked onto the other's while words became lost to him. All he could do was feel his fingers under his chin, remembering what his lips felt like, his body. 

 

'Now I am.' Joey answered honestly, letting himself relax a little more into the bed. 

 

'You know, I didn't think my first time in your bed would be like this.' Joey teased, closing his eyes. 'If my side wasn't full of stitches and I could keep my eyes open ... You'd be in trouble.' There was a smirk on his face, but it was a little too sweet looking to be serious. 

 

Adam couldn't help but chuckle, "Mm I bet I would be." He played along before pushing Joey's hair back and retracting his hand. "Fortunately for me, you'll be stuck here for a while. As soon as you heal up you can show me just how much trouble you are." He rolled half way onto his back, looking up at the ceiling.

 

'Thank you, Adam ... For everything.'

 

 "You don't have to thank me.... It’s pretty typical that people get themselves into trouble when I tell them not to and then I have to save them."

 

That was a complicated way of saying 'I told you this shit was dangerous.' "I didn't think to get any updates on Zatanna... I'm sure you'll want to know how she is doing.... We can call them back in a few days, we just don't want to make it a habit."

 

'I know if she made it on the jet with Dick and Damian she's going to be okay. Dick wouldn't let anything happen to her.' He sounded so absolutely sure about that. 

 

Even if his Dad was pissed about what they'd done (and he was), he would still make sure that Zatanna was seen by a physician and taken care of. Especially if Dick was there. 

 

'I also can spectral project some distance to certain people I have a connection to. It's ... Exhausting and take all my concentration, but people like Constantine and Zatanna are able to help me manifest. I can check in with Constantine once I heal.' 

 

He moved closer to Adam, letting his arm and hand rest along his torso. Joey began tracing shapes and pictures on top of Adam's chest and stomach, watching his movements with heavy eyelids. It was soothing for him. 

 

Adam watched Joey's fingers, his muscles tensing along where the others fingers moved. It was a sign of ticklishness and that he wasn't really used to the touch.

 

'Then we don't have to contact him in anyway that can trace back to you. Which... You need to start being more careful.'

 

"You shouldn't be pushing your limits... I need you to be at full strength." He stated before looking towards Joey. 

 

'I like pushing my limits. It's kind of my thing.' Joey answered honestly, smiling. 

 

"And... You really don't have to worry about me.. I know what I'm doing, even if it's dangerous. Alea will never fully trust me but she trusts me more than most of her own people."

 

Adam looked back towards the ceiling, his other hand moving to rest under his head. "My devices are all encrypted and secure and while I shouldn't be reaching out too much, doing so monthly won't hurt. I've done worse and gotten away from it. If Alea does pick up on the communication I can just tell her I'm contracting Slade to handle traitors."

 

'Well, alright smarty ... I still need to talk to Constantine at some point. We need to have words with one another. Not letting him fuck up his second chance ... Again.' Seriously that man needed a fucking wake up call. 

 

"Good luck on that one, Constantine has more issues than he's willing to work through." 

 

That was an understatement. PTSD, depression, alcoholism, to name a few. Adam had a long list of what was wrong with that bloke. He had even discussed it with him only to have a bottle thrown at him and a grown man throwing a drunken tantrum. Their fights were... Something else. Adam almost missed the conflict. 

 

Joey adjusted his hand so it laid flat, palm down, on Adam's chest. Instead of tracing, his fingers moved in and out in a light scratching motion. '... You know I'll probably still worry about you a little. At least have your back.' Joey explained, closing his eyes, his hand's motions slowing down. 

 

Adam’s arm shifted to wrap around Joey's shoulders as he softly began rubbing one, letting himself ease in the others presence. He liked touch, he was just cautious. After the way his body was mistreated and handled he had a hard time giving people unlimited free access to it. It was like a cat that let you pet its belly twice before sinking claws into you. 

 

'I know you disagree, but you're still my hero.'

 

Adam couldn't help but snort, "I mean I practically was today, save for the cape. Figured that Alea would frown upon me tromping around in tights and spandex plus all the sex shops were closed this morning." He joked before moving Joey's hand off of his chest and turning onto his side, "Get some sleep."


	32. Just Tonight

Slade should have known better. Joey didn't listen to him on a good day, gave him grief constantly as a child and even more so as an adult. Frankly he expected this kind of behavior from Joseph but ... He was more hurt and surprised by what Dick did. 

 

Dick had gone without a word. He didn't tell Slade he was leaving, didn't even give him the opportunity to listen to why Dick needed to do this. He went behind Slade’s back completely.Slade felt a mix of emotions, but right now? He was overwhelmed with worry. 

 

He'd contacted Harper and Barbara the moment the boys had disappeared. They promised they would try and help, but he knew it wasn't a guarantee. It wasn't until later that he heard from Dick. His worst fears were confirmed when he heard Joey had been captured. Rose had been upset too, her and Joey were so close. Now he was in danger. It wasn't stress she needed.

 

Slade spent the rest of the night out on the front porch, just waiting. He was too worried to commit to being angry yet, but it was boiling underneath.

  
  
  
  


The jet ride back was silent and tense, Dick knew what he did was... Not wrong per say, but he knew he should've talked to Slade. Instead of treating Slade like a partner, Dick had treated him the same way he treated Bruce. He couldn't even fret about it because he was busy getting clothes on Zatanna and making sure she was okay. She was out cold and badly injured, Dick knew her recovery would be a long one. 

 

 Once the jet landed he let out a heavy sigh. He took his sweet time making sure it was powered off and cleaned up before he picked Zatanna up and  approached the house. He saw Slade waiting outside, saw the tenseness in his body. The worry. The anger. 

 

He didn't stop to talk to Slade, instead he gave a quick, "I'll be right out." Before he carried Zee inside.

 

 "Damian, help Constantine with her." He said just as the Brit approached. 

 

Dick could tell John wanted to snatch her up, but he didn't. He let Dick carry her to the room and lay her down before he sat by her and began pushing fingers through her hair. Dick knew she was in safe hands and made his way back outside, keeping the fight away from Damian. Rose must've been asleep.  

 

He then stopped and crossed his gloved hands. "I know what you're thinking and I want you to know, we knew what we were doing.... Joey wanted this."

 

"Don't come out here trying to act self righteous. We  _ both  _ know I'm not stupid enough to fall for that line." Slade answered back pointedly.

 

He pushed himself off of the porch and approached Dick, beginning to touch his arms and sides before putting his hands on either side of his face. Dick tensed at first, but eventually it eased.

 

"Are you hurt?" Slade seemed more concerned in this moment with Dick's safety. Yes, he wanted to scream at Dick, but he also needed to know his lover was ok. "What about Damian?" Oh, and the brat too.

 

 "I'm fine... I took a couple hits, I doubt it'll even bruise." Dick didn't bruise easily and his suit had a layer of armor, "Damian was the getaway driver... The one who took the most damage was Zatanna.. If we didn't go back for her, she would've died." 

 

His tone was stern to show that this was very serious and that Joey's drive to help her ultimately saved her life.

 

"Lots of people have died, Dick." Slade answered back, "I'm not going to downplay the cost of a human life. However, you ... " 

 

He stopped, stepped back and let out a sound of pure frustration. 

 

"You let my son sneak around behind my back. Risked  _ everyone  _ here, including Rose, and .... Joey. They have him again. Do you know what they did last time they got him into custody?" Slade's teeth were about to grind down to the nub. "They  _ killed  _ him."

 

"Slade, Joseph is an adult. He is a Teen Titan, a  _ Metahuman.  _ You’ve thrown him into situations far more dangerous.” Dick could tell that remark hurt, “ You and Rose were perfectly safe. We were the ones who risked our lives and we had every right to do what we did. Now, I can admit I should've checked in with you but I wouldn't have done it any differently. I'm a superhero, Slade, that's not going to change anytime soon."

 

"You want to be right about this but that's not what this is about." Slade said pointing at him. "This is about you taking off to Gotham  _ regardless  _ of what I thought or said. You were completely disrespectful to me, and even if Joey is an adult you still undermined me in my own damn house."  

 

Slade's stare was intense, his tone angry. "You went on some half cocked plan that, unsurprisingly, fell apart and put you all in danger. Worst of all, I had to just sit here and hope for the best because you stranded me without  _ my own damn jet _ ."

 

"Are you kidding me?" Dick yelled, arms up, "Don't you dare sit here and act like you would have supported this decision! You would've shut it down the moment I opened my mouth!" Dick believed that one with 100% certainty. "This was about saving someone's life, not about me doing whatever the hell I want. You have other means of transport, you don't need your jet and if I had left it then you would've just come and stopped us." 

 

"You're damn right I would have!" Slade argued back. "Because you all could have died. I get that you think your life isn't so precious that you won't preserve yourself even for scum. However  _ I _ think it is." Slade said, stepping toward Dick.

 

"What if I took Damian on some dangerous mission and he was captured, or killed even. Would you sit here and accept me spouting this same nonsense at you? Let me answer for you: you wouldn't. I don't give a damn who you are to my son. He's still my damn kid, Dick!"

 

"First of all that is entirely different! Damian is a  _ child _ , he's not even old enough to go to a number of places alone! If he was an adult, like Jason, then that would be entirely different. I'm not saying you don't have a right to be mad, Slade, but you're not going to act like this is my fault. What if I told Joey no? Do you honestly think he'd give up? That he'd roll over like the dog you want him to be and wait for his next order? No. He would've sought out help elsewhere or gone in alone and then what? Maybe he would've died or got captured and  _ no one _ would know."

 

"’The dog  _ I _ want him to be’?" Slade said in a low dangerous tone. "Let me lay a couple things out for you: first, I've been doing this for 30 years longer than you have. If I hadn't stepped in and called Harper and Barbara you'd both be in custody right now. Second, you don't have the  _ right  _ to comment on how I feel about my kids. You may be their team leader, but don't forget I raised them. I know them better than you ever could hope to. Also, after all I've done to mend my relationships with them how  _ dare  _ you insult me by thinking I want to own them like pets. Do you really think so little of me?"

 

Dick couldn't help but to clench his jaw, this was spiraling out of control fast and he knew that he sure as hell wasn’t helping.

 

 "...That's not how I meant it." It was hard for him to keep an even tone, he was pissed but he didn't want to leave something like that in the air. "What I'm trying to say is that you are more controlling than you know. You control your kids both directly and influentially.. You've taught them to fight for what they believe in and taught them not to lie down for  _ anyone _ which includes you… You wanted both of them to fight by your side and it almost destroyed your relationship with them."

 

He crossed his arms and stepped back, "Maybe I don't know them as well as you do, but I know Joey would've gone in alone or he would've resented you for letting Zatanna die." 

 

Dick shook his head went to walk away.

 

"I trusted you to come to me and tell me what Joey was doing! ... Are you seriously just going to walk away from me?" Slade asked stepping towards him. 

 

Addie used to hate when Slade would walk away from her in the middle of a fight. He could bet she was laughing in her grave at him now that the tables were turned. 

 

Slade let out a completely unamused laugh. "If I'm so controlling and you won't communicate with me then this isn't going to work." Slade said suddenly. 

 

"You'll trust Adam, someone who tried to have you kill  _ thousands  _ of people, but can't trust me because of what? When have I ever given you a reason not to talk to me? ... You know what, it doesn't matter. I'm done doing this. Go ahead and blame every death the High Court has caused on me. Do whatever you want."

 

Dick came to a grinding halt.

 

"No." Dick snapped back before jabbing Slade in the chest again, "You are not going to use our relationship as some kind of power play, Slade. This is  _ exactly _ what I'm talking about! You just want me to roll over and apologize to you, promise to do it differently and I'm telling you right now that's  _ not _ going to happen." His angry tone was back, he was even starting to gesture more with his arms and body.

 

"You don't get to bring Adam into this either because you have no idea what our relationship looked like when we were together. Do you think I just poured everything out for him? That I asked for permission to go on patrol? He didn’t even know I got raped, Slade, in fact?  _ You _ were the first  _ person  _ I told before we were even together. So don't  _ you _ bring trust into this." 

 

"Will you listen to yourself? You sound so self righteous. Like I have no room to feel the way I do.  _ That's _ why this won't work. You want to sit here and play the hero card for every situation I don't agree with. You want to sit here and play right or wrong when I'm trying to tell you that what you did not only hurt me, but broke up my family  _ again _ ." Slade was still angry, but it was clear he was upset too.

 

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you, that's what  _ I _ have to be responsible for. I have an agreement to discuss things with you and work them out and what I should've done was tell you that I was going to Gotham City to save Zatanna with your son  _ regardless _ of what you had to say. I'm not going to apologize for anything else though. I have compassion for Joey. I'm worried about him but I also know he'll be okay."

 

"Go ahead and tell me everything will be fine, but you don't know that. Just because Joey is with Adam doesn't mean he's safe. He was safe  _ here _ with me, with his sister." Slade clenched his fists.

 

 "You both could have been captured or killed, Damian too. Say all you want that it wouldn't have happened, but it  _ could  _ have. Then they would have drawn it back to me, put Rose in custody again." 

 

Not to mention they would have killed Slade, but that was so far down on his list of priorities at the moment. "You risked  _ everything _ and didn't even give me the opportunity to say goodbye. That's..." Slade turned to look away from Dick. "Call me controlling, but I do it because I care. You of all people should know that instead of throwing it in my face."

 

Dick stayed quiet. He understood but his pride was making it very hard to let go of his view. He stopped and put his hands over his face, a headache starting to come on as he just took a moment to breathe.

 

 "I'm not trying to invalidate your feelings... You have every right to be hurt and angry. And I've said this before but I'm going to say it again, I should've come to you and talked to you as my partner. Not to ask permission but to bring my intentions and plans to your attention so I wasn't going behind your back. That was manipulative on my part because I avoided whatever conflict that may or may not have changed things." Dick lowered his hands to look at the other. 

 

“I get where you're coming from, I'm just.... I'm asking you to try and understand where I'm coming from and.. Maybe that’s the defensive side of me.. But I want you to know, Slade... I wouldn't have brought Damian if I thought we were going to die... I wouldn't have left Joey if I wasn't concerned about things falling back onto you. I know that if I got caught you and Rose would be screwed..." He paused again, his breathing and hands shaky from the anger he was withholding. 

 

"And honestly? As touched and honored as I am that you were so worried, I'm also hurt you don't trust me enough to think I can do something like this.... I know you said you can't trust me and that it'll take time but... I thought we made progress... That... You respected me enough to know I wouldn't have acted if I thought someone would die." 

 

Dicks hands found his hips as he looked off, "If you are serious about ending this... Then you need to tell me in three days... After you've cooled off enough to make a level decision.. Maybe you hate me right now but... I'm not going to let you go. I'm willing to work through this, the question is... Are you?"

 

"This isn't about trusting you, kid ... You still act like you don't understand what we are up against." Slade spoke, ignoring the second half of questioning for now.

 

 "You are absolutely naive to think you could walk into any situation with the High Court and know exactly what the end outcome is going to be like. These people took down Superman and drove Batman into hiding, do you really think that  _ any _ of us have the skills or experience to predict the behaviors and abilities of these people?" Slade shook his head.

 

"You have too much  bravado. You don't think clearly when someone you love is in danger, when  _ anyone _ is in danger. It's because you have a big heart, and I love that about you. You are a fierce fighter and a brilliant strategist, I  _ do _ trust you. But ... God damn it, kid ... In this world you cannot go running off like this is another night on patrol in Gotham. These people aren't the Joker, Scarecrow, or even Lex Luthor. If you make even one single mistake it could mean the end of everything for you and those you love. I'm trying to get you to understand that, to get all of you to understand that." Slade said gesturing to the house as though to refer to his family and current house guests. 

 

"I get you're a hero, that you are going to do things that endanger yourself whether I like it or not ... But you can't just shut me out because you know I won't like it." Slade reached out and finally took both sides of Dick's face in his hands and turned his gaze back towards him. 

 

"You said we are a team, don't you dare leave me behind again. I would never forgive myself if you died just because I wasn't there to help you. Fuck, Dick I almost lost you all tonight and that’s ..." Slade let his hands drop off of Dick's face. "... I don't know if you understand."

 

Finally Dicks anger faded away, the haze of defense leaving him as he looked into Slade's eye. He saw all the worry and fear behind the others gaze. He knew everything that Slade had said was true. Dick sighed and looked down before pushing a hand through his hair.

 

"I scared you… You were worried that two of the people you care deeply about were going to not only die but put your pregnant daughter in danger. The possibility alone was crushing and I made you suffer through not only that but the question of why I didn’t trust you enough to talk to you.” Dick repeated back to Slade so the other knew he understood.   
  


"I promise you that I will talk to you going forward... About anything that will impact you. Even if I think it'll start a fight. And I'll make sure if Adam can't get Joey back that we bring him home." He gave Slade's waist a squeeze before dropping his hands and stepping back, "You should get back to Rose."

 

Slade finally felt heard and it was evidence enough in the way that his demeanor seemed to relax a little, acting more like he usually did around Dick.

 

 "I know I didn't exactly make things easy ... I shouldn't have told Joey no ... You're right, I may be his father, but now that he's an adult I don't get to dictate his life." Slade was coming around too, just the little bit of give that Dick gave was enough for him to calm down and see the part he had in all of this as well. "I'm glad you had the foresight to see that even when I couldn't." 

 

There was a pause before Slade approached Dick and leaned in close again, "I ... Shouldn't have said what I did ... I don't want to be without you. I love you, kid, I'm sorry. I was scared but ... That isn't an excuse."

 

Dick’s gaze shifted back up and he offered a small half smile before reaching up to place a hand on Slade's cheek, "I know... I've been there too, which is why I told you that you don't get to make that decision until you're calm... It may make me look like an asshole or feel condescending but... I don't want your angry words to hold any meaning you don't want them to. Everyone says stupid or brash things when their angry and... Even if that was authentically how you felt in that moment, I know you well enough to know you want to fight for this.. And I also know I don't make it easy." He said with a half chuckle, his thumb rubbing Slade's cheek. "I love you, Slade... All of you."

 

Slade closed the space between them and kissed Dick, letting his arms come around Dick in a hug at the same time. It was easy, tender, something long term partners would share. Even if they hadn't been together that long it felt like something that would last. 

 

"I think we both have our own problems. It's just about how we navigate them." Slade gave a small smile to Dick. "And for a twenty five year old, you are mature enough to do that, which is incredible." 

 

What was left was a smile of his lips as he stared up at Slade before an eye roll followed. He had opened his mouth to shoot back a snarky comment but before he could, Damian gained their attention. 

 

The front screen door opened, revealing Damian who was now showered and in his dog themed pajamas. "Well this is disappointing." Damian said  with a sigh. "I thought you two were breaking up, not snogging on the front porch." Damian still clearly didn't agree with their relationship. "However, if you two are done we have a new guest that needs attention. In case you forgot. Also I know it's time for Ms. Rose's nightly pills." 

 

Dick stepped back from Slade and squeezed his arms lovingly. "We probably woke her up." His eyes shifted back to the house, "Go be with her... I'm going to check on Zatanna." 

 

Dick moved away and headed back into the house. He ventured into Constantine's room where the man was sitting on the floor beside her bed. 

 

"How is she?" 

 

"She'll be out of it for a while but she's healing.... I heard Joey got captured."

 

"We'll get him out... That's a promise."

  
  
  


Rose was inside sitting on the couch, her hair a mess stocking out in different directions. She looked tired. She let out a big yawn before looking up at Slade, "Any word on Joey?"

 

"Let me get you a snack and we'll talk." Slade said, moving into the kitchen and coming back out with a bowl of ice cream, water, and a few pills in a dish. He gave her the ice cream first, then moved to stand behind the couch where she was sitting. 

 

He began to gently detangle her hair with his fingers, working from her ends up to her scalp. "Joey is alive. Let's start out with that." Slade said, letting that sit for a moment. "But he isn't coming home, at least not yet. The High Court captured him tonight. Adam is working on fixing the issue ... We just have to be patient and wait."

 

"He's a lot like you.... Once he sets his mind to something there's no backing him out." She said as she leaned back. "I trust Doctor Foster. He and Joey have some kind of connection. But just so we're clear.. If anything happens to him then I want to tear down the Court in every way possible. I'm too fat to do that so you'll have to do it for me." Rose said before finally taking a bite. 

 

If she wasn't pregnant she would be out there right now. She wouldn't wait. She wouldn't hesitate to kill as many court officials as she possibly could.  _ No one _ touched her little brother.

 

"I plan on tearing them down anyway, no one hurts my kids." Slade responded seriously. He meant every word. The High Court was going to suffer by his hands for experimenting on his daughter and killing his son. 

 

"Are you and Dick okay? I heard you guys yelling ... I know you're mad at him but... If he didn't go with then Joey might've been killed." She wasn't sure. 

 

The court killed him before when they took her in. They did so without hesitation. That was when Azrah was in charge. She didn't get why he would make such a command when harvesting power was a big thing. Maybe he was scared? Did they even get scared?

 

"Dick and I are fine. We just fight like that unfortunately. However, we seem to always make up in the end. It's nothing like it was with your Mom though. I can assure you that." 

 

Addie got downright violent when she was angry. She pushed, punched, and screamed at Slade so many times he lost count. 

 

"We are working on it." 

 

They just needed to learn how to communicate better in those tough situations. It would take time and understanding. Even if they were close now somethings just happened with trial and error that took the length of a long relationship to work out. They just weren't there yet and that was okay. 

 

"I'm grateful that Dick was there to give Joey leadership ... I just wasn't happy they did it behind my back." Slade paused and followed up with. "What do you mean by Joey and Adam having a 'special' connection?"

 

Rose was ready to continue the other conversation when her own words bit her in the ass, "What do you mean?" She asked playing dumb, "No one has special connections these days. Pftt." 

 

She shifted and sat up, putting a hand on Slade's, "It's no wonder you're not a detective.... Just... Give them space okay? Joey doesn't want you controlling or judging his life. He likes Adam and frankly? He has every right to. He's saved our lives, is a genius, is cute, has an accent." Rose chuckled and stood up with an 'oof'.

 

Slade wasn't entirely blind to Joey's crush on Adam. However, Joey had been messing around with Constantine as well. Joey was flirty with nearly every man over 30 ... Since he was 10. Slade figured the situation was that more than anything else. "

 

Gods he's older too ... just his type." Slade said in almost a groan. 

 

Usually Slade wouldn't care who Joey bunked up with. It wasn't his business to tell his kids how to run their relationships when he had been a terrible role model his entire life. In fact, his relationship with Dick was probably the most positive one he'd ever had. However, because of what Dick and Adam's relationship had been like ... Well he had his concerns. Joey was young and somewhat naive at times. Despite knowing everyone's inner dialogue he wanted to think the best of people. But, that was Slade's perspective as his father.

 

He knew better than to ask Rose to elaborate. Those two were thick as thieves and he wouldn't be able to pry answers out of them about each other. 

 

"Why don't you and Dick sleep together tonight? I think you guys need the quality time. I'm going to bunk with the hell bat." 

 

Slade raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's okay? Damian is ... Difficult." Slade hesitated to say. "Besides he nearly insists he sleeps with Dick every night. I don't think he'll agree."

 

As if the devil himself had been called, Damian came walking down the stairs.  He saw Rose walking and went to help her. He supported her lower back with a flat hand and offered his other for her to hold. 

 

"Going upstairs? I can help you to bed."

 

"I'm sleeping in your bed. Dick and dad need some quality time, before you even think about arguing, you little shit, it'll decrease the chances of them hate fucking in the living room like the animals they are." Maybe that was vulger and inappropriate but she had to keep Damian motivated to allow for such a thing, using Dick and Slade's sex life was the perfect weapon.

 

"That ... Would surely scar me. You're right ... They have no self control. However, calling them animals is an insult to every single one of them on his farm. At least they have some manners." 

 

Damian then nodded, "I will share a bed with the pregnant Wilson tonight. But ... Only tonight." He warned, moving to help Rose up the stairs. 

 

Dick had walked out of Constantine's room in time to hear Rose's comment, "I do have standards believe it or not."

 

"Do you? Because you dated an abusive asshole for a bit."

 

"He was nice for the first half of our relationship... Besides, Slade is more of a man than he is."

 

"Which means there's more for you to chew." Rose winked.

 

Dicks face flushed before he covered it, "Jesus, Rose."

 

"They are letting us share a bed together tonight, let's just take what we can get." Slade said in a low tone and  then leaned down to Dick's ear. "Then I can give you every inch of man I have without interruptions."

 

Dick’s face tinted red, his teeth finding their way to his lip as excitement filled his being. He looked at Slade with a naughty smirk before standing on his toes and pecking his lips. 

 

"As lovely as that would be…. I think I just want to sleep tonight. It's been a tough day."

 

"Of course." Slade purred, kissing Dick's head before escorting him up the stairs. 

 


	33. The Handler

Luthor was on a rampage. He was interrogating his tech team up and down, turning over every hard drive and communication that had left the building in the last four months. Why?  _ Everything _ was down. The problem? It wasn't just Luthor's systems that were down. The High Court's were as well. 

 

The High Court was quick to inform Luthor of the virus ripping through all of their tech ... Which was numerous. Luthor's was quick to follow, everything quicking shutting down to a black screen. On. Just dark. 

 

"Sir?"

 

"What?"

 

 Luthor asked looking over at the young man that had just approached him with another downed device.

 

 "Unless you're here with useful information I don't have time for you."

 

"We've discovered the point of activation for the virus ... It's um ..."

 

"Spit it out. I don't have all day." Luthor snapped.

 

"Sir, it came from your home office computer."

 

Luthor's face looked rightfully shocked. Had he been hacked? Or had someone broke into his house? ... Wait.  _ Wait _ . His lips settled into a thin line as he put together the pieces.

 

"That brat..." Luthor seethed, but as the words left his mouth every screen turned bright red before the Red Robin symbol appeared on the screen. 

 

It was a taunting image, telling Luthor exactly who did this even if he already knew. A ballsy move.

 

"Connor doesn't take one step out of the mansion. I want a full lockdown on all communications and buildings." 

 

Luthor began listing off orders to whoever would listen. There were at least four people who began frantically scribbling notes. 

 

"Lastly ... Get me on the phone with Bronze Tiger." Luthor didn't explain because he couldn't.

 

He'd been stupid enough to think Tim had  _ just _ come over to his home for Connor. Luthor had been so sure they were just doing things that dumb teenagers do. Sneak out, have sex, lie to their parents. Luthor had underestimated Tim and was going to pay dearly for it. He knew that. 

 

"Sir ... We just got a call from GNN and the Metropolis News ... It's on every screen in the city."

 

"My phone too!" A woman from the back of the room yelled. 

 

"Jesus this thing has to be global. What is it?"

 

 Another man piped in looking out the window and seeing several digital billboards showing the same screen as the computers in the office. 

 

"How do we stop this?"

 

"We don't. We can't." The man next to Luthor said in response. "It's taken over our ability to even remotely access the systems infected and it can rewrite its own code to transfer onto ... Well every interface its come into contact with.  The only way to stop it is to find who did it and make them pull the plug."

 

"Easier said than done." Luthor said, crossing his arms. "But I have a bargaining chip."

  
  
  


_ Two weeks later _

  
  
  


Dick was leaning up against the bar, his eyes low and fixed on the ground as he pretended to be disengaged. Currently, he and Slade were at one of Luthor's big fancy galas trying to obtain information. Right now, Cobblepot happened to be the one spilling it. He was talking to Slade about how someone hacked the Courts system, infected it with a virus and completely shut it down. From what Dick had heard, Alea's attention shifted from her never ending mission to eliminate traitors and catch heroes to try and undo the damage. 

 

His eyes shifted across the room to where Ben stood, his body and jaw tense. Dick had a bad feeling in the pit of  his stomach.

 

"Anyways, I'm just waiting for her to lose her mind and kill this new traitor. It's hilarious seeing how scared these people are." 

 

Not that he wasn't afraid but before anyone could turn it around on him he changed the subject. 

 

"Wow." 

 

Dick followed Oswald's gaze to the door where Alea had just entered with Joseph and Adam on each side of her. 

 

Her hair was down and she wore a beautiful long black dress, it showed just the right amount of skin to toe the line between professional and elegant and promiscuous and sexy.

  
  
  
  


"People are staring." Alea noted.

 

Adam shrugged, "I told you that would happen." 

 

"You are the kind of person who wants to make a statement. So, let them stare." Joey said with a shrug of his shoulders.

 

Her attention shifted to the bar, then back to Adam. "Keep an eye on them." 

 

She gave no further instruction before looping her arm around Joey's. "You, with me."

  
  
  
  


"It still surprises me that your desecrating the bats most annoying Robin. I never took you for a queer." Oswald antagonized just as Adam arrived at the bar, leaning on one side of it.

 

 "Oof, such hateful language however, I suppose you're in the same boat. After all you can't help the fact you look like a cyst boiling under someone's arse. Did you decided to eat a blimp on your way in?"

 

Slade just chuckled at Adam's additions. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

  
  
  
  


Alea dragged Joey over to Ben and Tim, Benjamin naturally shifting slightly to block her access to Tim. 

 

She dropped Joey's arm and looked Tim in the eye, "You crashed my system, that's considered treason."

 

 It wasn't a threat or a warning, she was stating something she was sure Tim already knew, "What reason do I have not to kill you?"

 

Ben opened his mouth and Alea held a hand up, "I am not regarding you." Her gaze then slipped back down to Tim.

 

"It's alright Ben, I can handle this." Tim said reassuringly, stepping out from the protection Benjamin had offered him.

 

"I can think of a few reasons." Tim started, crossing his arms against his chest. "The most convincing reason being that my virus is still in your systems. Any time I want I can bring everything to a grinding halt again. I have fail safes in place so if you do decide to kill me you  _ will _ regret it."  

 

"He's telling the truth." Joey spoke up, Tim wasn't bluffing. 

 

"I have the upper hand here. Let's not pretend that it is otherwise." Tim stepped towards her. "I simply wanted to make a point to you and your leader: I'm not a pet." Tim spoke with venom in his voice. 

 

"I took over Nanda Parbat, I collapsed your systems ... And it took me less than two months. It's in your best interest not to make me your enemy."

 

Alea was silent for a moment, her expression showing little to nothing though there was no doubt that she was thinking. 

 

"What you've done is considered treachery." She paused briefly before she continued, "I would kill you, however, I'm impressed. You've done what my people fail to do. I don't have any issues taking you under my wing the way I took Doctor Foster however, there are rules you must follow. To be clear here, regardless of whether or not you are a pet you will never be equal to the court." Her tone didn't seem to agree with that sentiment, "That is as long as I don't trust you." 

 

Alea's gaze shifted back towards Slade and Dick, "You care for your family... Your friends..." She looked back at Tim, "For me to accept you as an ally, you would have to be willing to harm them. You will have to be willing to watch them suffer in our care while we use them to improve our species. If you cannot offer this? Then I don't give a damn about your failsafe, I will make an example of you right here and now as a traitor."

 

"You've been here for a while, you should know it isn't so easy for us 'humans' to let go of our relationships." Tim stated honestly. "Even the heartless Doctor Foster has people he cares about, if he says he doesn't then he's lying to you." 

 

Tim hated Adam anyway, especially after what he did to Dick and Gotham. 

 

"I won't lie to you and say I'll stop caring about my family and friends, I have no interest in deceiving you unlike most of the humans that surround you." 

 

"I'll make a deal with you. I'll take ... Five people. Five people The Court can't touch. Certainly that isn't outside your scope. The information and fortification to your systems I can offer is more valuable than their bodies. I'll keep up my end of the bargain as long as you do. A fair trade."

 

Alea fell silent momentarily, debating if the pay off would be worth it. Tim was useful, resourceful, and intelligent however, she was concerned where his loyalties would lie in the end. 

 

"Very well. You can give Jericho your list of names and I will catalog them in the court database."

 

"Is that all" Ben asked, beyond done with the conversation.

 

"Actually... One more thing.... Were you aware of Tim's actions?"

 

"I was aware Tim was planning something." Ben placed his left hand on Tim's shoulder, "But I trusted him."

 

"Hm" 

 

Alea hummed before grabbing her guards sword and slicing Benjamin's hand off in one swift motion. Blood splurt out like a fountain, Ben's face filling with shock and paling before he processed what happened. He quickly grabbed his stump, applying pressure as he released a pained yell.

 

 "Despite intent, you withheld information regarding treachery from the court. Punishable by death. Heed my warning."

  
  
  


  Slade was already on the move.

 

Luthor, who was on the other side of the room, began hurriedly towards the scene, "Have Connor come down, I may need his assistance." 

 

He tried to keep the boy away, simply because of Tim's presence. He didn't want them interacting after what Tim had done.

 

Tim, however, was in shock and instincts took over. "No!" He yelled, but Slade was there quickly to pull him back by the collar of his shirt. 

 

"Dick come control your brother." The tone was strict, whether it was because he was playing Master or because he was angry was a mystery. 

 

He was quick to move next to Ben, his tie off to be used as a tourniquet. 

By that time Luthor had arrived and his assistant began helping Ben with his wound. He needed medical care immediately. 

 

"Come with me." She said softly.

 

Alea's guards saw Slade as a threat and moved to block and confront him. Slade punched the first so hard in the face he immediately crumpled to the floor unconscious. The next went to swing the same sword used to take off Ben's hand. Slade dodged and hit the inner part of his elbow, the blade falling from his grasp into Slade's waiting hand. In a swift motion he sliced through the man's chest and throat. Slade looked at Alea with murderous intent. Joey, with blood on his person stepped forward in an attempt to stop his father, putting a hand firmly on his chest.

 

 "Enough."

 

 "No!" Dick yelled out, pushing away from Tim and evading Adams grab before moving between Slade and Alea, standing right beside Joey. 

 

It took everything in him not to scold Slade for killing the guard but he knew he couldn't speak to Slade as a lover. "No one else is dying." He spoke sternly. "Master... Put down the sword."

 

 Alea was amused, her stance straight and open. She didn't look the least bit threatened. 

 

It was interesting that Slade's pet disobeyed when another's life came into danger, even more interesting that Slade thought he could take her. 

 

"Dick, get out of my way." Slade said in a low tone, not even looking at him as he said it. 

 

Slade instead was looking directly at Alea, his hand tightening around the hilt of the blade. 

 

"Slade, listen to your pet we don't need anymore blood shed tonight." Luthor was trying to reason with him.

 

"No one hurts my family." 

 

Ben may not have been blood, but he was family. Slade regarded him like a brother, his kids looked up to him as an uncle. He was so blindly furious he could barely think straight.

 

 "Luthor may be too much of a coward to face you but I am not." Slade seethed, "Dick,  _ move _ ."

 

"No." Dick ground out sternly, his expression unwavering. 

 

As much as it hurt him to think of Slade as the enemy in this moment he had to stay focused. He knew Slade wouldn't back down and knew he would have to disarm him, he just had to do it in a way that would keep the blade from harming anyone else. Without another word, Dick hit Slade hard in the stomach being sure to strike a pressure point before he turned and grabbed onto Slades wrist to keep the sword under control. 

 

As he grabbed onto Slades arm, he turned his body and pushed back, attempting to get a foot between Slades to make him lose his footing. Slade was initially surprised that Dick engaged him at all. It was the first real fight they'd had since they were together but Slade wasn't going to hold back.

 

He knew better than to fight against Dick's movements, however, they were at close range which gave him a slight advantage. Slade began falling off balance and certainly felt the punch to the gut.  He used the movement to plant his right foot back and push forward with his chest. He was larger than Dick, so power wasn't an issue. Once they were separated Slade tapped on his ring and activated Dick's collar. It was a shitty move to pull and he knew that, but it was the best way to end this quickly.

 

Dick felt his throat tighten and let out a choked scream before he hit the ground, his body convulsing as he grabbed at the collar. Still, he could see Slade moving to grab his gun. He moved and dragged himself along the ground, his body working against him even as he reached to grab at Slade in a final attempt to stop him.

 

If only he were looking behind him. From her thigh, Alea grabbed a gun and in one fluid motion aimed it directly at Slades head and pulled the trigger. Brain matter, skull and blood flew through the air as she lowered her weapon. Dick felt his vision grow black, the pain in his body only intensifying as he tried to scream out. The venue seemed to have fallen silent. Joey didn't even have time to react to everything. His father was lying dead in front of him, his friend screaming, and he knew he couldn't break down or be stunned. He had to go into action. 

 

"Foster, get them on my ship."

 

"The dead one too?" Adam asked quirking a brow.

 

"He has a healing factor. Of course." She then turned her attention to Luthor, approaching him as Adam moved to sedate Dick so he could shut off his collar. 

 

"Let me." Joey said to Adam, surprisingly calm. 

 

He squatted down to Dick's level and put his hands on either side of Dick's face. 

 

"Relax." It was more than just words, it was a mental command. "Sleep." Joey said next and waited for Dick to slump over. 

 

Tim approached and glared at Adam, "He's one of mine."  Tim said with a voice that shook slightly, but tried to remain strong. "Alea and I have a deal ... He stays safe."

  
  
  


"Luthor.... I've received some interesting information regarding you. Perhaps we can talk." Alea stated as she gestured towards the stairs.

 

Luthor looked around for Connor letting out a tsking sound. Boy was taking his time. "Send up Connor when he arrives." 

 

Luthor told one of his men who nodded, the other two followed Luthor as he walked by Alea, "We can talk on the balcony."

  
  


"You say that like I'd let that happen... Grayson will be comfortable. I'll inform Alea of your request, give me the names of the other four so I can give the report back to her." He knew Alea would at least honor Tim's request... She wanted him bad enough. 

 

He paused and glanced back to Tim, "You should check on Benjamin... Keep.... This incident with Slade hush, hush for now... I don't want Ben to stress." With that. 

 

Adam snapped his fingers at a couple guards ordering them to pick Slade up while he allowed Joey to get Dick, "Let's go back to the jet."

  
  
  


"I have somewhere better in mind." Alea stated as she lead Luthor up the stairs on the landing that overlooked everyone, "Do you see those faces down there? They respect the court... A respect I've found you lacking in. You were by our side until the events that transpired around Ra's and now I've noticed... A hesitation."

 

"Don't take my hesitation as disrespect towards the Court. Ra's dying was a shock to all of us, he was a powerful man with more men protecting him than I have. To be frank with you I've only pulled back to preserve my interests. You must understand that to some degree." 

 

Luthor said plainly, looking amongst the faces down below that were in a state of disarray because of the incident that had just transpired. "I've needed some time to regroup and restrategize. You'll see a change soon."

  
  
  


Tim had done as he was told and went back the way Ben was taken, getting brought to a back room. There was a doctor who was treating the stump where Ben's hand once was. A nurse messing with IV bags that included a blood transfusion. 

 

"Ben, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I never thought ... I never thought she'd hurt you. God, Ben ..."

 

Ben shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. "This isn't your fault.... The court is unpredictable... I let you do things your way but I think we both underestimated them... Tim.... We need to be careful." He paused before sighing and shaking his head, "We both like doing things our way but The Court doubts us... I don't want that. I want to be able to stand along side them as a companion rather than someone they feel they can't turn their back on." 

 

That was to keep the whole facade going for the doctor... But it also wasn't untrue. They couldn't take down the court if they weren't trusted.

  
  


Alea shook her head, "Not soon enough ... You disagree with our methods, so a source tells me.... And unfortunately for you, I trust this source more than I trust you." Her voice  grew loud enough to draw attention to them, "You have been seen as a traitor to The Court. Let this go as a warning for all considering to defect." 

 

Suddenly, Alea's small knife glided across Luthor's throat. Connor entering the room in time to see Alea start sawing through the muscles and tendons soon severing Luthor's head from his body. She then proceeded to hold it up as blood ran down her arm. 

 

"Lex Luthor was seen communicating with a group of resistance. He spoke against us and for that-" She didn't get to finish before Kon flew up and punched her hard. 

 

She dropped the head but didn't have much reaction. She then moved in time to dodge another blow before grabbing Connors arm and throwing him off the railing. 

 

"I'll kill you!" He snarled. "Not if you want your Titan friends alive." Alea spoke calmly.

  
  


"You're one of my people." Tim said, grabbing his good hand. "I wish I could take this all back ... but I can't. I'll make it up for you though I..." Tim stopped himself as he heard a large crashing sound from behind him. Both of the medical staff looked too.

 

"What was that?" The nurse asked, the doctor shrugged his shoulders as the nurse pressed a communicator in her ear. "Hey anyone in the banquet hall know what is going on out there?" There was a pause before a look of horror came over her face.

 

"What is it?" The doctor asked.

 

"Luthor has been killed and his son is fighting Alea." The  nurse explained in an extremely succinct manner.

 

"Connor ..." Tim said with a shake in his voice. "She's going to kill him Ben." It was Tim's way of asking if he could go to him.

 

Benjamin looked Tim in the eyes before nodding to him, shifting to stand to go with him however he felt the pull on his stump, urging him to stay seated. 

  
  


Connor froze, his fists clenching with his jaw, it wasn't enough to stop him from charging her again. This time she ducked, and pushed against him with her shoulder in his stomach. Both of them went off the railing, hitting the ground relatively hard. Her dress tore and hung off her shoulder as she stood from the ground. Her body had interesting abstract patterns and marks on it, words perhaps. She straightened and touched her bracelet, strong electrical bolts shooting through Connors body as he began convulsing, clawing at his collar.

 

Alea watched Connor  before she approached him and pressed the heel of her shoe against his neck, shutting off the shock.

 

 "Do you really allow your friends to die because you're blinded by grief?"

 

Connor groaned and struggled to push against alea's shoe however he couldn't move his head. "Burn.... In hell." 

 

"Tsk, most unfortunate." She began pushing harder, her heel slowly starting to break Connors skin making him wince in pain.

 

Tim busted through the door into the ballroom and saw more than he could process at once.

 

Alea was covered in blood, the room was scattered, people leaving, some staying to watch. Then there was Connor under her heel. 

 

Seeing his Super so vulnerable and hurt was surprising. Connor didn't get hurt unless kryptonite was involved, he was a man of steel. 

 

"Stop!" Tim yelled, stopping half crouched down so he was close to Connor but able to still address Alea directly. "Stop ... He's upset. He's human. I can control him though. He's worth more to you alive rather than dead." Tim formulated an answer based on truths.

 

Alea let out a hum as she removed her foot from Connors throat, "I don't disagree however, he was forcing my hand." Her gaze stayed on Tim as she analysed him briefly, "I want him trained to join my army. If you believe you can do that then I will allow Benjamin custody... If not? He will be processed through the Courts systems." She seemed to be willing to be flexible at least and didn't at all seem angry. 

 

She noticed the crowd and glanced around before pulling on her dress in a half hearted attempt to cover herself but overall found it pointless, she had a bra on and clearly demonstrated she wasn't an object for pleasure. 

 

"I must go, hurry up and make your decision." She spoke though her tone suggested that she knew Tim's choice, she was even waving a guard over to bring her a tablet that she could update Connors systems on.

 

"I'm not a pet anymore ... I'd like him to be put under my care." Tim said with a certainty that clearly stated Tim was taking himself out of the care of anyone, and caring for himself. "It only makes sense."

 

Alea exhaled, her expression only briefly showing more caution, "Very well." 

 

She began typing something in her guards tablet before Connors collar beeped. She then handed Tim a ring. "I imagine you know how it works." 

 

Alea turned her attention back to the tablet and began entering coding, fail safes to be more exact. She didn't trust Tim, she wanted to make sure Connor wouldn't become  _ his _ weapon. She'd also have spies within the palace.

 

 "Alright, if you should need anything, call." She then turned and walked away without another word. Connor shifted his head to Tim, gently taking his hand into his own as Alea's steps faded.

  
  
  


Joey couldn't  look at his father's body. Once they were inside the jet Joey made sure Dick was made comfortable in one of the chairs, leaning it back fully so he could rest. He even covered him with a blanket. 

 

"Dick ... I'm so sorry." Joey said, brushing a hand through his hair to put it into place. 

 

He turned back in time to see the men loading his father's body into the back of the plane.

 

 "Wait." He called out, making them quirk an eyebrow. "He's my father I just ... Want to say goodbye."

 

"We have orders to store him."

 

"Please. Just a few minutes is all I ask." He then turned back to Adam with watering eyes. "Adam ... Please."

 

"It's a waste of time." Adam said coldly before letting out a heavy sigh, "Fine... Guards, let him say goodbye. You have five minutes." Adam ordered, his tone cold but his energy sympathetic. 

 

He moved to get settled in the same room as Dick letting Joey have his time. He knew he wouldn't have a moment alone with Joseph for a while but that didn't mean he didn't want to try and set that time aside before Alea got back. He knew it would be a busy night getting Dick processed and Slade.... Situated. 

 

Joseph approached his father's body and touched his neck. No pulse. He then put his hand as close to his father's head as he could without touching the head wound. He was looking for any sign of life, brain activity ... Anything. Joey shut his eyes and concentrated the best he could, his eyes squeezed hard.

 

Nothing. There was  _ nothing _ . His father was dead.

 

There was no meta ability to bring him back this time. No magic tricks they could do. His body would be brought back to the High Court and they would test on him until there was nothing left. Not even enough for them to bury him.

 

Joseph fell to his knees, one hand still holding the edge of the gurney the other covering his mouth. Tears were pouring, he sobbed alone, shaking. "Dad I'm sorry ... I'm so sorry." 

 

Joey's communicator spoke for him even though he wished it stayed in his own mind. "I shouldn't have ran off ... I lost my last few months with you and ... I can't-" He hiccuped through another sob. "I can't tell Rose. Dad, I can't she can't handle this... I can't handle this." He knew he was getting over his time limit but he didn't care. They would have to drag him out of here.

 

"Dad ... I love you. I love you so much and I wish ... I wish I had said that before you..." Joey paused, "I forgive you. For everything ... If I could say anything to you one last time I'd let you know that."

 

Adam asked the guards to give Joey a few extra minutes before they finally got up to take Slade away from him and left him in the jet aisle. Adam got up and knelt down beside Joey but he didn't touch him. 

 

"We... Don't have a lot of time but... If you can hold on for me just a little longer.. I can't help you here, I know this is incredibly painful for you." Slowly Adam reached and placed a hand on Joey's shoulder, squeezing it firmly. "The processing center is in Gotham, I can have you escorted to my home while I finish up with Dick and your father." 

 

Joey just nodded and stood up from the ground. He couldn't compromise Adam and his position. Adam was right, he needed to hold out a little longer. Joey wiped his eyes and steeled himself the best he could. He went to take a seat by Dick who he wanted to keep sleeping.

 

He focused on keeping Dick calm. Joey placed a hand in Dick's hair and laid down next to him. He fished through his mind and found some beautiful memories of Dick as Robin swinging through Gotham city with Batman. He was laughing, excited, happy. Joey only wished it could last.

 

Adam looked up at Alea stepped onto the jet, shedding her dress as she barked orders to the pilot. Adam couldn't help but to study the marks on her skin before he stood.

 

 "Drake informed me that Grayson is one of the five he wishes for you not to harm."

 

"Very well then, you know how to get him situated."

 

Adam nodded in response and like that, Alea was off to shower. 

  
  


It wasn't a long ride back to the facility where Adam had got Dick bathed and changed into a white T-shirt and boxers and settled into a white room with a cot. The poor thing was going to be so shaken up when he woke up... Alone. Adam sighed and let him be, watching as Alea headed down to the area Slade was taken. She personally handled stripping and searching him, her hands going still as she pulled out a photo from his pocket. An ultrasound...

  
  
  
  


Adam drove Joey back to his lake house and walked him to the door, the moment they were inside Adam's body language changed and he wrapped his arms around the other holding him silently for a moment. After kicking off his own shoes he picked Joey up and carried him into the bedroom where he helped strip him of his clothing. He folded and stored it away before taking the shoes back to the living room. Once all was complete he returned with tea, wine, and chocolate before crawling into the bed beside Joey.

 

 "Come here, love." His tone was soft as he pulled Joey close to his own body.

 

Adam's hug released something in him. He'd been trying so hard to be strong because he knew he had to be. He couldn't cry in front of Alea, couldn't let her see him sweat. Even after Joey sunk into that same facade because, frankly, he was afraid of dealing with the reality of what had happened. 

 

Joey hugged Adam back, his arms tightening around Adam and refused to let go. He needed this, needed someone to care and let him express his feelings. Bottling them up could be dangerous.

 

Joey allowed his head to rest against Adam's chest. It didn't take long for him to start crying again. 

 

"I'm sorry." Joey said, apologizing for his own emotions apparently. "I can't believe he's gone." Another hiccup left Joey, it would be cute if the situation wasn't so tragic. "There's so much left unsaid ... So much ... I wish I could tell him ... Adam ..." Joey stopped talking as his crying took over him again.

 

Adams grip tightened around the other as he began running his hand up and down his back, a gentle sigh passing his lips before he kissed the top of Joey's head.

 

 "I know... And despite everything your father knew you loved him." He didn't shift to look at Joey's face, instead he focused on giving the other the physical support he thought he needed. "When I spoke to him he expressed how concerned he was for your safety... Even when you insisted we have Thanksgiving dinner with him. He pulled me aside to make sure you were being treating well."

 

Adam chuckled softly at the thought, "I know you have regrets but... He loved you... Through all your flaws... All your fights... He loved you and knew that you were turning into the young man he wanted you to become. Even if you drove him a little crazy along the way."

 

Joey let out a strangle huff of a laugh through tears. "I did drive him crazy." 

 

Certainly. Grant wanted to be just like Dad. And Rose, while rebellious, was always Daddy's little girl. Joey had a different relationship with his father that was so complicated because of years of traumatic events and fights. 

 

"Did I ever tell you how I got this?" He said, backing up just enough so Adam could see him gesturing at his throat. 

 

"Some man hired by a foriegn government was looking for my father. They broke into our house to find him and ... I was the only one home. My Mother and Father came to rescue me, but my Dad couldn't shoot the man holding me hostage fast enough and he started to slit my throat." He put a hand over the scar. "I remember my Dad dropping down beside me, trying to do CPR. My Mom stood behind him and they argued about whose fault it was, it escalated and the next thing I knew I heard a gunshot and everything went dark. I thought I died. I was  _ sure _ I died." Joey shook his head. 

 

"My Dad lost his eye that day, my mother divorced him, made me hate him. She told me it was all his fault, that he let those people hurt me and for the longest time I believed her." Joey shook his head. 

 

"I said horrible things to him. I told him I hated him, that I wish he'd died that day. I blamed him for Grant's death and everything else I could think of. I started dating one of his old friends just to piss him off. I wanted him to suffer and then ... Rose told me what actually happened. That he was saving her that day from the same people, that my mother was supposed to be with me and she wasn't. That my father warned her and she didn't listen. Worst being if she hadn't shot him while he was performing CPR on me, that maybe I wouldn't have lost my voice." 

 

Joey flipped over pressing his palms into his eyes. "I never told him I forgave him. I never took back the things I said. He died blaming himself for what happened to me and it ... Adam, it isn't fair."

 

Adam let out a soft exhale. "I think.... Even if your father blamed himself for what happened... That he knows you forgave him."

 

"I could see it... Between the two of you there was nothing but love and respect. There wasn't any resentment. And sure... Maybe hearing you say you forgave him would've meant the world to him but your father is a man of action and you have demonstrated that you loved him." 

 

Adam  pushed Joey's hair from his eyes and soon wiped some of his tears. "You're going to hurt for a while ... I can't make you feel better or make it go away but what I can tell you is that... You have nothing to regret. You had a relationship with your father that some people couldn't even dream of. Especially because of the dark history... You being able to recover from that proves that your bond was powerful, that your love was resilient. It's easy to love someone who doesn't challenge you, but it's pure to love someone who you at one time thought you hated."

 

"Yeah." Joey cried for a moment or so more, but overall began to relax. 

 

Finally his eyes opened and he looked at Adam for a brief moment. Joey took in Adam's green eyes, the empathy in them. His heart panged. 

 

He closed the small space between them and kissed Adam. It wasn't sexual or quick, it was just comfortable, deep. When Joey pulled his lips away he lingered close, "Stay with me ... Please."

 

 He nodded and gave a soft exhale, "I'm all yours.... Alea wants me to go to Dubai to handle some business... I want you to join me. There will be a lot of work from home and I'll make sure I give you a lot of time." Even if that meant that he had to wait for Joey to sleep before working. 

 

"We wouldn't have to leave until tomorrow and you don't have to think about it tonight." He pulled Joey close to himself, fingers running up his spine.

 

Joey smiled a little, "You spoil me Dr. Foster." The thought of spending time with Adam was nice.

 

It helped calm him down and there was just something amazing about how he always knew what to say. Some would argue it was a dangerous trait ... It made Joey swoon. 

 

"I hope you're putting us up somewhere nice." Joey teased, trying to put himself in a good mood too. Joey was hurting, but he didn't want to prolong his own suffering. "I want to properly say thank you tomorrow night ... If you'll have me."

 

"Of course... Just don't push yourself. The grieving process isn't one to rush or discount. I know you don't want to feel the pain but you shouldn't avoid it." Adam softly kissed Joey's lips before he turned half way to shut off the light, "You should get some sleep... I'm here. If you need to cry then do so but just try and get rest."


	34. Nächtliche reise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to say! The previous chapter takes place around the start of January! 3 months after the chapter before that.

Nothing about the few hours after the gala had been easy. The guests and staff were in absolute disarray after the event. Tim and Mercy worked to get the hall cleared, and planned out what needed to be done. Unsurprisingly, no one was taking Tim seriously at first, but with time and Mercy at his back they got everything done.

 

Before they could leave though ... They had to figure out what to do with Luthor's body. Mercy knew his wishes, so they wrapped him in white linen and placed him in the jet to be flown back to Metropolis. He would be cremated. 

 

Now, it was just Tim and Connor in a private suit inside the manor that had been used for the event. Tim had decided that they all should just spend the night. Ben needed rest without being moved and the rest of them just needed time to decompress from the nights events. 

 

Tim came out of the bathroom after a shower, with boxers and his undershirt on. He moved over to where Connor was and put a hand on his thigh, leaning into his side. 

 

"Are you okay?"

 

Kon was so transfixed on the floor he barely noticed Tim until he touched his thigh, making him flinch before he looked at the other.

 

 "I.... Don't know..." He admit honestly before looking away again. 

 

"Luthor was never a good father to me but... We grew close... He was.... There and he was supportive even though Clark was gone... I.... I should've come faster, I could've stopped her."

 

 Tears began flowing from Connors eyes, "I was taking my time to defy him... I... I didn't think he'd die." 

 

Connor didn't know how to process these feelings and it didn't take long for him to hit the lamp beside the couch before burying his face in his hands.

 

Tim jumped a little, but just watched Connor, letting him get settled. Tim got up and moved in front of Connor, pulling him in and hugging him, putting a hand on the back of his head.

 

 "I don't know if anyone could have stopped her ... I ... Connor, you never would have let this happen if you knew better, but there was no way to predict any of this. Even I didn't see it coming." 

 

Tim moved back a little so he could put his hands on either side of Connor's face. "It's easy to blame ourselves when things like this happen, but this wasn't your fault Connor."

 

Silence filled the space between them as Connor seemed to drift into thought. Tim was right, they couldn't have predicted this and even if he could've he knows that Alea would've killed him.... She almost did. He reached up and took Tim's hand, softly squeezing it before pulling it from his face and sighing.

 

"Tell me you have a plan... Please.... I.. I can't go on letting Alea continue terrorizing people. Letting The Court torment people... Tim, I'm going to kill all of them if we don't take them down."

 

 "I don't plan on going anywhere, especially not before I take down the Court. I want to make them suffer as much as you do and we will make them suffer." 

 

For Steph, for all the innocents and heroes murdered, tested on, abused. Tim planned on doing whatever it would take to achieve the goal of ripping the Court apart at the seams. 

 

"Right now, I need you by my side like you've always been. Keep us safe, be my eyes and ears." Tim planned on taking a page out of Bruce's book and keep the sensitive details to himself. 

 

He didn't need to put Connor in the position of having to give up information about Tim if it came down to that. Things were bound to get dangerous before they improved. Tim leaned forward and kissed Connor on the forehead letting his lips settle there a little longer, speaking softly against the skin. 

 

 "I... Appreciate you. I don't know what I'd do without you, Tim." And that was true, right now Connor felt like he had no one in his life. 

 

Dick was gone, Clark was dead, he didn't even know where Lois and ma were. Tim was all he had. All he had to keep himself from losing it. 

 

He placed a hand on Tim's cheek before pulling him in for a tender and deep kiss.  Tim felt butterflies in his stomach. He didn't think he'd ever get over his crush on Superboy ... Even if they were dating.

 

"I love you." He whispered before pressing his forehead to Tim's for a moment. 

 

"I love you too." Tim whispered back. 

 

They'd need more time together later. It had been a while since they saw each other and even if this was the shittest of circumstances he wanted to be with the other. 

 

"I need to talk to Ben ..." Tim had been avoiding this conversation all night, but, the man deserved to know what happened to his friend.

 

"Go have a shower, it'll give us some privacy."

 

Connor nodded before he got up and walked off to the shower.

 

Tim crossed the small space between the main room and the living room through a pair of french doors. He came to sit by Ben on a love seat right next to the chair the older man had taken over. 

 

Benjamin was gazing off, his glass empty in his hand as he stared down into it. He was lost in thought but as to what one could not tell.

 

"I'm not great at biomechanics, but I'll talk to Roy about getting you something to replace what you lost." Tim offered, looking at the injury. "We could make it gold tiger print ... Would be pretty badass." Tim smiled for a minute, but it didn't reach his eyes, nor did it stay for long.

 

Benjamin actually let out a small snort, amusement filling his eyes as he looked down at his stump, "Perhaps it'll strike fear into my enemies."

 

 Such an item would give him a reputation that surpassed him. He wasn't sure if the thought was appealing or not. Could he live with a fake hand? How would it affect intimate affairs? Or his personal life? Would his wound ache like this forever or perhaps only when it is to rain? 

 

"Ben ... I need to tell you something." Tim started, looking down at the floor. "I need you to remain calm though."

 

 Ben just felt a pit in his stomach over what that might be. "I'll do my best... I don't know if I have the energy to get riled up." He set his glass down and shifted to face Tim, giving him his full attention.

 

"After Alea cut your hand off there was a lot of chaos ... Slade saw what happened and rushed in." Tim let out a sigh. "Dick tried to stop him, they ended up getting in a fight. While Slade was distracted ..." Tim took a deep breath. "Alea shot Slade." Tim waited a little before continuing. "Ben ... Slade is dead."

 

Benjamin fell silent, his blood running cold. Slade didn't have his powers, there was no way in hell he could survive getting shot. Suddenly he felt sick, like throwing up but there wasn't anything but alcohol in his stomach. His hand raised to his mouth, the side of it pressing against it as he held the fluid back.

 

"Alea killed Slade." He repeated before his fist began shaking. He slammed it down on the side table before standing up with a growl, "I'm going for a walk. When I get back I want to touch base about your plans revolving The Court."

 

"Ben you really should rest." Tim tried, standing up to follow him. "With your blood loss I don't want anything bad to happen to you." 

 

Blame it on that, not the assumption that Ben might be looking to pick a fight. He wanted to trust him more than that, knew he probably could, but couldn't take the chance. 

 

"I'll go with him." A female's voice called, Mercy rounding the corner in a nightgown and bathrobe. "I need to clear my head as well." 

 

Mercy walked out the door and left it open long enough to allow Ben through. Tim didn't even have time to make another excuse because there wasn't one. Tim would just have to hope they monitor each other.

 

Once they left the room Tim sighed, "That went well." He said to the empty room, sarcasm thick on his tongue. 

 

He moved back to the bed and flopped down on top of it. "How are you doing Kon?" Tim asked from the bed, knowing Connor would be able to hear him over the water.

 

Connor was silent for a moment upon first hearing Tim's question before he sighed and shut off the water, stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist. 

 

"I wanna crawl in the deepest darkest cave and forget I exist." He replied honestly before plopping down beside Tim. He shifted so he could hold the other, his body still wet.

 

"How did your talk with Ben go? It must've been something really important."

 

 Though what wasn't important these days? It seemed that the pleasure of pointless, mundane conversations were none existent. Life revolved around the court, around tragedy. It was heartbreaking. 

 

"About as well as it could have. His best friend died ... I know personally that isn't easy to handle." Tim remembered losing Connor with absolute clarity. 

 

It was the worst feeling knowing he'd never see him again. He'd done everything he could to bring him back ... He was lucky to have him here now. 

 

Then there was Steph and ... God he hadn't gotten over that. Probably never would. He had hoped after all this they'd see each other again but ...

 

"I wanna go destroy some stuff."

 

"Me too." Tim replied, closing his eyes for a moment before sitting up on the bed. "We could have sex." It was to the point, but Tim was like that at times. "I mean, I'd rather you not break me, but ... I think I'm ready for you to try being on top." Tim flushed a little. "And you don't have to be gentle."

 

Connor chuckled softly at Tim before letting his fingers run up and down his back, "I don't think I can right now....." He exhaled and pulled his hand back before letting it rest on his stomach as he turned onto his back to look at the ceiling. 

 

Tim wasn't at all insulted by the refusal, in fact he understood. 

 

"I never thought I'd be hurt by Luthor's death .. He was almost worst than Clark but... Seeing her there, holding his severed head? It almost hurt as bad as losing you." He sighed and closed his eyes.

 

"I think I just need to get away for a while... Pretend no one else exists .. Not that I want to be away from you but... I might need to be alone until I can stop being so angry." He said with a soft sigh.

 

"I plan on bringing you and Koda back to Nanda Parbat with me. There is a lot of wilderness there, mountains ... It'll be a good place to be alone." Tim laid back down and turned towards Connor, rubbing his hand along the other's chest and abs. 

 

Connor relaxed under Tim's touch, his body easing under the other as his arm wrapped around Tim. "The mountains sound perfect." He said as he nuzzled into the others hair, eyes closing as he breathed in the others sweet scent.

 

"Is it okay if I touch you?"

 

 "Touch as in cuddle? Cuz I'm perfectly fine holding you." He smiled softly, he always had been he just had to hide it when he thought Tim wasn't interested. 

 

How he remembered those days, days where he went crazy seeing Tim curled up in one of his Superboy shirts. Now that was a treat he could experience whenever he wanted.

 

"Some people don't like to be touched when they are upset." Tim explained. He knew a few of them, Jason, Bruce ... Sometimes even himself. Connor was different though, he was always different.

 

Tim moved closer to Connor's side. "I can hold you too. I may be smaller but ... It's okay for you to be vulnerable too." 

 

He recognized that Connor had odd ideas about how to act inside of relationships. It was very much a 'macho' kind of mentality. It wasn't a reflection of his morals, just the result of TV and media raising an already teenage boy.

 

"It's normal for you to be upset about losing Luthor." Tim began back on the subject, knowing it was something they needed to work through. "He's done some horrible things, but it was easy to tell he genuinely cared about you. He always called you his son ... And he let you make your own choices. He ... Tried."

 

"I know.... Mostly know... It's not wrong to grieve and miss Luthor. I just wish I didn't. It hurts." He fell silent as he began dwelling on the feeling, water pooling in his eyes. Finally he let go and just began crying into Tim's chest, "It hurts so much." He growled out.

 

Tim just held him tighter, "It's going to hurt for a while, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it isn't." Tim began rubbing Connor's back. "I still miss my parents. Sometimes you forget for a while then you remember again and you feel the hurt all over again."

 

 This wasn't uplifting at all or reassuring, Tim wasn't very good at this. Dick would probably be better suited for this. Tim needed to try though, this was his  _ boyfriend _ and he needed to be there for him. 

 

"But ... The hurt is a reminder of how much they meant to you. I wanted to forget them for a while, just to make the pain go away, but down the road you'll cherish all those memories you have with him. You'll look back at them and wish for more time, but you'll also be glad you had any time at all."

 

Connor not only heard Tim's words, but he felt them deep within. His grief was a sign of love, regardless of whether or not Luthor deserved it. There was something that was meaningful between them and while people may not have understood Connor did... Tim did... That's what mattered. He nodded against Tim's chest, the sobbing ceasing but the tears freely flowing. 

 

After some time he had completely stilled as he drifted to sleep against Tim's chest, ears focused on the beating of his heart. It was always a soothing lullaby to the clone, now more than ever. He loved Tim, knew he was going to be with him for the rest of his life... 

 

Tim was glad that Connor was able to express his grief with him. This was a safe space between them where things could be said freely, where emotions didn't get put on the backburner to boil over. The relationship they had was so different from any one Tim had before. 

 

Being with Connor calmed his constantly racing mind, eased his anxieties. In fact, he felt relaxed even now. By the time Connor's breathing evened out and the other fell asleep Tim couldn't hold his eyes open. He always slept best with Connor around. 

 

He dreamed of Connor and himself going on a mission with the Titans. Laughing, joking, even kissing in front of his friends.

 

... If only it was real.


	35. A Great Day For Freedom

Jason and Roy found the hideout. Or rather Roy found the hideout and Jason followed ... With the dog. Now, at first it might seem really weird that Jason brought what was now a  _ massive _ fluff with him. However, two men walking through the forest with their dog was a lot more unassuming than them sneaking around alone. They had no idea how far the High Court might be doing patrols around the building. They needed to be cautious.

 

Well that and the dog just needed time away from the kids. Lian had been practicing her braiding on the poor thing, BZ liked to carry it around like a stuffed animal despite it's large size and thought jelly beans were a good meal choice for the growing pup.

 

Once they scouted the area they set up observation decks in the trees. Again, Jason watched Roy do most of it while he watched with the dog. 

 

The next five days they took turns observing the patterns of operations. Shift changes, which guards were metas, humans, or high court officials. 

 

It was all the time they needed to plan an attack. There was only two of them and

 while combined they had enough weapons to stock an army, they certainly weren't one. Jason had a lot of bravado, but not that much. 

 

It was hard knowing there could be kids suffering inside and waiting meant prolonging it. But, everyone needed to make it out alive. That's what Jason needed to keep telling himself.

 

Then Jason saw a kids body come through the doors this morning. Today was the day. No one else's kids were going to die.

 

"I think our best bet is to go in right after the shift change at midnight. There is only one meta on that shift."

 

Jason and Roy were perched up in a tall tree where their vantage point was the best, the building only about a quarter mile away. Jason had his helmet hanging from the tree and was looking through a set of high powered binoculars while Roy's tiny drone scouted ahead.

 

 "Has the golden snitch picked up anything interesting?" Jason kept calling it that even if it wasn't its official title. It was just so small and cute.

 

Roy was wearing goggles that displayed the camera feed from his drone, his attention more focused than usual as he listened to his partner. 

 

"They're filling up a convoy in the back, it looks like a bunch of soliders and more low life bandits.... I don't know if they're going to get more kids or do High Court business. I'm translating now." 

 

Roy hit a few buttons on his remote activating what looked like subtitles based off of the mouth movement of the guards.

 

"Alea called you to her counsel, I don't know why she would bother."

 

"Perhaps you jealous we do our job..." 

 

The last bit wasn't caught as the man turned his head away from the drone. Roy steered the drone back to him and Jason, catching it before pulling off his goggles. 

 

"If those men are still gone when we infiltrate, this will be a breeze." He glanced at his watch, they had a few hours to kill. "It might get messy.... We get the kids to the truck and you drive them away.... Even if I have to stay behind."

 

Jason stayed quiet for a moment and then shook his head, "No one is getting left behind, Roy."

 

 They had learned that lesson when Slade and Dick had popped up for their unexpected visit all those months ago. Roy leaving with Lian, splitting the family up, it felt wrong. They all needed each other. Lian needed her fathers to be there for her, Bizarro needed comfort and support. Roy and Jason needed each other just as much. Roy helped Jason keep control of his temper and pit madness, Jason helped Roy stay sober and focused. 

 

"I have a crazy idea," Jason said suddenly clipping his binoculars back onto his belt. "What if we brought Alexi with us?" Yes, the veteran bartender. "I know he's old, but he's been through some shit and is a tough bastard. He could help make sure the kids get into the van and drive them back to the village. At least then we can make sure the kids get out safe and then focus on  _ both _ of us getting out alive." Jason looked over to Roy, "We have a family that we need to get back to. We have our own kid that needs us."

 

"I don't know Jay... Alexi could get killed, he's a civilian." 

 

Dick would've never allowed such a thing as the leader of the Titans, but the outlaws did do things differently. Like the time Jason's pilot girlfriend got abducted with them on an alien ship.... Granted she did good but later died because of the Joker, not their adventure.

 

 Roy sighed and nodded, "But we do need someone to keep the kids  safe while we fight the bad guys." If they split up then one of them could die and the kids could get hurt. 

 

"Okay, hear me out.... We send Mutt-" Roy's adopted name for the dog, "To the front door. The guard will be confused and distracted, I'll take him out with an arrow while you and Alexi slip in. Once inside I'll find the control room and break into their security systems, keep the remaining guards focused on the wrong place. You and Alexi will get to the kids and while he makes his way out, you guard him and I'll meet up with you guys." 

 

Roy reached in a pouch he was carrying before holding out a handful of the small spider drones that were hidden inside the bracelet he gave Dick .. The one Dick took off after getting with Slade because it was 'an invasion of privacy'.

 

 "I'll use these to keep our path covered, any court guard that crosses them will explode." Roy's been dying to use these things.

 

"I know how much you love a good explosion." Jason did too in a way but ... Getting blown up kind of took the pure joy out of it.

 

"Let's split up. I'll head into town and grab Alexi, let him know the plan."

 

Jason didn't think they'd have any issues convincing the man to help. He wanted this fuckers caught and skinned for what they did to his town.

 

 "You go back to the cave, pick up Mutt and ... Make sure Lian did her homework. She's skipped two days now." Jason Todd, badass first, nagging Mom second. 

 

"We meet back here twenty minutes before mission launch ... Got all that?"

 

"Aye aye cap-ee-tan." Roy salute before making his way down the tree. 

  
  
  


Roy was sure to meet back with Jason however it took him longer than twenty minutes, in fact it took him closer to two hours but never the less he finally arrived. He confirmed the plan with the two and turned his attention to the door watching as the guards rotated. He gave the command to make Mutt charge forward and oh she did, but it wasn't in a menacing and predatory way. Oh no. Mutt charged full speed towards the guard, frolicking through the snow with her fluff bouncing with her body, tail wagging violently. The guard aimed his gun at the dog who all but face planted into the snow just in front of the guard who seemed to hesitate before an arrow flew into his chest. With a grunt he looked down at it before a beep could be heard. Within seconds his abdomen exploded and Roy rushed forward.

 

"Mutt, come." He ordered, darting inside of the building. Roy turned a corner, dropped to the ground sliding as he shot an arrow into a passing court guard before he got up and disappeared down another hall. He found a map on the wall and followed it to the control room. He picked the lock and snuck inside where two guards sat. 

 

<OH, I thought this was the bathroom.> He smiled sheepishly as they stood, one reaching to grab him.

 

 Roy then opened his pouch releasing the spider drones onto the guards. 

 

The guard pulled his hand back and tried to shake the insectoid robots off as Roy quickly shifted into the Hall before both guards were violently electrocuted and dropped to the ground.

 

 "Guard the door." Roy ordered the dog before going in and shutting the door. "What's your position, Prancer?" Roy radioed in as he searched the cams for Jason's presence.

  
  
  


Jason and Alexi rounded towards the back and took out the two guards taking a smoke break. Jason stole the pack of cigarettes on each of them.

 

Once they were in the hallway things got intense. Gunfire started immediately. Two bullets hit Jason, one in the chest and the other bouncing off his helmet. He was fine though. He pulled Alexi to cover in the bathroom and began firing shots to push the guards back while taking out one of them.

 

"We are taking on gunfire ... Fucking stormtroopers." Jason muttered. 

 

"Already? Wow babe, we've talked about this. You need to decrease your lead intake." Roy taunted.  

 

"Give me a goddamn gun, boy." Alexi said nudging into Jason.

 

"You know how to use it?"

 

"Don't be stupid."

 

Jason shrugged his shoulders and handed over a semi automatic. He didn't expect Alexi to do much with it, but suddenly he was taking down the other three guards without a single hesitation.

 

"Wow old man, I didn't think you'd show me up." Jason said as he moved out of the hiding spot and behind Alexi who had a big smile on his face.

 

"Try to keep up, boy." 

 

They headed towards the stairs so they could move down to where the children were being kept. Jason saw someone coming up the stairs and pulled back to let them pass. He wasn't expecting to see a familiar face. He was shocked in fact.

 

"Fuck." Jason whispered. Alexi raised an eyebrow. "It's fucking Oliver." That probably meant nothing to Alexi, but to Roy ... Fuck,  _ fuck _ .

 

This was the equivalent of goddamn Bruce walking by. The worst part? He had a collar and this dead look in his eyes. Jason knew something was up immediately and thought back to the devices implanted into Damian. What if they had used the same tech on Oliver?

 

"We need to hurry." Alexi said, focusing Jason's attention back on the task at hand. 

 

"Babe, get out of the building." Jason said without explaining. "We will meet you outside."

 

It was too late, Roy already saw Oliver on the stairs. His chest ached and he felt anger rise up from deep within. 

 

"We're here together... I'll handle this." 

 

He sent details to the other guards alerting them to intruders entering towards the side of the building where they had a hatch to discard waste. 

 

"Hold your position." Roy radioed as a rush of guards ran up the stairs. 

 

The message Ollie got was to send him towards the control room. 

  
  


"Arsenal- god damn it!" Jason growled out. He couldn't go racing after Roy when these kids still needed get out of here. He was between a rock and a hard place. 

 

"We need to hurry." Jason said to Alexi who nodded as they headed down the stairs. Kids first.

  
  


Oliver moved up the stairs and towards the control room. He stopped short of it, aimed an arrow and blew the door clear off its hinges with the explosive tip. He then approached with bow drawn in the same form as Roy would hold his own. It only made sense, he was his mentor after all. 

 

There was a shift to Oliver's features when he saw Roy, it looked like surprise. "... Roy?" He said before a pained look came over his face. 

 

The blank slate of a man came back, raising an arrow and aiming it for the center of Roy's chest.

 

 "Oliver this isn't you." He spoke, moving to get into the hallway where there would be more space before he swung at Oliver with his bow, keeping to close range so Oliver didn't have much wiggle room. 

 

Oliver reached up and blocked the bow with his forearm and went to sweep Roy's legs out from underneath him. "If you don't leave, I'll kill you." The words were flat, matter of fact, more so a warning than a threat. 

  
  


Downstairs there were thick voices speaking Belarussian. It would appear some guards still surrounded the room the children were in.

 

Jason saw the group and began strategizing in his head the best way to do this. He didn't want to get into a firefight with kids around. He didn't know if the doors would shield them well enough. 

 

Jason looked down to his jacket and remembered the new toy Roy had given him. He clicked a button on the small round device and rolled it out into the hallway. Suddenly electricity sprung from it, latching onto the metal of the guards guns and shocking them until they passed out. Good clean work.

 

"Alright, lets get these kids." Jason said, moving over the top of the guards and kicking one moaner in the head to finish him off.

 

Once Jason opened the door the sound of kids screaming was heard. There was at least a dozen children from babies to preteens all in cages around the room. It was a horrifying sight. 

 

"Fuck there has got to be keys." Then Jason saw the fingerprint scanners. 

 

Alexi, who was two steps ahead of Jason, came back with a single cut off thumb and used it on the first cage door which slipped open with a green light and click. 

 

"You focus on getting all these kids out, I'm going to make sure your route to the van is clear. Once you get them inside the van you leave. Don't wait for us. Got it?"

 

Alexi didn't seem pleased by the plan, but he nodded in agreement before watching Jason head back up the stairs.

  
  
  


Roy grunted as he hit the ground but was quick to roll back onto his feet, "I'm not leaving without you." He stated firmly, "Just stay still." He ordered before firing an electric arrow, maybe he could fry the tech that was implanted inside of Oliver, he had to get the man back. He hated him in so many ways but Oliver was and always would be like a father to him. 

 

Oliver took the arrow to his shoulder, he was electrocuted, but his body barely reacted. The pain was in his eyes, but it wasn't reaching the rest of him. He somehow managed to pull the thing out, throwing it on the floor and drawing his own bow again. He fired one shot at Roy, aiming for his gut. It was a diversion tactic though. After the arrow was shot Ollie moved forward and head butted Roy hard before punching him in the abdomen.

 

Roy was almost caught up in Oliver's nearly non-existent reaction to the electrocution. He heard about the way Damian interacted with the implant, somewhat saw a clippet of it however he never thought that it would be this.... Powerful. Roy almost missed his chance to react to the arrow flying at his stomach and was just barely able to deflect it with his bow. Before he knew it, Oliver's head smashed into his own and he felt a hard punch to his stomach. 

 

Roy groaned and stumbled back, losing his footing as he fell to the ground. 'So this is how it ends. I was hoping it'd be a hot redhead, not my mentor.' Roy thought to himself, his humor being the only thing he had to hang onto as he readied his bow and fired. He wasn't going down without a fight, for once? He didn't completely feel like dying.

 

He heard a couple of his spider bombs go off down the hall, his teeth grinding against one another as he used his coms. 

 

"Babe, I don't know your stats, but I believe reinforcements are en route." Hopefully they weren't but Roy couldn't see the security feed at the moment. 

  
  


Ollie moved over Roy grabbing his throat and squeezing hard. "I told you to leave." 

 

The man's voice shook as if he was trying to fight against it, as if he knew what he was about to do to his sidekick ... Someone he considered to be like a son to him. 

 

"Roy I-" 

 

He squeezed down harder before the sound of a gun going off in the hall sounded. Blood spurted from the side of Oliver's shoulder. His grip loosened on Roy's throat as he turned to see the assailant.

 

Jason Todd's foot hit the side of Ollie's head  _ hard _ knocking him off and away from Roy. Jason reached down and grabbed Roy by the front of his uniform to yank him up off the floor.

 

 "I told you to leave! You can't just do your own plan, Arsenal!"

 

 Jason's helmet was missing. He had several cuts on his face and his jacket had bullet holes in it. He'd fought like hell to get here to help Roy. Jason  _ knew _ Roy wouldn't leave Oliver here. 

 

"We need to go, now."

 

/Kids are packed up. Get you and your husbands ass out here./ 

 

"Go without us, just get the kids out of here."

 

There was a hesitation on the mic, / ... Roger./

 

Roy shook his head, "We are  _ not _ leaving him." He practically growled out, shoving Jason back. 

 

His relationship with Oliver may have been Rocky, hell he may have even claimed to hate the man but Oliver was  _ family _ . Aside from Jason and Lian, the only one Roy had. 

 

Arsenal heard the explosion of the nearby drones but he ignored it, opting to try and approach Oliver. They could take him, disable the tech,  _ save him _ .. If the situation wasn't so dire he would've laughed at himself for sounding so much like Dick. 

 

Roy had just barely knelt down when he felt a sharp wave of electricity wash over him, all starting at his shoulder. He jolted violently and struggled to remove the device, his vision blurring as he looked down the hall where several high court guards were approaching. 

 

They were covered in blood, from where Roy didn't know... That was until he remembered the dog... That damn dog. He couldn't stop himself from passing out, the sound of another electrical device being fired at Jason being the last thing he heard as the crew closed in around them.

 

"Roy!" Jason yelled, completely losing his clear mind the moment his lover was hit. Things quickly went green. 

 

Jason remembered things in flashes. There was gun fire, his own, three dead bodies. This pain searing through his spine, a scream he wasn't sure if it was his own or someone else's. He then felt his body being thrown onto a cold metal surface. The back of some van. 

 

Roy was thrown next to him, "B...Babe." Jason squeezed out trying to reach out to him but felt his arms secured behind him. He felt another shock before he could even move to undo his bonds.


	36. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some warnings! Lots of torture and rough scenes!

Two weeks later, February 14th

 

Dick's head was pounding, ears ringing. With the way Adam had gotten him situated in a warm room with a T-shirt and underwear he didn't think he'd have to experience the physical pain like he did the first time. But here he lied, naked, cold and bloodied. Alea was pushing for information, demanding to know where Rose was. She showed Dick the photo of the ultrasound she had gotten off of Slade's body. She knew that they had Rose. Dick wondered if she locked Joey up too. 

 

A sharp heel pressed into his back, his teeth bared as he shut his eyes. 

 

"How long are we going to keep this up? I know you and Wilson were working against me. I know you know where Rose is. Do I have to kill you too?"

 

"It sure as hell would save us both time." Dick hissed out.

 

Things hadn't been the same since Slade's death, he was still grieving. He didn't have much fight left in him and quiet frankly? The beatings made it easier to avoid the emotional pain. Alea removed her foot from Dick's back and he braced himself but instead of being kicked he was pulled up roughly. Two guards then took Dick from Alea's grasp, forcing his arms behind his back as they dragged him out of the room and into another one. 

 

The room they entered had two chairs, one facing away from him with someone seated in it, and the other straight across facing that one. It took Dick a minute but once he came to focus, he instantly recognized the face of the person in the chair… 

 

Slade.

 

Dick tried yanking himself from the guards grasp, he felt his bones and tendons Creek under the pressure. Next he was forced into the chair and strapped down. 

 

"Slade.." He couldn't stop the tears that began flowing as he struggled to free himself.

 

Slade was stripped of his clothing and surrounded by blood. How long has he been here? How long has he been  _ alive _ ?

 

There wasn't room for conversation, Alea stepped in and drove a knife straight into Dick's hand, twisting it before letting go. The guards brought a steel stand over beside her, a tray sitting atop being lined with bloodied torture devices. She grabbed a drill and pressed it to Dick's shoulder while looking Slade in the eye, the good one that is. She had fun trying to further mutilate the missing one.

 

"Let's start over… Slade Joseph Wilson, Deathstroke. You have betrayed The Court and have taken what is mine. If you don't tell me where Rose and the baby is, I will destroy everything that is yours."

 

She gave the drill a squeeze, breaking Dick's flesh to emphasize the point. Dick winced but choked trying to hold it back.

 

"Don't tell her a damn thing." Dicks voice held more determination than it had in weeks. 

 

Slade's teeth were obviously  grinding as he watched, but he kept his mouth shut. He tried to jerk up from the chair he was tied to, a large enforcer came forward and held him down by the shoulders. The restraints were plenty to hold him, but it seemed Slade gave them a reason to be over cautious.

 

"Kid ... I'm sorry."

 

 Slade let out, sounding tired, on edge. Probably healing from his own wounds. Slade's gaze moved up to Alea and turned into a glare.  

 

"I told you I don't remember." Slade tried again, looking back at Dick's shoulder before glancing back at her. "A bullet to the head will do that to a person." He paused and looked up towards the ceiling. "The kid doesn't know where she is. He didn't even know I had her. That much I can remember. You're wasting your time doing this, Alea. We don't know where she is collectively."

 

Alea was silent for a long moment, her eyes piercing Slade as she focused on him before she let out a hum and began drilling into Dick's shoulder. Dick let out a pained scream and clutched the chair tightly, his teeth soon baring down as he closed his eyes tightly. Finally Alea removed the drill and moved it to another part of his arm, a part that would without a doubt drill right into his bone.

 

 "I don't believe you. Rose is your daughter. You've killed for less. I think you know exactly where she is."

 

This time, Alea didn't hesitate, she began drilling right into Dick's arm. It didn't take long for the sound of the drill piercing Dick's bone to fill the air. Dick screamed out and struggled but it was no use. When Alea did stop, she didn't stop for long. In fact, she moved onto the next spot making it clear she wasn't going to stop until Slade talked.

 

"Stop, please he has nothing to do with this." Slade nearly pleaded, jerking forward again hard enough to rock the solid steel chair underneath him. The man behind him tased the back of his neck to subdue him. 

 

Slade couldn't bare to watch, looking down to the side as tears came to his eyes. "Hurting him isn't going to jar my memory, I don't know where she is. I don't remember. There is no point to this."

 

"The point is that I don't believe you." 

 

Alea growled and removed the blood soaked drill, she shot a guard a glance and within seconds the guard was working on patching Dick up.

 

 "I'm no fool." She spoke more calmly to Slade. "But I am running out of patience... You care for this man that you've called a pet.. You played the long game to get under my skin and fly under my radar. It all ends today.... You want to claim you don't remember where your daughter is? That's fine... But your partner will pay the price." She walked out of the room.

 

One of the guards seemed surprised but at the lack of her return took it upon himself to clear the room of anything that could be used as a means of escape before leaving himself.

 

Slowly, Dick looked up, meeting Slades eye. His arm ached.

 

 "You're alive." He croaked out, pain in his voice as he shook his head, "I thought I lost you."

 

Slade looked up at Dick again. His right eye was missing his patch, blood having dried underneath it. He tried his bonds again, he wasn't going anywhere but Dick was right in front of him.

 

"I'm sorry. Dick, I'm so sorry." Slade looked his lover in the eye and showed the regret on his features. "I let this happen to us because I couldn't control my anger. I can deal with my own punishment, kid, but this... You shouldn't have to suffer through this." Slade looked at his arm then back up again. "She's ruthless but just ... Just hang in there. We'll get you out of this somehow I promise."

 

Dick shook his head, "I'm not leaving without you." The words came out without any hesitation or restraint."She would have found out eventually... It was just a matter of time, you and I both know that." He paused having to take deep breaths to steady himself.

 

"What she did to Benji was.... It was unbelievable... I don't blame you for being upset.." He paused and looked away, his stomach turning.

 

 He didn't forget the men Slade managed to kill. The ones Dick was too slow to protect. Maybe he was just getting what he deserved. 

 

"We need to tell her something to buy us time."

 

"We can't lie to her. It'll only make things worse. At least if we can keep her interested and chasing after the answer she'll keep you alive."

 

 Slade looked around them, he wondered if they were listening in or not. Though, the High Court was so confident they rarely did. But they couldn't take the chance by saying anything out loud that could reveal Rose's location. 

 

"Maybe something from when she was kidnapped. We could say she was handed over to someone else ... That I'll remember more when my mind heals more, but that hurting you in the meantime isn't going to help the process."

 

Dick shook his head and let it rest against the back of the chair. God he felt dizzy. His eyes closed as he ran through the options in his head. 

 

"They won't care, Slade. They're going to hurt-" Dick's eyes opened and he stopped talking.

 

 Across from him there was an empty chair. Around it there wasn't a single spec of blood as though no one had even been there to begin with. 

 

Dick felt his chest tighten as he looked around, "Slade? Slade!?" He tried calling out louder before tugging and jerking around in his chair attempting to get free. Maybe... Maybe he just fell asleep and they took Slade away.. He didn't make that up. Slade was  _ alive _ he had to be. Damn it. He had to be. 

 

The doors opened and Alea entered the room with her guards. "Where's Slade?" Dick growled instantly.

 

 Alea paused in her steps, brows furrowing. "His body is being deconstructed for research." 

 

Dick winced, "No... You can't! He didn't know where Rose was! It's not his fault."

 

"...Interesting." Alea hummed before looking towards the one way glass. 

 

Who was on the other side? She continued and walked around Dick before drawing out a knife. 

 

"We're not here to discuss Wilson... I want to know where Rose is."

 

"You can go to hell." Dick snarled.

 

Alea gave a long drawn out sigh before she grabbed Dick's hand and pressed the knife to the top knuckle of his pinky cutting it off. Blood splurt out and Dick's face paled, his eyes going wide as she picked up the tip of his finger. 

 

"I can get in about 28 more of these if you don't start talking." Alea said as she flicked the severed piece of flesh at him. 

 

It took Dick a minute to muster the words but eventually he managed. "Slade... Didn't tell me where she was... Or... Who he was giving her to.. I.. I don't know." 

 

Alea was silent before sighing heavily and standing up. "Jason said that she was with you."

 

"Jason?" Dick winced.

 

 No.. No she was lying. She was trying to get in Dick's head. That's why she was acting like Slade wasn't there.. Hoping he'd trade Rose for Slade.

 

 "I want to know where Slade is." Dick said, ignoring her question.

 

Alea rolled her eyes, forced Dick's head back and began forcing plyers into his mouth. He tried closing his jaw, biting down but it only hurt him more as she got ahold of s back molar and ripped it out. From there came the beatings, the tearing of fingernails, the small needles being forced into his pressure points.  Dick's vision began going dark and the world went silent.

 

"... Kid? .... Dick .... Dick wake up. Damn it kid you can't die on me." 

 

There was the sound of metal creaking, frustrating groaning. 

 

"God damn it!" 

 

Slade yelled in frustration slamming his back against the chair he was tied to. It was obvious he was trying, in any way he could, to get to Dick. 

 

Slade's wrists were attached to the arms of the chair and currently bleeding from his struggle to get free of the restraints. Along his chest and abdomen were long, healing cuts that looked a lot like they were done during some surgical procedure. 

 

"Handsome, you have to wake up, I need you to. Let me see those beautiful blues ... Please."

 

Slade's voice almost sounded like a faint echo, Dick was sure he was dreaming. But the noise didn't stop. Finally, he groaned and slowly opened his eyes. It took more strength than he anticipated it taking to lift his head. 

 

"Slade?" He asked almost warily. 

 

His gaze shifted down to his hand, his finger bandaged. He groaned and closed his eyes, letting his tongue dance over his missing molar before he refocused on Slade.

 

"Are you alright?" His eyes scanned over the wounds on Slade's body, his concern growing as he tugged at his own restraints, "What did they do to you? Where did they take you?"

 

"Whoah, whoah, kid settle down." Slade offered in a much calmer voice once he saw how distraught Dick was. "I'm fine, my healing ability will take care of me. You need to focus on keeping your mind and body in good shape." Dick didn't need to be told these things, he already knew, but it was more about moral support, reminders about what matters. "What happened when they took me away? Do you remember?"

 

Dick furrowed his brows and shook his head before closing his eyes tightly. His head was burning, body aching.

 

 "It doesn't matter.." He winced, God his hand hurt. His mouth hurt… His everything hurt. "They're going to tear us apart until we-" 

 

The door opened and Dick felt his body tense. The next thing he knew he had a burlap sack thrown over his head before a significant amount of water poured over his face. He gasped and struggled to breathe, pulling at the restraints on his chair until his world went completely black. 

 

"He can't breathe!" Slade yelled pulling at his restraints until his wrists began to bleed, the sound of something breaking heard next.

 

Alea watched Dick completely go still before she pulled off the bag and stabbed him in the chest with a large needle. Suddenly Dick began coughing violently. Alea then grabbed his wet hair and pulled his head back.

 

 "Where is Rose?" Dick spit at her. 

 

Alea was frozen a moment before letting Dick go and looking back at Slade, "I will kill him over and over again until you tell me."

 

"I don't doubt it." Slade said through his teeth, worry plain as day on his face, yet he was still trying to act tough. He was breathing hard, looking back and forth between Alea and Dick. 

 

"If you promise not to hurt him again I'll tell you what I remember."

 

Alea was quiet for a while, contemplative as she removed the hose and passed the bag to her guards.

 

 "Very well."

 

"Slade... Don't." Dick winced.

 

Alea approached Slade and put a hand on each of his arms, looking into his eye. "I suggest you make the information useful."

 

"I hired a team to go in and extract Rose. Made up of some former members from Titans teams I put together. I don't know how Joseph got involved. I'm not even sure he knew what he was doing but ... They took her from the site and were supposed to hand her over to an old friend of mine, Dr. Ikon." Slade knew he was dead, but it would buy them some time. "I knew if she was with me you'd find her."

 

Alea's expression was empty as she looked at Slade, it wasn't clear whether or not she believed Slade or if she thought he was lying but either way the silence was unsettling. It only grew when she actually showed disappointment on her face. 

 

"Wilson... After all this time... You still choose to lie to me." Her gaze hardened. "The moment you defected, I looked into you. I know about your parents. About Benjamin, Angelica, Grant, Adeline... I know about Wardell. Wintergreen. I know who's alive. Who's dead. Who's dead because of  _ you _ . I  _ know _ about Dr. Ikon."

 

 "And now ... I'm going to find out if you truly.. I mean  _ truly _ love your little pet." She pulled back and looked at her guard, "Do it." 

 

The guard grabbed Dick and undid his restraints. Dick wasted no time kicking him in the balls before wiggling out of the chair. He was then shot in the neck by an electric dart that sent him convulsing on the floor before two guards picked him up and transferred him to a table. He was roughly slammed down, his chest against the cold metal as the dart was removed. His vision was sparkling back as his hands were restrained above his head and his fight or flight instincts kicked in devoiding him of collective thought. He began thrashing around repeating the word "No", the table shifting and scraping against the floor as Dick tugged at the restraints. Alea nodded to her guards to hold the table in place while another began working his pants loose.

 

 "I'm told this is very triggering." Alea said as she knelt and leaned into Slades side, "How does it feel knowing this is your fault?" 

 

As if on cue the guard forced himself into Dick's entrance making him choke on his whimper as the table creaked. Dick began struggling more, buckling his knees and trying to sink down as he tugged at his restraints. The man only spanked him and began pounding into him harder making him sob.  

 

"Don't do this to him." Slade begged. "He can't ... Stop!" Slade yelled pulling until another snap was heard. "I'll kill you, I'll kill all of you." Slade spoke with true venom in his voice. "I swear if it's the last thing I do I'll make every one of you suffer ... Enough!" 

 

Tears pricked at Slade's eye before rolling down his cheek, watching helplessly as Dick was raped in front of him. Every joint where the metal restrains met his skin started bleeding as it cut through by the sheer pressure Slade put on it, the metal even starting to whine as he managed to bend it out of place. His heart broke as he watched dicks pained expression fill with tears before his face tucked itself away into the table, his knuckles white from how tight his fists were clenched. 

 

"I keep telling you I don't know where she is! I'm lying to you because I don't know!  You shot me in the head, I need time to heal. Please I will tell you I just ... Stop this. Please."

 

Alea chuckled, "Perhaps we can try again tomorrow... But for now, this is for you." She gestured to the scene in front of them before getting up, "Don't stop until you finish." She called back to the guards before leaving the room. 

 

Dick's struggling finally ceased, his hands slowly opening up. Still, Slade could see dicks entire body trembling. He hated that Slade had to see this, it almost made the whole situation feel that much more degrading. Just like that he felt like he needed to throw up, he even gagged but there was nothing in his stomach. The sound of skin slapping and Dick's pained whines filled the room, regardless of how hard he tried to hold it back. Slade didn't look away, couldn't look away. It was obvious he wanted to do something but with nothing to help him he was just ... Helpless.  It felt like an eternity for the man to finish and by the time he did, Dick had blood running down his leg. 

 

"Alea say what she wanted us to do with him?" The man asked as he fixed his pants. 

 

"Nope, but Foster says a little mercy goes a long way. Remove the hazards and untie the old one." 

 

First they removed anything and everything that could be a weapon, then they freed one of Slades arms. They didn't trust him enough to free both. 

 

It took everything Slade had not to bust one of the guards in the face, but he was smart enough to swipe a key off of one of them.

 

As soon as the door shut he swiped it to unlock his other wrist and legs before standing up from the chair. He moved over to Dick immediately and was disappointed when the key card did nothing to release Dick from his own bonds. 

 

"I'm so sorry." Slade breathed brushing a hand through Dick's hair, fresh tears streaking his face. 

 

Dick barely moved, barely reacted. In fact he seems to withdrawal from Slade's touch. His head was spinning as much as his stomach was, his legs nearly numb beneath him.

 

Slade focused back on the bonds around Dick's wrists and pulled on the metal until it snapped under his own strength and weight. It didn't free Dick's wrists from being bound together, but at least now he didn't have to stay in such a degrading position. It took Slade no time at all to pull Dick into his arms and press him firmly into his chest.

 

It was as though Dick sparked back to life but it didn't stop him from dragging Slade down to the floor. Slade shifted so Dick could sit in his lap as Dick lifted his arms so he could get his arms around Slades head, hugging him the best he could. Before long his face was pressed into the side of Slades neck and he couldn't stop himself from crying. It didn't matter how many times it happened, it always left him feeling broken. Sometimes... More broken than the last. 

 

It took Dick a while to calm himself enough to talk to Slade, "Please don't go...." 

 

It wasn't a fair request because it wasn't Slade's choice.

 

"I'm not going anywhere willingly." It was the best answer he could give. 

 

 His eyes closed tighter as he sniffled in an attempt to get himself to stop crying. He couldn't afford to focus on it anymore. He pulled his arms back before running his fingers over Slade's arms, feeling the healing bones beneath the flesh. "I know... This is hard but... We can't tell her anything."

 

"Dick, she proved today she's willing to kill you, mutilate and torture you." Slade stopped and closed his eye. "I'm completely torn. I know we need to keep her safe but if it means you'll die for it then ... God Dick I can't lose you." It was sincere, broken sounding.

 

Dick shook his head, "You will  _ not _ put my life above hers." He'd say that about anyone but... This case was something special. "She's pregnant.. If I have to die to protect her then I will... If... If I have to get raped every day then I will." 

 

His body trembled at the thought and he sunk further into Slade, closing his eyes. "When we first got together you told me your kids would always come first... I could never resent you for that... I would if they didn't come first, actually.." He felt his eyelids grow heavier before a yawn escaped him, "You can do this."

 

"I know." Slade whispered. "That's why this is so hard. I can stop this any time I want to but ... I can't do it to my kids, but the trade off is your pain and suffering." Slade just held Dick closer, leaning down to press a kiss into the top of his hair. 

 

"I just want you to remember that I love you. No matter what happens."

 

"I love you too." Dick whispered, his eyes closing tighter as he tried to escape the feeling of the room around them so he could focus soley on Slade. It was only a matter of time before he had fallen asleep against the other. For once, Dick felt like he was at peace. 

  
  
  
  


Hours later, Dick's body felt cold. He shifted and his neck cried from the awkward angle it was perched at. He sat up slowly and looked around, the room was empty. There was no sign of Slade's restraints being broken nor signs of the restraints that kept Dick to the table. Not even the ones on his wrists. He looked around and slowly stood up, feeling the sharp pain in his back side... He was still raped... The door opened and Alea stood before him.

 

 "You're awake... Good. It's time to get started."

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.pinterest.com/graysonrichard9981/dystopia/
> 
> Here's a look of some suit designs and characters! 
> 
> Also, in case you haven't noticed the chapters are all named after songs! So here is a track list of the Dystopia chapters!
> 
> Black Smoke Rising by Greta Van Fleet
> 
> Razzle Dazzle from Chicago
> 
> Devil's Be Damned by Mushroomhead
> 
> Dehumanize by Disturbed
> 
> Unforgiven 2 by Metallica
> 
> Welcome To The Family by Avenged Sevenfold
> 
> Running Blind by Godsmack
> 
> Heart by The Pretty Reckless
> 
> Uprising by Muse
> 
> You're My Bestfriend by Queen
> 
> Control by Garbage
> 
> When You're Smiling by Frank Sinatra
> 
> Down In A Hole by Alice In Chains
> 
> Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
> 
> Thunderstruck by ACDC
> 
> Man In A Box by Alice In Chains
> 
> In Church Op 39 No 23 by Tchaikovsky
> 
> Familiar Taste Of Poison by Halestorm
> 
> Under Your Scars by Godsmack
> 
> Freak On A Leash by Korn
> 
> The Trick Is To Keep Breathing by Garbage
> 
> Count On Me by Bruno Mars
> 
> We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister
> 
> Say You'll Haunt Me by Stone Sour
> 
> Hero by Nickelback
> 
> New Perspective by Panic! At The Disco


End file.
